What is life all about? That question has haunted and perplexed people for centuries. The answer we receive so often from society is that our lives consist of our status, our appearance and our possessions. Yet many who have devoted their lives to these things have found them unfulfilling and temporary. They have learned well the art of making a living, but have not learned how to live.<\/p>\n
Nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ taught that a person\u2019s life does not consist of possessions (Luke 12:15). He offered a radically different answer to our nagging question. For more than 100 years The Christian and Missionary Alliance has echoed Christ’s answer by proclaiming the words of John when he wrote, He who has the Son [Christ] has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12). That statement reflects both our greatest problem and God’s great solution.<\/p>\n
The Bible reveals that men and women were created in God\u2019s image that we might live in a loving relationship with God and enjoy all the blessings that result from that relationship. This fellowship was to endure unbroken for eternity. God told Adam that death would only enter into his experience if he chose to disobey (Genesis 2:17). Adam made that choice, thereby severing his relationship with God, and through him sin and death entered into the human arena. God’s image in mankind was marred, resulting in a condition described by the Bible as spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1-3).<\/p>\n
A person consists of body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Our spirits are that part of us which was meant to communicate with God. Since our separation from God through sin, our spirits no longer function in relationship with God. Our spirit is dead. Our bodies and our souls (our emotions, intellect, and will) still function, but they are not enlightened and governed by God’s Spirit communicating through our spirits. God\u2019s Spirit is absent because of sin. Thus, we are not experiencing true life as God intended it to be.<\/p>\n
Since that day of Adam\u2019s fatal choice, we all have been born with this condition (Romans 5:12). Consequently, all of us sin, in that we live our lives independent of God (Isaiah 53:6). Our lives fall short of reflecting God\u2019s glorious image (Romans 3:23). There are no exceptions (Romans 3:10).<\/p>\n
If we die while still in this condition, we are eternally lost and separated from God. We will one day be resurrected in order to be judged for our sin, but there will not be another opportunity for us to be reconciled to God. Hebrews 9:27 states that man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. The Bible refers to this state as the second death or Hell (Revelation 20:12\u201315).<\/p>\n
We can do nothing independent of God to remedy this dilemma. Ephesians 2:8\u20139 states that salvation is not a result of works. As long as we are dead in our sin, living independent of God, our works are never truly good, for they are not initiated at God\u2019s command nor carried out by His power and for His glory. Doing good deeds will not restore our spirits to life, for external acts do not alter our internal condition. Our hearts need to be changed. Likewise, moral deeds do not pay the debt that we owe to God’s justice because of our sin. Romans 6:23 reminds us that the wages of sin is death. Deeds cannot be substituted for death. Only death can truly substitute for death.<\/p>\n
Consequently, good works do not remove our guilt nor restore our spiritual life. God, in His perfect love, did not leave us hopeless in our predicament. Nor did He simply overlook our guilt, for to do so would have violated His perfect justice. The only solution consistent with His love and justice was the death of Christ in our behalf. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). When Christ died on Calvary, He was not suffering for any sin He had committed. He was the sinless Son of God. Nor was He merely providing mankind with an inspiring example of love. He was laying down His life and immortality of His own will and power so that His death could be the substitute for our judgment (John 10:17\u201318). Christ\u2019s death was an absolute necessity, for it alone opened the way to reconciliation and peace with God.<\/p>\n
In order for a person to be both delivered from the penalty of sin and restored to full humanity, he or she must believe on and confess Christ as his or her Lord (Romans 10:9\u201310). This involves more than mere verbal assent. It requires repentance, a commitment to turn from sin (Luke 13:3), as well as surrender, a commitment to honor and obey God. It is brought about by the convicting work of God’s Holy Spirit (John 6:44; 16:8) and our response in the exercise of faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Faith has been described as \u201cForsaking All I Trust Him.\u201d It is not faith itself which saves us, but the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, the Lord.<\/p>\n
When we respond to God’s offer of forgiveness and reconciliation, we experience what Jesus referred to as the new birth (John 3:3\u20138). God\u2019s Spirit regenerates our spirit, giving us spiritual and eternal life. We now live in union with Christ. All sin is forgiven, for we are now in Christ. Christ\u2019s death for sin covers and removes our debt. The Bible refers to this condition of freedom from condemnation as being \u201cjustified through faith\u201d (Romans 5:1). We are now ready to experience life, the abundant life Christ offers (John 10:10).<\/p>\n
God has provided only one way to eternal life, and that is through the One who said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Some would contend that God is to be found in all faiths. However, the first chapter of Romans makes it clear that the various human religions do not constitute alternative paths to salvation but rather our suppression of God\u2019s truth. In short, they are further examples of our seeking to make our own way, rather than yielding to God’s will. Acts 4:12 reaffirms that Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Life can only be found in union with \u201cChrist, who is our life\u201d (Colossians 3:4).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our Greatest Question What is life all about? That question has haunted and perplexed people for centuries. The answer we receive so often from society is that our lives consist of our status, our appearance and our possessions. Yet many who have devoted their lives to these things have found them unfulfilling and temporary. They have learned well the art of making a living, but have not learned how to live. Nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ taught that a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":23,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/width-medium.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-51","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","ctfw-no-image"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9vaGn-P","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53,"url":"https:\/\/bethelcma.org\/bethel\/beliefs\/sanctification\/","url_meta":{"origin":51,"position":0},"title":"Sanctification","author":"Garry Gardner","date":"September 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This outline study is offered to help clarify and personalize the work of the Spirit of God in our lives. It is intended to provide an initial listing of scriptures that will help define the mysterious work of the Spirit of God at work in our life. It is not\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62,"url":"https:\/\/bethelcma.org\/bethel\/beliefs\/evangelizing-the-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":51,"position":1},"title":"Evangelizing the Lost","author":"Garry Gardner","date":"September 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Evangelism and discipleship are inseparable. Both involve intentional process. Evangelism begins as a relationship and is initiated and cultivated for the purpose of influencing others and communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ and the new life He offers. This life is available for now and for all eternity to anyone\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23,"url":"https:\/\/bethelcma.org\/bethel\/beliefs\/","url_meta":{"origin":51,"position":2},"title":"Beliefs","author":"Garry Gardner","date":"September 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Who Is Jesus Christ? The person and work of Jesus Christ is summed up in a name given to Him before birth: ...Immanuel which means \u201cGod with us\u201d (Matthew 1:23). 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He healed all kinds of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66,"url":"https:\/\/bethelcma.org\/bethel\/beliefs\/spiritual-gifts\/","url_meta":{"origin":51,"position":4},"title":"Spiritual Gifts","author":"Garry Gardner","date":"September 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"What are spiritual gifts? Spiritual gifts are supernatural empowerments given by the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ so that Jesus can continue His ministry through us. Luke affirms in Acts 1:1\u20132 that his gospel account of Jesus\u2019 life was simply about all that Jesus began to do and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59,"url":"https:\/\/bethelcma.org\/bethel\/beliefs\/water-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":51,"position":5},"title":"Water Baptism","author":"Garry Gardner","date":"September 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Water baptism was established by Christ in connection with His Great Commission to the apostles (Matthew 28:19). He said that new disciples were to be baptized in the name of the Triune God. 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