Introduction
For clarity, you should know who is behind this site. We are Christians who believe the good news about Jesus. This story of God with man is revealed in the Holy Bible, which is the inspired word of God. The following is a brief summary of that story, including why you must believe the good news concerning Jesus Christ.
The Beginning
The beginning of the story describes God's creation of everything, culminating in His making of the first man, Adam. God declared, "It is not good for man to be alone," so he took a rib from Adam and built the first woman to be the man's counterpart. God's expressed desire was for mankind to be like Him, to perfectly express His virtues, and ultimately, to love Him.
The Bad News
But Adam disobeyed God, at which time sin became a part of his nature, and sin passed on to all people. Sin is basically a hereditary disease that makes each person an enemy of God. We all deserve to die, and God, being righteous, requires that we must die and suffer the wrath of God.
The Good News
Yet God is slow to anger and rich in mercy. He loves each person beyond measure. So this was his plan all along. He sent his own Son, Jesus, to die the death that we deserved, paying the penalty for our sins. Jesus rose from the grave, ascended to God's heavenly throne, and sent the Holy Spirit, Who gives eternal life to everyone who believes this good news. Oh, what grace! In this way, God satisfies His righteousness and proves His love.
Will you confidently declare that Jesus Christ is Lord? Do you believe that God raised Him from the dead? If you obey this good news, you are a child of God; if not, you remain a guilty sinner and are liable to receive God's wrath. This is a matter of life and death, and we plead with you and pray that you will choose life.
Jesus will soon return to judge the world. This isn't a matter of trying to be a good person. He wants your undivided heart, above all else. This message isn't a cry for you to try to escape Hell; it is a presentation of the love that God in Jesus Christ has shown us through His death and resurrection. It is an invitation to love God as He originally intended. Give up trying to find satisfaction in things that cannot satisfy. Recognize your need for the Savior. Turn away from your sin. And believe this good news.
The End
The Bible's love story ends with a wedding feast. The Lord Jesus will marry his bride, the church. At that time, there will be no more sin, no more death. All who have been set apart unto Him through faith will finally satisfy the desire of His heart. He will receive the worship that He desires - for His people to perpetually enjoy Him and partake of the riches of His grace. And He will be the object of their undivided affection, the two being spiritually joined as one perfect couple.
Conclusion
This has been a very brief overview of the Bible as God's love letter to mankind. Those unfamiliar with God as revealed in the Bible will still have many questions. Others who know the Bible very well would certainly have much to add. Click the "Next Steps" tab above to see how you can respond to God's love. And explore the "Common Objections" section for answers to some frequently asked questions about the Bible, the good news, and what Christians believe.
Request Further Contact
We would love to hear from you - whether you are a believer, you just received Jesus as Lord and Savior, or you still have doubts. Scroll down or click here to go to the request contact form.
Believe and Be Baptized
Belief
Believe into the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Simple, isn't it? Yes, belief is simple, but it implies much more than a mere acknowledgement of Jesus' death and resurrection. Consider perhaps the most famous Bible verse:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes into Him would not perish but would have eternal life.
(John 3:16)
Take time to pray over those words. This is not a mere event; it is a life-changing reality.
More on believing in the coming days (last update: 6/8/24).
Baptism
If you have believed into Jesus (Praise the LORD!), then the automatic next step is baptism. Baptism has been the subject of much confusion among believers, but here is what the Bible says. First you believe. Then you are baptized.
So then, what is the meaning of baptism? Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Likewise, you were crucified and died; you were buried; you were raised. You have died to the world, died to sin. Your old life is over. You are truly alive because the Holy Spirit lives in you. Baptism is an outward display of this inward reality. So be baptized immediately. Invite your friends to your baptism. Let the world know that you no longer belong to the world because the precious blood of Jesus has purchased you out of the world and cleansed you from the stain of sin.
In baptism, you will be immersed in water. So you won't be able to baptize yourself. You will need to find some other believers...
The Church
The church is made up of all people who have believed into Jesus Christ. Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for you, but even more, He gave Himself up for the church. It is essential that you go to the local church and be connected to the other members of the church, which is the Body of Christ.
This section is in progress as of 6/8/24. For now, let us recommend Calvary Community Church in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. (We are members there.)
Sanctification
Sanctification is a big "Christianese" word that can be defined as a process of being made holy (separated entirely unto God). This is what God desires - to be separated entirely unto Him. Sanctify.Us is exists for the purpose of helping believers along the process of sanctification. More on this in the coming days (last update: 6/8/24)...
Before jumping into common objections to the good news, please take a moment (if you haven't already) to review "The Good News" by clicking the tab above. As I attempt to briefly show here, many of these objections can be addressed by properly understanding what the message says.
This page will be updated in the coming days (last update 7/25/24). For now, here is a list of some of the topics to be addressed:
- "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
- "Christianity is just one among many world religions."
- "I prayed, but God didn't answer."
- "I think I'm a pretty good person."
- and more...
"Why do bad things happen to good people?"
Injustice abounds in the world; this reality is plain to see. So the question becomes, "How can a loving God allow evil?" Indeed, God planned for people to reject Him and serve themselves, resulting in suffering and death. (See God's judgment on sin under the "Bad News" heading.)
Consider again the beginning, when God created all things. His ultimate creature was man, who was made to express the Creator in all his attributes, including love. Remember the love story of the Bible? At first God was alone, and in the end, He marries His redeemed people. A perfect marriage of course, requires each spouse to love the other. Herein is the meaning of life and the reason for evil in the world. The contrast between God's goodness and Satan's evil plot is presented to us so that we would see the contrast, reject the evil, and choose to love the Creator.
