Thank you for taking a moment to read this.
I’m writing in the name of Jesus Christ because I want you to know something true: God loves you more than you realise. He proved this by giving His Son for us on the cross, and He desires to prepare a place for you in His kingdom when you pass from this life.
The Call to Hope in God Alone
But God also calls each of us to respond to His love. He invites us to place our hope in Him alone — the only One who can give life, satisfy the heart, and save us from every trouble.
Jesus said that the lamp of the body is the eye: if our eye is single — meaning our hope is fixed on God — then our whole life is filled with light. But if our hope is divided and we look to the things of this world instead of God, then darkness fills us; and if the light that is in us is darkness, how great is that darkness.
We were made to be connected to the true source of life, not to the idols of this world that compete with God but cannot save. Only God can meet the deepest desires of our heart and deliver us from every trouble.
For this reason Jesus Christ, the Saviour, said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things” — the necessities of life, food, clothing, and everything else — “will be added unto you.”
What the Gospel Is
If you’re not familiar with the gospel, it’s this: God loved the world so deeply that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. On the cross Jesus took upon Himself the punishment our sins deserved, so that by faith in Him we receive His righteousness and the gift of everlasting life.
Because Christ rose from the dead, we also will rise at the end of the age when He returns to judge the living and the dead. We who remain in Him—who continue in faith as we learn His ways, walk with Him, and persevere through trials—will share in the resurrection of life.
And we will receive new, incorruptible bodies and will live with Him forever.
What Happens at the Judgment
It is appointed for us to die once, and then comes judgment. If we die in Christ and our names are found written in the book of life, we will not be judged according to our sins but under grace, for our sins are blotted out, and God is just to do so because Jesus paid the price. Every righteous act done in Christ will be remembered and rewarded, and the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
But apart from Christ we are judged according to our works, under the law—a law that demands perfection. One sin against the infinite God is enough to fall short of His glory and to be separated from all His goodness forever.
Thus justice is fulfilled either in Christ, who bore the punishment for our sins, or in eternal condemnation, where we bear it ourselves.
Why We Need Salvation
All of us need this salvation. Ever since Adam fell, sin entered the world and death through sin, and we inherited a nature that turns away from God. Scripture teaches that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Salvation by Grace
This salvation is entirely by grace. We are saved by grace through faith — and even that faith is God’s gift. From beginning to end, salvation is God’s mercy working in us, softening our hearts and drawing us to Himself; and every work of faith we do is itself a work of His grace, given for His glory.
And if God is calling you — if you sense your heart beginning to turn toward Him — that is His mercy at work. And honestly, it would be a wonderful joy to see you answer that call.
Born of Water and the Spirit
Scripture teaches that we must be born again of water and the Spirit. This “water” is the cleansing power of God’s word — the incorruptible seed by which we are born again through the living and abiding word of God. Through this word, like water, when we first hear and receive the message of salvation, we are cleansed and renewed through the blood of Christ, regenerated, granted faith and repentance, and made holy and acceptable for the indwelling of His Spirit — God’s own presence working in us to free us from the power of sin and death, to comfort us, and to teach us everything Jesus wants to say.
From that moment on, made alive in Christ, we continue to wash ourselves in His word. This is the work of sanctification — learning from Jesus, walking in what He teaches, and being cleansed from all sin as His truth sets us free. Jesus said that His word makes us clean, that His word is truth, and that the truth makes us free.
The Meaning of Water Baptism
Water baptism is the outward sign of this inward cleansing, regeneration, and renewal by the Holy Spirit. It seals all that God has done in us by His word and Spirit — our cleansing and regeneration, our appeal to God for a good conscience, the forgiveness of sins, our union with Christ, and our entrance into His kingdom and church. It is the visible witness of our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. It marks our entrance into God’s kingdom, our membership in His church, our life crucified to the world, and the world to us, our freedom from the power of sin, and our commitment to follow Jesus as His disciples.
