YOUR SPIRITUAL CONDITION & YOUR ONLY TRUE OPTION

True born again believers in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God who died on the cross and rose from the dead on the 3rd day.  God in flesh who shed His blood to pay my sin debt that I could never pay.  Repent of sin & believe -- Faith alone in Christ alone.  Complete surrender, trust, belief of the finished work of Christ by faith (not blind faith) but faith in what Jesus actually did for us historically and practically and spiritually.  (Spiritual life)	→ → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → →	Eternity in  the new Heaven & new Earth Paradise with God & angels & other believers  Luke 16:26b: ...between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
↑ Spiritually dead We are all born into This status by no choice of our own. Our own sin separates us from God – our level of sin determines our level of punishment in Hell Jesus is the only cure (hope) to avoid this destiny – the one who paid our sin debt and not only that but simultaneously makes our spirits alive again and we are sealed by His Holy Spirit until the Great Ressurection of all dead or as it’s also called -- Jesus 2nd coming	→ → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → →	no one can cross this line   2nd death Hell (Lake of Fire) Eternal separation from God’s presence

 

The four quadrants above  indicate true spiritual positions & destiny of all mankind and arrows indicate one-way directions that man may move only once.  The middle horizontal line denotes that mankind has no power or method of passing over that line by himself. The one arrow pointing upward denotes Jesus Christ as the one and only way to salvation.
Hebrews 2: 1Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard him;
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 
1John5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 
John 14:19 …Because I live, you also will live….

John 5:24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

 

The middle arrows denote Hebrews 9:27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

 

1. For babies, small children and mentally ill people who die before they can make a clear decision to follow Christ we must trust in an infinitely good and just God to take care of them.  We dare not shout where the scriptures are silent, but it is implied in the old Testament that David would see his baby (who died) in heaven.  
2. But what of those who are of age, yet live and die never having heard the gospel of Jesus Christ?   

Though the scriptures say more than the previous note about babies we still dare not shout on this issue.  We know God is infinitely just and good so it follows he must care about these people and it’s clear He died for them -- we must do all we can do to get the gospel to a lost world.  If you are truly saved yourself the Spirit of God compels you to share the gospel with others and to help &  give to missionaries and groups who take that message across the globe.  After all that was Jesus’ last words to go unto all the world and preach the gospel… --  then he ascended to the right hand of power. 

Concerning this point Romans 1 says: 18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Here is a quote that helped me: 

‘Here is another thing that used to puzzle me. Is it not frightfully unfair that this new life should be confined to people who have heard of Christ and been able to believe in Him? But the truth is God has not told us what His arrangements about the other people are. We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him. But in the meantime, if you are worried about the people outside, the most unreasonable thing you can do is remain outside yourself. Christians are Christ's body, the organism through which he works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If you want to help those outside you must add your own little cell to the body of Christ who alone can help them. Cutting off a man's fingers would be an odd way of getting him to do more work.'

 C.S. Lewis 'Mere Christianity' page 65

Psalm 19:1 …The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Jeremiah 5:21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Psalm 53:1 …The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."…

 

For those who truly repent and come to true belief in Christ the note above about only being able to pass through any line with an arrow ONCE only is very comforting. 

 

But for those who reject the gospel message it should be terrifying but is not.  Why?

 

Ironically but understandably we know this is true.  Those on that road are blind to it.

 

C.S. Lewis explains it best:

‘When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both bad and evil: bad people do not know about either.'

C.S. Lewis 'Mere Christianity' page 88 

“I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of "Admin." The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime" that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern."
[From the Preface]” ― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

 

I'll close with this portion of scripture that shows that works don't save us but works are the result of being saved and are proof we really did accept Christ truly:  (we don't work FOR our salvation, but we do work FROM our salvation)

Ephesians 2: 1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^a and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Oh! and don't forget -- we're born to reproduce.  Don't keep this good news to yourself - share it, shout it.  If they reject it and some will at least you obeyed Christ.  What greater thing can we do in this life than obey the master.  People may say I just want to be happy so stop trying to brainwash me with all this religious stuff.  Tell them ultimate happiness is with God & you don't want to miss it and as for this religious stuff it happens to be the only truth you may ever hear. Have you ever heard the truth hurts.  Proverbs 27: 5Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7The full soul loathes an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. …