Three Facts Which You Must Understand To Be Saved

Three Facts: Which You Must Understand To Be Saved

 

Check The Origin Of What You Believe:

In our time of information overload, our biggest challenge is sometimes figuring out what is true and what is not true.  This is especially true when it comes to the subject of "religion."  The religious world is composed of lots of decent people trying to do something good.  The problem is they have lots of ideas and beliefs with differ from each other and from God's Word.  What is so confusing is that many are claiming to follow the same God and even the Bible, but they so often contradict one another.  The unbelievers see all this religious division as evidence that the Christian religion is a human invention.  And in a sense, they may be in some situations  correct.  Every one of the hundreds of denominations and their denominational creeds are the creations of men.  They cannot be found in the Bible.  This division does not make Christianity look very divine.  The Bible condemns divisions among Christians. (1 Cor 1:10). The Bible does not approve of  denominations (divisions), nor does it  teach us to become members of these creations.   Something is not right.  We desperately need to separate the facts from the imaginations of men.  

 

Few Will Find The Narrow Path:

There are not many paths all leading to the same place.  The religious world needs to lay aside all their human ideas and seek God's only path to salvation.  Jesus said it this way:  "Enter ye in at the strait (narrow, difficult) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matt 7:13-14).  Did you hear that?  "FEW" will find the narrow way.  Many will travel the wide (broad, popular) way to destruction.  This tract intends to give you some facts that you need to know so you can be among the "few" who find eternal life with the Father in Heaven.

 

Important Facts We All Need To Know:

Why was this tract prepared for you?  Because there are a few simple undeniable facts that everyone needs to rise above the confusion created by well meaning people.  Facts which we all must understand before it is too late.  Facts which will affect our future and what will happen to us when we die.

 

Fact # One:  There Is A God! 

Everything around us provides evidence of the simple reality that there must be a God.  Some, who have made up their minds not to believe in God,  worship "Evolution" as their creator.   Evolution is not supported by the overwhelming evidence and is really just a "hypothesis" (this is a  human  idea in need of some  evidence to move it up to the status of "theory").  If you choose to reject the reality of God, you must explain our existence on this Earth some other way.  Unbelievers teach us what they believe by their faith (evolution) and say we are foolish to believe in an intelligent, all powerful supernatural being as our Creator.  Some reject God as our Creator, but using their imaginations are convinced we got here because of some Alien from a place far, far away.  Interesting that they reject the true unseen Creator for other unseen creators (who also must have created themselves through evolution). Paul was talking about this type of faulty reasoning  when he spoke of people who willingly denied the facts. He said they, "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (creation) more than the Creator, who is blessed forever." (Rom 1:25)

Here is what we can know for sure.  In all of our human history and research we have never been able to make something out of nothing.  We have never been able to create something alive out of something which had not been alive previously.  We have not been able to prove that a nonliving thing given billions of years could turn itself into a  living thing.  

Also, while living things can adapt themselves to their environment to some extent, there is no known mechanism in any animal or plant by which they can pass on what they have learned through their Genetics.  For example, I cannot learn that I could swim better if I had webs between my toes and then pass on webbed toes to my children through my DNA.   Evolution contends that this type of thing has to have happened countless times,  over and over for every species of plant and animal.  The odds of this even happening once are astronomical.  The facts do not support "evolution" and "chance" as our creator.

Did the universe and every plant and animal create itself out of nothing completely by chance, or was everything created by an intelligent, powerful, not of this world Being as the Bible teaches.  The facts favor the existence of a supernatural Creator God.  Or you can put your faith in the false human idea that everything made itself.  Known, true science supports an intelligent Creator.  It takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe in God. Fact # 1: There Is A God!

 

Fact # Two:  The Bible Is God's Reliable Revelation Of Himself To Mankind!

The Bible itself claims to be inspired by God Himself from beginning to End.  "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim 3:16-17).  All we can know about our Creator God is what He has revealed to us.  He has made it clear that He has spoken through selected men guided by the Holy Spirit and especially through His Son Jesus Christ.  "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners (different times and different ways, rj) spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,   Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;" (Heb 1:1-2). 

It is only through the scriptures that we can know how to approach and please God.  Knowledge of God's Word is essential to having the faith the Bible requires.  "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb 11:6).

Believing the fact that God exists is a beginning, but brings us no benefit if we refuse to hear and obey those things which He has required of us.  "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  ….So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. " (Rom 10:14-17). To believe Fact # One without accepting Fact # Two reveals that a person refuses to listen to a God, they claim to believe in.  Obedience to God's Word is the only Biblical way to honor and show love to God.  "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:14,15).  One can never claim to have a good relationship with God if they refuse to study and obey His Words.  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2Tim  2:15).

Many critics challenge the Bible's reliability, but  the evidence verifies that the Bible is of supernatural origins and is truly the Words of God.  Jesus knew the absolute importance of the Bible when He said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4).  To ignore the Bible is to reject the God who gave it to us.  Knowing the Bible is essential to knowing the God who has provided the Bible.  This brings us to Fact # Three. 

 

Fact # Three:  Jesus Is The Way, The Truth and The Life and the Only Way To Be With The Father Forever.

Believing Facts One and Two opens the way to the third most important fact of all time.  The true God has revealed through the scriptures that the only way we may receive eternal life with the Father is to accept and obey His Son Jesus.  A person can never be made acceptable to God if  they refuse to obey His Son.  Jesus plainly said,  "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).   The scriptures tell us that Jesus is the  "author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him"  (Heb 5:9).  God says that many will say they believe in Jesus and even call Him Lord, but because they do not obey Him, they will be rejected (Matt 7:21-23).   Some think that believing there is one God is all that is necessary.  James, by inspiration  says believing  is a good start, but even the demons believe that God  exists (James 2:19). 

Since Adam, all mankind has at some point in their lives rejected God's words and sinned.  Our sin separates us from the Eternal God and eternal life, just as it separated Adam from God.  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).  No amount of effort to be a good person or to do good works can repair that broken relationship with God.  If we ignore the facts noted above we will forever be separated from God and remain in spiritual death.  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"  (Rom 6:23).   

God has repeatedly declared His love for a world of people who have sinned against Him.  In His amazing mercy, He has prepared a way for a "Few" of those who are lost and separated from Him to come home to Him to live forever.  This offer is to all mankind (John 3:16).  But, the offer of forgiveness is not unconditional.  To be saved, we must carefully seek to know and obey God's plan of salvation.

 

Do You Have The Facts Straight?

Believing in God is first. Believing the Bible is God's Word is the second step, if you are willing to study and obey the scriptures.  Finally accepting what the Bible says about Jesus is essential to salvation and being with God. God has revealed the path for those who will choose to be saved.  Most people will ignore the facts and believe what they want. A "Few" people will put their trust in God and accept the facts. When God speaks they will seek to obey and remain faithful till they die.  These are the "Few" Jesus was talking about.  If you have questions about these important facts, we can show you what God actually says.  Nothing but the facts!  No person will ever be ashamed or sorry on the judgment day that they took some time to study the facts about how to please God and how to be saved.    R. Johnson

For an example of three thousand of the "Few" responding to God's Word, please Read Acts 2:36-47.  That is how we must all respond to the "FACTS."

 

Tarentum Church of Christ

614 East 9th Avenue

Tarentum, PA 15084

Questions? Contact:  Robert   724 681 2724

Sunday Bible Study:  10am, 6pm

Sunday Morning Worship:  11am

 (Fellowship Meal every 2rd Sunday: No pm study)

Wednesday Evening Bible Study:  7pm

tarentumchurchofchrist.com