In baptism we are united with Jesus: going under the water we share in His death to sin — the death He died once for all, that all might be justified from sin. Rising from the water we share in His resurrection, and the Spirit of God sets us free from the law of sin and death at work in our members. Baptism is therefore the outward expression of being born again. For this reason we are called to be baptized as soon as we believe the gospel, the moment God makes us alive.
The New Life in Christ
This begins a new life. We move from being slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness. We become sons and daughters of God, led by the Spirit and being shaped into His likeness. There is still a battle between the flesh and the Spirit, but the Spirit produces His fruit in us — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control.
These things purify us and fulfil what God desires, because the works of the flesh defile us — things such as sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, revelries, and things like these — but the fruit of the Spirit transforms us. Christ and love, lived out in obedience to the gospel, fulfil the law; and without love, and without Christ, we are nothing.
Walking in the Spirit
We are no longer under the law’s condemnation, but under grace — brought into a real relationship with God. And because of that, we must not return to wilful sin. Scripture warns that if someone wilfully continues in sin after receiving a knowledge of the truth, they turn away from the very sacrifice that saves them. God calls us instead to walk in the Spirit, where there is life, freedom, and peace.
Worship in Spirit and Truth
No longer under the law, we do not worship God in Jerusalem, but are called to worship Him in spirit and in truth; for we are the true temple of God, the dwelling place He has chosen, and the altar on which we offer sacrifice is the heart purified by grace for love and obedience to Christ. This is the worship the Father seeks.
The Life God Invites You Into
This is the life God invites you into — a life where He dwells within you and shapes your heart into an altar of faith, hope, and love, where His presence rests and His grace transforms you.
Counting the Cost
Jesus is trying to save us, and when we fall into sin we have an Advocate before the Father — Jesus Christ the righteous. He gives us every opportunity to repent and bear good fruit, because He desires our salvation. But He also warns us to count the cost before following Him. To place our faith in Christ means turning from sin, surrendering our lives to Him, and becoming stewards of everything we possess. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him above all else.
The Feast God Has Prepared
God has prepared a great feast for us — the oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and all things are ready. This feast is the salvation Christ won through His death and resurrection, and the words He spoke while among us, which we are to receive, eat, and digest as the most extraordinary meal. This is the true bread that came down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. Jesus is the bread of life, and His word is the food that nourishes our souls.
When we receive the message of salvation in faith, the Holy Spirit — the very life of God poured into us — becomes our drink, satisfying us in a way nothing in this world can. Only God can meet the deepest desires of our heart and deliver us from every trouble.
What Truly Matters
So when you count the cost, remember Jesus’ question: what does it profit a person to gain the whole world but lose their soul? Nothing in this life is worth more than the life God offers.
Also remember that Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He invites us to come to Him and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble of heart, and in Him we find rest for our souls. Jesus came to give us life, and life abundantly — a life that will be fully revealed in the age to come.
Why Eternal Life Matters
Why eternal life? That we might know God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son, whom He sent. Even if we are wealthy in this life, we live as those who are poor in spirit, for Jesus taught, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Our hope is set on eternity, not on the passing pleasures of this world. We turn away from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and we seek God Himself, who satisfies far beyond anything this world can offer.
God’s Care for You
God truly cares for us. His thoughts toward us are for our good — to give us a future and a hope. He gives gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as healing and prophecy, and He prepares us for the eternal life that is to come. And He calls us to share this good news with all nations — baptising in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching everything Christ commanded — so that all may come to know the love of God which surpasses understanding and share in the eternal life He has prepared for us.
An Invitation to Respond
So after hearing all this, I’d love to know what you think. Are you open to Jesus Christ? Would you consider placing your faith in Him? You’re welcome to email me (joshne8 at gmail.com) your thoughts.
I’ve included on this page a short four minute video by Sean McDowell following this message — it gives five simple reasons to believe God exists, and I think it might encourage you as you think about these things.
I’d really like to hear your thoughts. Do you believe in God? Have you ever had faith in Christ before?
Scripture says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.”
My hope is simply that you’ll listen for His voice and consider His invitation.
