By Stephen Michael Friederang

If you believe the first line of the Bible — “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, you can, if you choose, jump ahead to the book of Romans and discover how to join God. If you don’t you can still jump ahead. Here’s some logic for believing God created everything. “Walking” the following “road” might at least give you hope. If it’s true, it’s true whether you or I believe it. If it’s true and you or I believe it you or I or you and I have everything to gain. If it’s false, our human nature encourages us to keep looking. Our peace depends on it.

Romans 3:23 (NASB) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Romans 6:23 (NASB) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Pretty simple. Yes, there are 66 books of the Bible. About 1200 pages. There are over 4,200 religions. Humans, by definition, seek their maker, they seek meaning in their lives, and they wonder where and how they go on from this life. And, almost also by definition, people make things difficult. But, being saved, finding meaning, and living on into eternity is so simple. Jesus came to show us this. There are 667 Biblical examples of sin — ways to stay away from God and meaning, and love. Being perfect enough to be filled with joy here and to go to a perfect eternal home when your body is done with you is simple. “Only through me can you come to the Father”. Follow your heart; doesn’t everyone yearn for heaven? Does this make sense? The creator of the universe dies for our iniquity. Of course, WE can’t do it. But, we can follow the one who has done it and offers to let us in.

Think about it some more if you must. Belief always comes first, doesn’t it? If you didn’t believe you could talk, you would never have learned. If DaVinci had never seen an artist work, he might never have learned. He believed he could paint. Musk believed he could land a rocket.

If you’re a logical person like me, a person who wants proof, the next step is testing it. Even the best artist didn’t start by painting master pieces. Artists have to fail, a lot. Lots of rockets crashed before one landed softly. Likewise you might test your belief that there must be an intelligent Creator. You might also test your belief that it’s impossible to live a life perfect enough to go to a place where there are no mistakes, no sinful people or actions. Does it make sense? I know some really smart people who tell me what’s in the Bible, before even reading the book. Oh, they have read part of it. And, yes, they’ve heard others talk about it. But even though the whole Bible is less than many novels, many smart people I know, both people who call themselves Christians and those who believe there is no God at all, haven’t read the most purchased book ever. Would they hire a brain surgeon who only read part of his textbooks? They wouldn’t. It doesn’t make sense.

Salvation and meaning, even purpose is simple — just pray to Christ — “Lord, I have sinned. I’m not worthy. But you made a promise that if I would follow you I’d find meaning, love, purpose. So I pray you keep your promise and commit myself to following you.” Amen.

But what doesn’t anyone who believe something do next? Act on that belief. Read about Christ. Where did he come from? What did he say? What did he do? What did he say we must (not should) do?

That’s it. People who beleive and have a purpose hang out with people who believe and have a purpose, even if that purpose is different. The one thing that brings them together, often the one thing they have in common, the accountants and the musicians, the doctors and the homeless, is Christ. Where does that happen — often a church. Or a mission to feed people who are starving. Or a meeting in someone’s home or a park, etc. But, people of faith express that faith, ask questions, challenge ideas. They need one another. They care for one another because whatever the talents and skills a person has, his main purpose is to serve. It’s what brings even the most gifted economically secure person the most joy! Musk love to see people driving the cars that were once only in his head. DaVinci loved to see people inspired by his art and scientific discoveries. And you will love sharing the truth you see in the Bible.

But, as with anyone with a powerful purpose, not everything will be tail wags and butterflies. And this makes sense even in the practical world. Kings took DaVinci’s copper away to make cannon. Musk cried when Armstrong told him private companies shouldn’t make rockets. And you will know people who think you’re a fanatic because you love Christ and find his teachings practical and his gift of eternal life compelling and reasonable.

The best defense is a great offense. Not in the sense that you get in people’s faces and hit them over the head with your intellect and memory. But you show people you can indeed land a rocket; you can for sure paint the Mona Lisa, or express whatever other energy, intellect, physical abilities, or other skills you have (you know there are over 210 “ologies” in science alone?!)

The one connecting factor in all the endeavors and talents of humans is love. Thhis brings you right back to Jesus Christ. He said

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

He said: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

He said: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

He said:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

He said: But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

He said: On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. 

The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

These are what Jesus said about love, but what did he DO?

Well, that depends on what people are actually asking. He did some things that you can only do if He decides to act on your prayers exactly as you pray them coindental to His perfect timing: Here’s 37 of His miracles: 37 Miracles in Chronological Order

But He did a lot of other tings that you can do too. He sat with experts and told them what the Bible really meant. If you prayed that prayer above you will be visited, often, by the Spirit of God. You will “know” things you’ve never really seen or read. You will be “updated” in your current world and circumstances. Noone of these messages or empowerments will conflict with the Bible, but you might just have the right words, the right gift, the right actions to help someone. And you might wonder how in the world the money, time, physical ability, etc just happened to be there at the right time and place for the right person or people.

Everyone is impressed with the miracles of Christ. We love to see things that go against what our senses and experience tell us is the way the world works, even when it doesn’t work well. But Jesus also just took some time with a woman at a well; a woman no one would talk so unless they were hiring her for fleshly purposes. His words, just his words, made sense to her and she told lots of other people about Him, saving their lives, bringing them into eternity.

Oh, and Jesus failed too. What?! Just as you will. He told people the truth and at one time No one believed him. His own best friends, people who had see some of those 37 miracles, didn’t stand up for him as he was being ripped the shreds and nailed to a cross. Of course after he came back from the dead they changed their commitment level. It takes a lot of people a lot of convincing.

But yes, Jesus failed to convince Pilate, most of the Jewish leaders, Judas, maybe Nicodemus and thousands of others to do what you might have done — follow that Roman Road to find out what happens when you ask Jesus, who returned from the dead to lead them.

So, though you will love people enough to strive to convince them that Jesus lives in you and has made your life uniquely extraordinary (even if you’re not rich, famous, etc. or even though you are!), you will not always succeed in convincing them. It maybe be among your goals to ask them, but only Christ can convince you or them to accept the treasure of his wisdom and the gifts of your faith which is offered but not accepted by everyone.

One more thing. Just because someone hangs out a car dealership every day, that doesn’t make them a car. And just because someone says they are a great driver, that doesn’t qualify them for formula one racing. There are over 2.38 billion people who say they are Christians. Right now. In history a lot more. But just because… well you get the message. We don’t get to decide if they are or aren’t Christians in their hearts. But people are people — flawed, with different levels of cognitive ability, hormones, etc. Only God knows. Yes God only knows.

But, whether a priest or a pauper, a genius or simple minded, you are to follow Christ. You will meet people who can mentor you. You will meet some who might not like you. You will indeed meet hypocrites at all levels of a church. But you can stay the course, even failing forward, with just Christ and you. What did he say? What did he do? How does he tell you to live? What did he promise? part of what he promised is that there will be heartaches, he demonstrated that Christians are not immune to hatred and persecution, even being thrown in jail like Paul, or tortured and killed. This is a world that includes many horrific people, governments, even churches. But, he also promised you will have a great impact on this world; you will live your purpose and you will experience everlasting life. Our time on earth is a dot. We’re a burning star in the sky. Christians are promised eternity. It’s a really good tradeoff.

Enjoy the process.