A Step of FAITH
Our Church teaches the "FAITH" method in that:
F is for forgiveness
A is for available
I is for impossible
T is for turn
H is for heaven
Read on to see how this applies to you. Find the "FAITH" elements above in bold print in the text below.
Ask yourself some questions...
Do you consider yourself a "good person?" I used to think that I was a good person. Many people convince themselves that the answer to this question is "yes." They really do think they are "good" people. Perhaps, as you read this, you are thinking the same thing. After all, it's not like you are a murderer, right? You try to live by the "golden rule." You may even think that you follow the 10 commandments. But...are you really a good person? Answer these questions to yourself to see if you are right and to really see if you have followed the 10 commandments. Have you ever told a lie, even a small "white lie"? If you have, that makes you a liar. Have you ever stolen something, even something small? If you have, that makes you a thief. Jesus said "whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28)." Have you ever lusted? Have you ever hated someone? Hatred is the same as murder in God's eyes (1 John 3:15). Do you have your own views on God? That's called idolatry (Ezekiel 14:3) because you are making your own God. Have you ever been greedy and coveted? Have you ever used God's name as a swear word (e.g. "oh my G-d" or "J-sus C-rist" when you stub your toe)? That's called blasphemy. The first commandment says that "you shall have no other gods before me." Jesus taught that this means that we should love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:34-40). The Bible says that no one has done this (Psalms 14:2-3).
So after answering these questions honestly, you should be in the same predicament as the rest of us. Like us, you are some combination of a lying, thieving, coveting, hating, self-righteous, idolater, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart. IF God judges you by the 10 commandments, do you think you would be innocent or guilty?
Do you think that you will go to heaven or hell?
Some objections. Do you think you are "guilty, but going to heaven" because God is love. Well, God is also holy and just (we'll see what God's love does for us in the next section). Would you be happy with a judge who let a dangerous criminal go free without any punishment? How could a holy God let you go and still see that justice is done? If you don't believe in God or heaven and hell, that doesn't really matter...I could not believe in a stop sign, but that still means I'll get a traffic ticket if I don't stop. Perhaps, you have been to church before and you saw that it was full of hypocrites. Personally, I am glad there are hypocrites in the church. What better place is there for them to learn of God's truth and to grow. Perhaps, your objection is with the Bible itself. After all, it contains 66 books penned by forty authors on three different continents over a period of well over a thousand years and yet it's message is internally consistent. Critics claim that there are contradictions, and yet when examined, these "apparent" contradictions lead to a fuller understanding of what is happening. The Bible predicts things before they happen(ed) suggesting that the true author is outside of time (In the beginning, God...). Psalm 22 was written hundreds of years before Christ's crucifixion and yet it seems as if it could have been dictated by Christ himself as He hung on the cross. Isaiah 53....and so many more examples....
Two more questions. Knowing that you have violated God's law (i.e. sinned), are you sure you know where you will go if you died tomorrow? Does your answer to that question concern you? Continue to read this page to see the structure of God's plan to remedy this.
Sin is universal among people. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God "(Romans 3:23). When we sin, we are rebelling against God, the very same God who gave us life and who continually sustains us (from the most minor of cell division in our mother's womb to setting the universe in motion to sustain all life).
The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Our sin leads us away from God and spiritually separates us from God, but the good news is that our perfect God has given us a perfect way to be reconciled to Him. And he offers it freely to all those who will accept it.
Since we have sinned against God, we desperately need His forgiveness. F is for forgiveness.
God's love
This is what the Bible has to say about God love.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
It is a gift that we don't deserve, but is offered because we are loved by our Creator."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). A is for available since God's forgiveness is available for all, although it is not automatic (Matthew 7:21).
God became man (John 1:1-18), he hung on a cross, and took the punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53). God chose a perfect substitute to take our well-deserved punishment. Three days after his death, Christ rose again, defeating death.
"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep" (1 Cor 15 3-6).
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). I is for impossible since according to the Bible, it is impossible to get to Heaven on our own.
So how can a sinful person have eternal life and enter heaven?
What God asks of you
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). T is for turn since repentance is a conscious act to turn away from your sin and self and to turn towards Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And the greatest news of all...
"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).
H is for heaven. Heaven is a place where we live with God forever. "... if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" ( John 14:3).
How can a person have God's forgiveness, eternal life, and heaven? By trusting Jesus as your Savior and Lord.
What to do now
Do you want to accept the gift of pardon that God freely offers? If you do, you may want to take this time to pray some sort of prayer like this: "Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I desperately need Your forgiveness. I know that You died on the cross for me and that You rose again. I turn away from my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I open the door of my life to You Lord and I pray that I will be transformed into the person I was designed to be, Lord, Amen."
Your next step is to take part in believer's baptism to demonstrate your obedience (Acts 10:44-48) and to start reading the Bible (A good place to start is the book of John). You need to find a Bible-believing Christian fellowship where you can learn more about our God and where you can grow in your faith. Please email us at prayer@fsbccv.org so that we may learn of you and pray for you.
If you are in the San Diego area, we would love to welcome you to our church and to grow together in our faith. Even if you haven't accepted Christ in your life, we would still like to meet you. Come join us!