Back to God's Plan of Salvation There really should be no excuse for wanting to reject Jesus Christ. The life you may be living cannot compare with the peace of God that you will find once you repent of your sins and open your heart to salvation. Yet, most people do not want to have anything to do with Jesus or the church. Part of it is just plain stubborness, but part of it is ignorance of the consequences of ignoring God. Below, in statement-and-answer format, are a few of the more common reason people give why they are afraid to accept Christ.
"The fool has said in his heart "There is no God"..." - Psalms 14:1
Evidence for God is all around you. Science in all of it's glory has been unable to explain the basic element of how the universe came into being. Instead, they have come up with some terrific "something out of nothing theory", in the form of the Big Bang. The scientific version of the origin of man (Evolution) is still only a theory. Even with that theory, scientist are constantly changing and contradicting themselves. For example, in September of 2002, anthropologist had "discovered" a close link between man and chimpanzee. Two weeks later, the same anthropologist said that man and chimpanzee were not as close as originally thought.
All of creation, from the Universe in it's vast expanses, all the way down to incredibly small quarks and gluons, point to a higher source in it's creation and is being held together by that Creator. To deny God is to deny your very reason for existence. The Bible teaches that earth was created by God, that man was created in His own image.
I believe in God and Heaven, but I believe that Hell is a Christian myth, intended to scare people. I've heard that when I die, if i'm not good enough to go to heaven, I will just go to sleep and never know conciousness again.
"Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat on it from whom the heavens and the earth fled away. And no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God and the books were opened. And the Book of Life was opened. The dead were judged according to their works, by the things that were written in the Book.
And anyone found whose name was not written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
-Revelations 20:11-15
The belief that Hell is a Christian myth is a lie straight from God's opposition, Satan. In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus clearly illustrates what happens to those who place their trust in the world and not in God. Hell is a real place, just like heaven. Hell was originally created for Lucifer when he and his band of Angels rebelled against God. But Hell grows larger every day with the souls of men who reject God's authority over them. God does not send people to hell; men do. As was said before, God cannot tolerate sin in His presence, and anyone who has rejected Jesus Christ and dies in their sins will stand before God on Judgement Day to give account as to why they rejected Him. Then, the Bible says, they will be cast into the lake of fire that has been prepared for Satan and his angels.
Our soul, from the time it is created by God and given to the newborn baby, is eternal. Our soul lives inside of a fleshly body that God has given us, and once that body wears out, the soul will live on. There are only two alternatives in the afterlife - A sinless , perfect existence forevermore in the presense of God, or a fiery torture in Hell, forever seperated from the love of God. This is not a "Christian myth", it is the truth as spoken by Jesus Christ and referenced 53 other times in the Bible.
But i'm a good person. I don't curse, I don't cheat on my spouse, I give to charity, and I love my children. Isn't that good enough to get to heaven?"... and all of our righteousness is as filthy rags" - Isaiah 64:6
If our own version of right an wrong doesn't compare to what the Bible says about right and wrong, then "I'm good enough" just doesn't hold up. Jesus Christ said that there is just one way to the Father, and that is through Him. It does not matter how much work we do, how many tracts we pass out, how much we love our neighbors or honor the Ten Commandments, nothing but salvation through the blood of Jesus will save our souls.
But i'm afraid of what I will have to give up to follow Jesus
"...there is one thing that you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasures in Heaven. Come then, and follow me."
But when the rich young ruler heard this, he was very sorry, for he was very wealthy." - Luke 18:18-27
In this Bible passage, Jesus tests a young man to see if he was willing to give up the world to follow Him. The man turns away in sorrow, clinging to his earthly riches.
Sit down and really think about what it is that you are giving up. A job? A relationship? Drugs or alcohol? Partying? Money? If you sit down and really, really think about these things, do they really bring happiness into your life? Or do you worry about them more than you enjoy them?
Make no mistake, God will not hold second candle to anyone. He will ask you to purge those things in your life that seperate you and Him. Now that does not neccessarily mean that you need to give away your money and become dirt poor. God does call some people to that life of service, but most people He asks to use the resources He has given them to help others. You will find that once all of those material things are out of the way, you will have a peace and joy in your life that surpasses all understanding! The gift of salvation from Christ is the only thing in this world that cannot be drained away, taken from you, eaten by moths, or corrupted by rust. You do not have to worry about God; once you are His, no principality or power can wrestle your soul away from Him. Eternal security will be yours forever.
If you are still not convinced that earthly things grow dim in comparison to the love of God, consider this; What is worth more to you - your earthly posessions and a good time now and then for about 80 years, or Heaven forever? You cannot have both, and the alternative to Heaven is REALLY to hot to handle!
But my friends and family will reject me if I become a Christian.
It is true that those who do not seek the truth may reject you. Many families and friendships have been torn apart over a decision to follow Christ. But Jesus said that those who choose the world over Him, or are ashamed of His name, shall not see the kingdom of heaven.
