I Don’t Hate You
Years ago, famous atheist and noted illusionist, Penn Jillette made a short video on Christian proselytizing. As a known atheist, he’s had many people try to explain their faith to him and the point of his video is it doesn’t offend him. In fact, he has respect for the people who share with him.
The big zinger of the talk is when he says, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that. I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it, there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”
It’s true. I believe in the Christian faith of the Bible. That faith says that we all stand condemned before God for our sins. Every one of us. Every person who has ever lived. You, your neighbors, your family members. Everyone. According to the Bible, the only hope that we all have is Jesus. You can’t be a good enough person. It is impossible to Mother Theresa your way into eternity. The only hope is one thing:
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
Romans 10:9–10
Saved from what? An eternity without God. We live on this earth in a place where we benefit from the grace of God. We know in part the blessings of God. We experience His creation. All people are protected from an unreleased outpouring of evil because of God.
Heaven is forever with God. Hell is forever without Him. There is only one thing that can make the difference. Faith in Jesus. Here is the progression of reality defined by Paul in what is sometimes called the Romans Road.
Romans 3:23 — “ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” — This means that we are born into a broken relationship with God. Our sin, which we all have, separates us from Him.
Romans 5:8 — “ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. “ Even though we didn’t deserve anything but death, God loved us enough to send his son to provide a way to salvation.
Romans 6:23 — “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. “ — It’s a gift, but it must be accepted. If we refuse the gift, we continue on the path to death. We will be paid for our sin with death, which is spiritual death.
Romans 8:1 — “ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — The Bible is a book of absolutes, and this is one of the best ones. If we are in Christ, there is no condemnation.
Romans 10:9 — “ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. “ Back to where we started. This is what we have to do to accept God’s great gift. Confess and believe. There’s no faking this before God, but this is the ultimate Good News.
So, I don’t hate you. If you aren’t a follower of Jesus, you stand condemned and you’re facing an eternity without Him. It is impossible for me to describe how bad that is. You think you know misery and suffering on this earth, but what we face here is just a taste of what is possible in the realm of evil without God. The good news is you don’t have to live with that as your ultimate destination. Today, even in this very moment, you can move your life into the “no condemnation” column.
All you have to do is believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He did what for us what the Bible says He did. Believe it and confess it, making Jesus the guide for the rest of your life.
Because I don’t hate you, I need you to know this and more. This path isn’t just the best deal for eternity, but it’s also the best deal for this life as well. Living with Jesus helps life make sense and makes our lives better in a thousand little ways on top of the eternal peace. It doesn’t make us good or perfect people. You know that. But it does give us access to a good and perfect guide for life.
This is the most important decision anyone will ever make and I want this great gift for every one of you.
Originally published at http://seeinggodclearly.com on March 9, 2024.