In any discussion of foundational beliefs one issue that must be considered is death. If death is sidestepped or ignored, we are ignoring a blatant reality of life. The truth is, we cannot hope to find meaning in life if we cannot find meaning in death. We need to ask ourselves, "After death, what then?" Our answer to this question rests upon some foundation. Whether our answer is true depends upon the truth of our foundation.

In order to bring this discussion into sharper focus, consider the following questions:

(1) If you were to die today, are you confident that you would go to heaven (if you believe that such a place exists)?

(2) Assume you did die today, and you found yourself standing in the presence of God. If God reviewed your life and asked you for a reason why you should be permitted to enter heaven and live with him throughout all eternity, what would your answer be?

The Bible has much to say about issues and questions such as these.

First of all, the Bible clearly teaches the reality of both a heaven and a hell. When a person dies he will exist in one of these two places. Where you spend eternity depends upon your response to the call of God as given in the Bible. If you suffer the punishment of hell it will not be because God unjustly sent you there, but it will be punishment, entirely justified, because you chose to rebel against your very Creator. And failure to respond to the call of God is rebellion against him.

The Bible tells us that heaven, or eternal life and fellowship with God, is a gift given freely by God.

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

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

(We) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24

Although this gift is freely given, not everyone has possession of it. Many people die without ever receiving it. The Bible tells us plainly how we can have possession of this priceless gift. The receiving of this gift is referred to in the Bible as salvation, and those who have received it are referred to as saved. The question is, "Have you been reconciled to God and given the gift of eternal life?"

A person is saved by the grace of God. Grace in this context means the undeserved, unmerited favor of God. It is God's power working on our behalf. Saved means salvation from the sentence of death and from eternal separation from God which God rightly charges against us due to our sin. Many people have a problem acknowledging, or accepting the fact, that they are sinners. Sin is not just committing some harmful act, such as murder or robbery, which society considers to be wrong. The Bible teaches that sin is anything that is contrary to the nature and character of God, whether it is our actions, our words, or even our thoughts. Man's failure to acknowledge sin is primarily due to his pride and because he tends to rate himself by society's prevailing standards. But as the Bible says:

When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10:12,18

When someone thinks they are basically a good person they are comparing themselves with someone they consider to be worse than themselves. In essence, this is making an assumption that God "grades on a curve." The Bible, however, tells us something entirely different. In fact, Jesus himself tells us:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48.

In saying that, Jesus clearly set forth the standard of God: perfection. For a person to be acceptable to God, his life, his thoughts, and his conduct must be perfect continually. If you are trusting in your "goodness" to get you to heaven, there is absolutely no room for error; you must be perfect. However, the Bible teaches that this is completely impossible.

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

There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who does good, not even one. Romans 3:10,12

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

The Bible clearly teaches that no one can possibly live a perfect life, keeping all the commandments and ways of God continually. As such, the Bible says that no one will be accepted by God on the basis of "good works."

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his (God's) sight by observing the law. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Romans 3:20,28

Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." Galatians 3:11

Some people tend to think that God will have a "weigh-in" on the scales of justice when they die. They may think that all of their good deeds will be placed on one side of the scale and all of their bad deeds on the other and if the good outweighs the bad then surely God will accept them. Actually, there will be judgement, a weigh-in so to speak, but the problem with man's idea of this weigh-in is that he grossly miscalculates and underestimates the weight of his sins. The Bible teaches that a single sin, regardless of its severity in our eyes, has so much weight in God's eyes that all the good deeds we could possibly muster in a lifetime would not even begin to tip the scales in our favor. At this judgement, if justice is administered on the basis of our works, we will all stand absolutely condemned. This misunderstanding of sin and justice arises out of a lack of a proper understanding about the nature and character of God.

