Rev. Ron Hanko
Probably you have been told at some time or other that God loves you and that Christ died for you. You may then have even decided that things cannot be so bad. True, the Bible talks about punishment for all those who do not believe in Christ, but if God loves everyone and if Christ died for everyone, then there really is no need to worry, is there?
Did you know that it is not necessarily true that Christ died for you? The Bible teaches very clearly that Christ did not die for everyone, but only for those who were given to Him by His heavenly Father (e.g., John 10:11; Ephesians 5:25).
When Christ died on the cross some two thousand years ago, He died to pay for the sins of those whom His Father had given Him. He took their place and died because He was suffering the punishment for their sins.
That means that if Christ died for you, all your sins are taken away and there is no reason any more for God to be angry with you or to punish you. It would be wonderful to know that, would it not?
But if Christ did not die for you, then there is no hope for you. Then you are doomed to suffer the punishment for your own sin. The story of how Jesus suffered and died will show you what that means. He was left in darkness and was forsaken of God. So will you be punished by God forever if Jesus Christ did not die for you.
Perhaps you do not realize what a terrible thing that is. The Bible says that the punishment for sin is both eternal darkness and fire that is never quenched. It is to be hated by God forever and to be thrown out of His presence (Matthew 13:49-50; 25:30, 46).
The only way of being delivered from such punishment is by the death of Jesus on the cross. Only if Jesus suffered your punishment will you be saved from it.
But how do you know whether or not Christ died for you? How does anyone know?
There are three things that will be true if Christ died for you.
First, you will see that you are a sinner and will be sorry before God for all the iniquities that you have committed against Him and against others. The Bible calls this repentance.
Second, you will want Jesus to be your Saviour and, by the grace of God, will trust in Him. You will believe that He is the Son of God, that He did die for sins, and (most wonderful of all) that he died for you too!
Third, you will seek to live a new life of obedience to the Triune God—a life that shows true thankfulness to Him for such wonderful salvation.
The Bible, therefore, commands you and every one else to repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ, and insists that you obey God, not your wishes, in all things.
We would like you to think about these words from the Bible:
“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18).
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