Perhaps if we were God, we would have taken the easy route and started with a creature that was incapable of rebellion. But then how could love be demonstrated? Love is only really love when there exists the option not to love. Can you see now that it is precisely because God loves that He allows evil to be present in the world?
This is His wise plan that cannot be stopped. In the end, the Creator and the creature will be joined as one perfect couple. This is the meaning of human life. Don't let your life be vain. Respond to your Maker's love toward you, and fulfill this amazing purpose for your life.
Existence of God
Naturalism
The existence of God question is often posed by naturalists. Naturalism is a philosophy that insists on understanding the world based on the laws of nature, apart from supernatural explanations. In short, a naturalist says, "I believe in science, not God."
Science certainly has an important role in understanding our world. However, the naturalist philosophy trespasses outside the bounds of science by its insistence that there is no metaphysical reality. In other words, you cannot, by scientific observation of the material world, conclude that there does not exist an immaterial reality. Theirs is not actually a scientific viewpoint; it is merely philosophical. Neither the claims of naturalism nor the Christian worldview can be proven by means of scientific observation of the material world.
Humanism
Another popular philosophy, humanism, similarly rejects God based on its claim that human reason is sufficient to understand the world and to solve the world's problems. Humanism, while not strictly atheistic, makes the agnostic claim that God is not necessary. See also the response to: "I think I'm a pretty good person."
As with naturalism, humanism cannot be substantiated. And so the story goes. Philosophy after philosophy cannot be proven valid apart from its own claims.
Postmodernism
The answer to the question of the existence of God does not end with rebuttals against vain philosophies; that sort of response would likewise be vain and unconvincing. The real key to knowing God (not merely his existence, but his attributes - who he is) lies in our human spirit. Spiritual understanding is by no means inferior to the human philosophy. Consider the following verses, which show us what the Bible says about
For the righteousness of God is revealed in [the gospel] out of faith to faith, as it is written, "But the righteous shall have life and live by faith." For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of God is manifest within them, for God manifested it to them. For the invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse; because though they knew God, they did not glorify His as God or thank Him, but rather became vain in their reasonings, and their heart, lacking understanding, was darkened.
Romans 1:17-21
But as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not come up in man's heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But to us God has revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God no one has known except the Spirit of God. But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may know the things which have been graciously given to us by God; which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words. But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know them because they are discerned spiritually.
1 Corinthians 2:9-14
For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of those who understand I will set aside." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was well pleased through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. For indeed Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18-24
Conclusion
You may encounter many bold claims such as, "The Bible is true, and here's why." The trouble with such arguments is that their truth claims only make sense to those who already believe. To those who reject our claims, the best our arguments can do is bring the unbeliever right up to the edge of believing. They may come to the point of acknowledging that their reasons for rejecting the Bible do not hold up to scrutiny, but the defeat of reasonings does not produce faith.
Now faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
What this means is that Christian beliefs cannot be substantiated apart from faith. We acknowledge this. Here we go again with the circular reasoning. So how is Christianity different from the philosophies of the world? And what can you do to lay hold of this thing we call faith?
Faith is a gift of God; you must receive this gift. This is a spiritual transaction which cannot occur by merely reasoning in your mind. As stated earlier, spiritual understanding is by no means inferior to human reasoning. You have a human spirit; I think you know this. And God, whose essence is Spirit, desires to put his Spirit within you. He cannot do this in someone who is self-satisfied (full of themselves). To perceive the things of God, you must come forward to him with a spirit of humility.
What I'm referring to is not "blind faith." There is no "leap of faith" required. All that is required is that you come to the end of yourself - not the end of reason but of your natural self, which suppresses the truth about the holy God and your own sinfulness. Ask him to reveal himself to you. Confess your sins and turn to the Savior God. I understand that this answer may not satisfy you, but it is the honest truth about what Christians believe.
The color yellow
To be continued. - Brian 10/11/24
"I prayed, but God didn't answer."
Many people, including some Christians, mistakenly expect God to work like some sort of genie in a bottle - required to submit to our will and perform what we ask. But prayer does not work like that. According to God's own words, we understand that His will - not our will - is the only prayer that He will answer.
His Will - Your Sanctification
First of all, let's look at God's will for our lives. Many stress the importance of "what God is doing in your life." This is a low view of God's plan, but we will address it here anyway.
Verses such as Romans 8:28-29 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3 show us that the "good" that God has planned for his people is not that they will prosper in the world but that they will be conformed to the image of the Son (Jesus). Our circumstances are perfectly arranged to afford each one of us the opportunity to be separated from the world unto the Father and to be transformed (changed) to be more and more like Jesus. Christians are sojourners (strangers) in the world, so it is no surprise that our worldly prosperity is not God's focus.
That being said, the Lord does know your situation and is fully able to care for your needs. "It matters to Him concerning you" (1 Peter 5:7), and he will take care of your every need (Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:19). But he may not "answer" the way we expect.
Praying His Will
As creatures who are loved by our Creator to the extent that he took on human flesh and suffered and died to recover us, why are we so concerned for our own interests? Learn to pray the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray (Matthew 6:6-13). Seek God's will in every matter, and your mind will certainly be renewed (Romans 12:1-2). Self-seeking will slip away until your every desire matches his will.
This may not sound pleasing you, but it pleases the heavenly Father.