“I have good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?”

If you have ever read the Bible, you know that God could easily pose this question to us. His Word gives us some very bad news, but it also provides us with some very, very, good news as well.

So what’s the bad news?

The Bible Says That You Are a Sinner.

We would all agree that the world is full of sinners. There are people in the world who steal, murder, cheat, and cause harm. But compared to all the people we read about on the Internet or hear about on TV, many would conclude that they are personally not that bad. Many would assume that God, like a teacher in school, must grade on a curve. When God compares their grade to everyone else’s, many assume that He will give them a few extra points so that they will pass and make it into heaven.

But that’s not how God works. God isn’t comparing us to others, then choosing the ones who do the least wrong to enter into heaven. He is comparing us to himself and we are all falling short. The standard that God has established is perfection and no one but God himself meets that standard. Even if we could go through our day and only sin once, we would still fail. The Bible says:

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at one point is guilty of breaking all of it. – James 2:10

 If we are honest with ourselves, we know our thoughts and are thankful that no one else can know them. We know the things that we have done wrong and we know that many of our desires are far from pure. When we consider all these things, we have to admit that all, including us, are sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

So the bad news of God’s Word is that man is sinner, but the bad news keeps getting worse.

The Penalty for Sin is Death.

Scripture tells us that when we sin, we earn death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  – Romans 6:23

When you go to your place of employment and do your job, you expect to eventually be paid for your work and time. You earned a certain amount of money, and you expect to receive it. Sin is the same way. When we commit sin, even just one sin, Scripture tells us that we earn death. Not just a physical death, but a Spiritual death as well. The Bible explains a spiritual death as an eternity without God. The Bible calls this spiritual death, Hell. Scripture is clear that Hell is a real place of eternal punishment

We are all sinners and our future holds an eternity separated from God in hell and there is nothing that we can do about it.

God’s Word does not stop with bad news. God provided a solution for man’s problem. Here is the Good News of Scripture:

Jesus Christ Died for You.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45

Jesus came to this earth to do for us what we could not on our own. Jesus lived a perfect life, without sin, and then He took our place on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins as He died a most humiliating death. Once Jesus died, He was buried in a tomb for three days, but He didn’t stay dead. On the third day, God raised Him from the grave and He is now alive!

On the cross, Jesus took the punishment for our sins that we deserved. He took our place and died for us. This is good news and it gets even better!

You Can Be Saved By Faith.

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

Today, God offers the sacrifice of His Son as a gift to you. It is not something that you have earned or even something that you deserve, it is a free gift offered to you because of His love.

If order to receive this gift, you must be saved by faith. You must trust in Jesus Christ as the only one who died for your sins and paid the debt once and for all. All you have to do is admit that you are a sinner, believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and that God raised him from the dead, and confess that He is Lord. Once you have done those things, here on earth your relationship with God has begun, and someday when you die you will be with Him in Heaven.

Now that you know the bad news and the good news of Scripture, how will you respond? Today, I invite you to place your faith in Jesus Christ!

EXTRA INFORMATION:

If you have placed you faith in Christ and started a relationship with God, keep this in mind: Relationships takes work. Think about a special friendship in your life. That friendship means something to you because of the time spent together and the interests that both of you share. You have taken time and made the effort to get to know one another through conversations and experiences. The work that you have put into that relationship is not unlike the work that it takes to be in a relationship with God.

If you are going to be in a relationship with God, you must make time to get to know him. Spend time reading your Bible, attending church, and praying. Now that Jesus is the Lord of you life, make sure to spend time learning about what it takes to please God and then start doing those things. Also, don’t forget to let a pastor know about your decision to place your faith in Jesus. A pastor can help equip you with the necessary tools to grow in your relationship with God.