Many people picture God as a God of love, goodness and mercy. This is absolutely true, as the Bible affirms:

God is love. 1 John 4:8

No one is good - except God alone. Luke 18:19

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:8-9

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

God our Savior ... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3

However, for many people, their understanding of the character of God stops here. The Bible, however, equally teaches that this same God of love is also a God of justice, righteousness, purity and holiness:

God is a righteous judge. Psalm 7:11

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice. Acts 17:31

For the Lord is a God of justice. Isaiah 30:18

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4

But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness. Isaiah 5:16

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. Isaiah 13:11

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:9

A proper concept of God must include God in his totality. We cannot view God as only a God of love, incapable of administering justice. Nor can we think of God only as a merciless judge, doling out punishment on a sinful world, devoid of any love. The biblical view of God shows him as a God of love, compassion and mercy, but also as a God who cannot and will not tolerate sin, and who must, in keeping with his righteousness, bring judgement upon the guilty. We also must not think of God as some kind of supreme man, because the best person our thoughts can fashion will fall far short of the true character of God.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Where does this leave us then? The Bible declares us all to be sinners, guilty of transgressing the laws and ways of God. It furthermore says that we are incapable of doing anything which could pay for our sins, cancel our debt, and bring us into an acceptable position before God. Finally, as if driving the final nail into the coffin, God clearly pronounces the sentence for our sin:

For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15

The death spoken of here is not just physical death, for we all must experience that, rather it is spiritual death which means complete and eternal separation from God. The Bible refers to this separation as hell, which Jesus, in Matthew 13:42, characterizes as a place "where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

It is clear up to this point that our situation is entirely and utterly hopeless. We all stand condemned, unless there is some way to cancel our sin debt to God. Clearly this way must be outside of ourselves since God tells us that we have nothing to offer him that he will accept. This brings us to the central focus of Christianity and the central theme of the Bible, namely, Jesus Christ.

The only way to escape condemnation and become acceptable to God would be for someone to pay the penalty for us. This could not possibly be done by a man since the man himself would be a sinner and as such could only pay the penalty for his own sins. That means he would die for his own sins and remain eternally separated from God, doing the rest of us no good whatsoever. However, what if God so loved us that he himself would be willing to pay the penalty for us, clear our debt, and bring us into a right relationship with him. That is exactly what the Bible teaches:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18

The Bible declares Jesus to be God and Jesus himself claimed to be God. The Scripture says:

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,14

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. Colossians 2:9

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3

(Jesus said) "I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33

Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, lived a sinless, righteous life and freely laid down his own life, suffering crucifixion on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sins and to reconcile us to himself. This is the greatest possible expression of God's love for us; he took on the form of a man and sacrificed himself so that we may share eternity with him.

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

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:18

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28

Not only did Jesus Christ die on the cross to pay in full the penalty that we should bear, but he also rose from the dead to demonstrate his power over the grave and to demonstrate to us that he is who he says he is.

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all. Romans 6:9-10

(God) has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus ... who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:9-10

Regarding his Son ... who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 1:3-4

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely central to the message of salvation and without it the entire Christian faith crumbles. The apostle Paul makes this very clear:

If there is no resurrection from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:13-15,17,19-20.

The resurrection of Christ was well attested to by many eyewitnesses. Paul mentions a few of these eyewitnesses in his letter to the Christians who were living in Corinth, Greece, in order to strengthen the foundation of their faith:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3

Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Period. This now brings us to the point where the Christian claim "Jesus is the only way" begins to make some sense. Jesus Christ is the only way that we can be reconciled to God because he is the only one who could possibly pay the price for us; he was, and is, God.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Jesus made his position very clear:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." John 11:25

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is found in Jesus Christ and in him alone. Salvation comes by faith in Christ, by believing and trusting fully in him. He gives the gift of eternal life, paid for with his own blood, to all who will put their trust in him.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. John 3:36

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13

(Jesus said) "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24

We must be careful here to properly define what believing in Jesus Christ means. Belief is not just an intellectual assent to the facts, with no evidence of belief in the person's life and with no desire to live for God. Faith in Christ is not simply saying "Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and he died on the cross to pay for my sins" if all it amounts to is lip service. God searches the heart:

These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Isaiah 29:13

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. Titus 1:16

For the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. 1 Chronicles 28:9

The Bible teaches that sorrow over our sins, a deep sorrow that comes from realizing that we have greatly offended a holy and loving God, brings forth repentance that leads to salvation. To repent means to change one's mind, to turn from sin and turn to the living and true God. It involves a complete change of heart, attitude, interest, and direction.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:7

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:19

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? Romans 2:4

Faith in Jesus Christ is a living, growing faith, manifesting itself in the daily life of the believer. This is the rightful place of "good deeds" or proper living in the life of the Christian.

It is important to note that God does not ask a person to "clean up his life" before he puts his trust in Christ. Changed lives result after salvation and are produced by God's power working in the person. A person's "goodness" before he is saved has absolutely nothing to do with his salvation - salvation is solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross. But the believer's character and lifestyle after salvation are a living testimony to his belief in, trust in, and love of, the Lord Jesus Christ. Godly living flows naturally out of true faith. James addresses this in the following way:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 2:14,17,19,26; 1:22

Jesus, himself the only true foundation, said this:

Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. Luke 6:46-49

Once a person truly believes in Jesus Christ, that is, once he repents and places his faith and trust in Christ, he receives Christ into his heart by faith so that the Spirit of God then dwells within him and provides him with the power to live a life that reflects the nature and character of God:

I (Paul) pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? 1 Corinthians 6:19

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. Romans 8:9

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

Paul continuously labored to build up Christians in their understanding of Christ and the treasures he brings into a believer's heart. He also warned them against being deceived by empty philosophies which exclude Christ.

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:2-4,6-8

Having received Christ, how should a person then live? Paul contrasts a life controlled by human nature with a life controlled by the Spirit of God:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:19-23

Paul further instructs us:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Ephesians 4:22-24; 5:15-17

But now you must rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:5-10, 13-16

Peter teaches a similar message:

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

What is the motivation for living this kind of life? It is out of love for God and out of thanksgiving for what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 2:11-14; 3:3-7

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:8-10

For the Christian, there can also be great peace in knowing for certain that he will spend eternity in heaven. The Bible says that he can know this for sure. In the book of 1 John, the apostle John teaches many things about the Lord Jesus Christ, and about living a life of absolute trust in him. He concludes his instruction by telling the Christians:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

We have looked at the heart of the gospel and the foundation of true Christianity. Let us now return to the original questions. After death, what then? Do you have the assurance of eternal life with God? If so, what is the basis for your assurance? There is only one foundation upon which we can confidently stand, and that firm foundation is Christ. May you search this matter for yourself and search your own heart. This is the most important matter you must ever face. Your life throughout all eternity depends on whether or not you have been reconciled to God. How will you respond to the call of God? The call of God is to repent and place your trust completely in Jesus Christ. Without him there is no hope. Will you trust him? In the words of the apostle Paul:

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

If a true desire to receive Jesus Christ is in your heart right now then call out to God to forgive you and save you, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13) Trust him, love him, listen to him (through the Bible), and obey him. The Bible says concerning Jesus:

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:10-13

Perhaps a prayer like the following expresses the intent of your heart. If so, pray (talk) to God and express to him your desire. If that desire is truly there then you can be confident that God has already begun a mighty work in your life. There is nothing special about this prayer; the important thing is the attitude and intent of your heart.

Lord Jesus, I now recognize who you really are. I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, that you rose again from the dead, and that you are the only Sovereign Lord. I confess that I have sinned against you and need your forgiveness. Forgive me, Lord Jesus, and have mercy on me. I trust you, and desire that you come into my heart and life to be my Savior and Lord. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying for my sins, for granting me forgiveness, and for granting me the joy of eternal life with you. Amen.

5-1/2" X 8-1/2" Booklet