OK, let’s see here: We’ve taken Pascal’s wager, met an elephant, we’ve thought (And therefore we are), we’ve had dinner with Hitler, and seen how nature and the universe at large prove the existence of God. Whew! I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve hiked all across the existential map. Or at least the Metaphysical Map.

I wonder how Dora the Explorer does it every day? That kid must be slamming cappuccino like there’s no tomorrow. I’ll bet that backpack of hers contains nothing but RedBull.

Now that we’ve seen why it makes sense to believe in God, the next logical question is “WHICH God?” The Hindus alone have 330 million of them (Which gives you a possible 900,000 holidays per DAY. The Hindu greeting card industry should be the wealthiest and most powerful in the universe!) 

Why should we take Pascal’s God along with his wager?

I think the path we’ve already trod can tell us part of that already. Take the Kalaam Cosmological argument or the arguments from Physics for instance. They showed us how the universe is finite- meaning it doesn’t have an eternal past. So, right away we can discount those faiths that require an infinite past, like Mormonism. Also, the creator of the universe is non-material. That counts out the Flying Spaghetti Monster (AKA Bruce). I think it also counts out Mormonism again.

Those guys don’t get a lot of breaks.

I could nit pick at the various religions of the world, but my time is better spent presenting the Christian faith. First of all, I am a Christian, so it wouldn’t make much sense for me not to. Secondly, it saves a lot of time. If Christianity is true, then the other religions are wrong on those points where they disagree. I can prove one point instead of disproving a lot of others. That saves time and energy (although your mileage may vary).

Therefore, I am going to spend some time introducing you to the Christian faith, explaining what it is, and then showing the historical, literary, and metaphysical proofs for it’s validity. I will deduce the truth like Sherlock Holmes, and I will start by shouting like a cheerleader!

GIVE ME A G!!!!

G– God made you to have a personal relationship with Him.

O– Our sins separate us from God

S– Sin cannot be removed with good works.

P– Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again

E– Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.

L– Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever

I stole this from Dare 2 Share (Click here to visit their site).

Now, if you got your theology from watching the Simpsons, you’re probably asking,

“Does the Bible really teach this? Doesn’t it teach that you have to obey the Ten Commandments to get into heaven? Don’t you have to wear a sweater and have perfect Sunday School attendance?”

Oh, you poor misguided souls. Don’t worry. I am going to show you some Bible verses that will astound you!

Here’s Jesus talking about himself (The Son of God) to a religious big wig in John chapter three, verses 16-18:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

And Paul writes about it in his letter to the Romans, chapter five: 

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“OK,” you’re saying, “love love love. Apparently that’s all over the Bible, but what’s all this about not being able to pay for our sins with good works? Isn’t that what the ten commandments are for? Isn’t that why we do good works? Aren’t we buying the stairway to heaven?”

Read on, friends, and be AMAZED!

John 5:24 is Jesus talking about himself again;

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

And then in John 14, verse six:

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

What is the way to God?

Jesus.

What is the truth that will save you from sin?

Jesus.

Where do we get eternal life?

Jesus.

It’s all about Jesus.

Still think you earn your salvation? Well, my man Paul has lots more to say on this subject. Check him out in Romans 3: 21-25:

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

Paul continues to explain this in Romans chapter 11, verse 6:

“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”

And then in Galatians 2:20 & 21 he’s all:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

And you can be all, OK Paul! We get it! But he keeps going in Ephesians chapter One, verse seven:

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

And before you can tell him that you seriously have it this time, the Ephesians are all, “Wait, what?” and you roll your eyes, but Paul is happy to keep on going in chapter two verses eight and nine:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

At this point you might be thinking, “Woah! The Bible seems to say this over and over!” 

Yeah, it does. Just do a search for the word Grace over at biblegateway.com and you’ll see it pop up nearing two hundred times across the New Testament (Depending on your translations of course).

Heaven is  discussed, mentioned, alluded to, and shown in all kids of ways. Here’s the important things to know: 2 Corinthians 5:1

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 

The tent is your body. God has a plan to give you something better when you are done with this tent. THAT one will last.

Ephesians 2: 4-6 says this: “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

See? Our heavenly home is so secure through Jesus Christ, Paul talks about it in the past tense. We were SEATED with Him. We already have our eternal life and our eternal home. We’re just waiting to catch the bus to heaven. The only downside is, the bus is death- literally. But once you get there, you won’t mind. Besides, how bad is a bus ride when you are going home? Not too bad at all. Even if the bus smells funny and it’s a long, bumpy ride, you should look forward to catching that bus. There is going to be one sweet welcome home party when you get there.

Not saved? No problem.

It’s as easy as A B C.

1. Accept that you are a sinner in need of God’s Grace.
2. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and paid for them all, making you right with God- and rose from death.
3. Confess your faith. (I suggest using Baptism AND your mouth, since the Bible tells us to do both.)

First, confess this to God in prayer. Prayer is nothing real fancy- it’s talking to God. You don’t have to know any particular religious words. Just come to your creator and king and tell Him you accept, you believe, and you confess it to be true.

Commit yourself to loving and serving God for the rest of your days, and he will never leave you or abandon you. Now, like a marriage, you haven’t reached the finish line once you make this commitment-you have taken your first steps into a larger world.  You are saved, but that is just the beginning of a new and eternal life. You’re a child of God! You have an eternal salvation and a home in heaven. God almighty has adopted you into His family, so love your Daddy and make Him proud!

And whenever our buses come for us, I’ll be seeing you in heaven. THAT is gonna be sweet. The heaven part. The bus is still gonna be the bus. But I’m going to try and get a seat next to Dora. Maybe she’ll pop open that backpack and give me something to keep me awake for the journey. I’m sure she has enough to share.

To learn more, check out: http://www.thebigmystery.com/

And visit https://abitoforangeacademy.wordpress.com/

#JesusLovesYou