When you become a Christian, you are called out, sanctified (or seperated) unto God. Your old life will be washed away, your sins forgiven, and you will be "born again". You will shine as a light pointing unto the righteousness of God. Yes, those friends and family members who are still rebelling against God may mock you. But once they see your changed life and attitude, they may become curious about the new life you are living. You may be the first step on their path to salvation.
You may lose a few friends in your life when you call out to Jesus to save you, but you will gain so many more! The people of the church become your new family, with strengthening and encouragement in Jesus.
But you don't know what i've done. God will never forgive me.
Moses was the Prince of Egypt. He murdered a man in anger then tried to hide his crime. God used Him to destroy the Egyptian Empire and lead Israel to Canaan.
King David commited adultery and caused an innocent man and child to die. God used him to build Israel into a great nation, and from his sons came the Son of God.
Zacheus was a tax collector, a man known for dishonesty and cheating. Jesus changed his life, and he repayed everyone he had ever cheated above and beyond what He had taken.
Peter denied that he knew Jesus and cursed when accused of being a disciple before Jesus's crucifixtion. Following Jesus's resurrection, Peter became a bold Apostle, preaching and teaching Christ where ever he went. He was the foundation of the Church.
Saul of Tarsus caused hundreds of Jews to be imprisoned or murdered for following Christ. Jesus met Him on the road to Damascus and changed His life. He became the Apostle Paul, and is one of the greatest teachers of the Bible.
Still have an excuse?
I am of a different faith or religion than Christianity
There is a difference between "religion" and Christianity. Religion is man's attempt to seek god. Any god will do. Man is programmed to worship something, and it will be the true God or something else. Christianity, on the other hand, is God's attempt to seek out man for redemption. Anyone can be religious. But you have to call upon the name of Jesus in order to be a Christian.
As far as being of a different faith, there is a lot of blessing in society for "tolerance" of all views and religions. Those that preach so called "tolerance" take the Bible out of context when they quote Jesus saying "Judge not, lest you be judged also" to mean Christianity as a whole should accept the teachings of other religions that do not accept Christ as the Son of God. It is true that we should not judge other people because we don't know the particular situation they are in. However, there is a difference in judgeing someones situation and speaking out about what the Bible clearly states as right and wrong. God does expect us to speak out against right and wrong to reveal the truth of His word.
You need to ask yourself a few simple questions about your faith in order to compare it to Christianity:
Does your faith accept Jesus Christ as the virgin born, sinless, living Son of God? The Bible says that no man will go to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus was not a prophet. Jesus was not the brother of Satan and one of God's wives sons. Jesus was not a man who simply preached the right message at a pivotal moment in world history. If your faith does not accept Christ as the Son of God, then your religion is false.
Does your faith accept the Bible as the un-erring word of God, inspired by Him, and written by man? The Bible was given to us by God as a guideline for our lives, and a manual on how to live Holy unto the Lord. It is history, and it is the future. The New Testament is just as true as the Old Testament. Creation happened in Genesis, the destruction of Earth and Satan and the calling of all saints to Heaven happens in Revelations, and not one word in between is false!. There is nothing that needs to be added to the Bible; no messages found on plates under a rock or given by a false prophet. If your faith does not uphold the Bible as incorruptable and everliving word, then your religion is false.
Does your faith have a God that was willing to make a huge, painful sacrifice in order to save mankind? Now this is where the rubber hits the road. No other religion can say this. No where else can you find that God actually cared enough for His creation to make Himself lowly and sacrifice Himself to save it. If your faith does not accept the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then your religion is false.
Jesus Himself said that in the last days, people would run to and fro claiming themselves to be the Christ or saying that they had the only way to salvation. Everyone these days is saying "worship this and do these works and you shall be saved", or "say a special prayer for this dead saint and you shall be saved", or "god is within you and you have to decide what is right or wrong". The fact is, Jesus was, and is, the only way to salvation.
I'll get saved someother time. I am to busy and want to enjoy life right now
"...So the man said, I will say to my soul "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years: take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." But God said to him "You fool! This night your soul shall be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have lain up?"" - Luke 12:17-21
My friend, if this is your attitude, you are playing with hell fire. Terrorist attacks, the inherent violence of men, wars, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis and the like should be a perfect example that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. You could be planning to live the good life today, and tomorrow die of a sudden heart attack, or be killed in a car crash. We may not get the luxury of a "death-bed confession" of faith. Everyday we should prepare ourselves to meet the Almighty God face to face. Would you want to stand before Him unprepared?
The Bible tells us that we are to live once, and then Judgement will be upon us. Jesus told the story of the rich business man. The man layed up many treasures for himself and called it all good. He figured that he had the good life now, so he could take it easy and live rich. However, God had other plans. The man died that very night and went out to meet the Lord lost in His sins. That very man is still in Hell today, and will be there forever.
Is this a chance you really want to take?
There is one other danger in waiting to accept Christ: hardness of heart. The Holy Spirit is obligated only once to call upon us to accept Christ into our lives. There can be a point when you can wait out conviction too long. Your heart will become hard, and you will no longer be sensitive to the calling of God. Many times men have waited to long, and then sought out Christ in their dying hour, but the Holy Spirit had left them without conviction of their sins and they could not be saved.