Regency Baptist Church

Why?

That is probably the most asked question in one word. . . WHY? Some people ask, "Why would a loving God send men to hell?" That's a good question, and we will come back to it.

We have a question for you. Why would God send Jesus Christ to die a terrible death on the cross? The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Again, His Word teaches, "God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

You certainly would agree that the terrible death of Jesus Christ is a historical fact. There's no denial of that.

Our question is not just simply, "Why did Jesus die?" It is more than that. Perhaps we could emphasize it better by asking it in different ways.

WHY DID JESUS SUFFER A CRUEL DEATH. . .
IF BAPTISM COULD GET US TO HEAVEN?

Some people say, "I'm going to heaven because I've been baptized." Some preachers say, "You can't get to heaven unless you're baptized."

If they are right, then it sounds as if God was unreasonable and cruel. It would be simple for people to be baptized, yet God's Word tells us, ". . . without the shedding of blood, is no remission (forgiveness) of sin." (Hebrews 9:22). The blood of Jesus Christ is God's cleansing agent for sin. If baptism could save and give us eternal life, then the crucifixion of Christ was unnecessary.

WHY DID JESUS SUFFER A CRUEL DEATH. . .
IF GOOD WORKS COULD GET US TO HEAVEN?

Many religions teach, "If your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you will go to heaven." They tell their followers, "keep the Ten Commandments" or "follow the Golden Rule."

If that teaching is God's way of salvation, then why did Jesus suffer such pain and agony on the cross? The plain truth is the Bible says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) You might be saying, "I'm not as bad as my neighbor." That may be true; however, you are comparing yourself to the wrong standard. Can you honestly say you are better than Jesus Christ? That's what the verse means in saying we have all come short of God's glory.

WHY DID JESUS SUFFER A CRUEL DEATH. . .
IF THERE IS NO HELL?

Now we are back to the original question about hell. Jesus spoke much about hell. In telling the story about two men (Luke 16:19-31) He said of the one, ". . . in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments. . . ." He quoted that man in hell saying, ". . . he cried. . . have mercy on me. . . I am tormented in this flame." In Matthew 25:44 and 46, Jesus will someday say ". . . depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: . . . and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

Some want to make hell non-existent by saying Jesus was speaking figuratively. If that's the case, why would God send his Son to suffer literal agony on a literal cross and to die a literal death to keep men out of a figurative or non-existent hell?

WHY THEN DID JESUS SUFFER A CRUEL DEATH?

He did it for you and me. We deserved eternal condemnation. God loved us so much that He gave all that He had in the person of His dear Son. Therefore, God has done everything possible to keep you and me out of hell. Now you can see that God doesn't send men to hell, but rather men go to hell because they will not ask Jesus to save them.

Why not ask the Lord to save you right now? He will do it, and you can know it because His Word tells us:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (I John 5:11-13)

Friend, are you 100% sure that if you died today that you would go to heaven? If you aren't sure, you can be saved today if you follow these simple steps:

1. Admit that you are a sinner - Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

2. Realize that you deserve to go to hell because you are a sinner - Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death. . . ."

3. Believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins on the cross - Romans 6:23 also says, ". . . the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

4. Ask Christ to come into your heart to save you from your sins - Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

If you're not sure how to pray, you can pray this simple prayer. If you believe with your whole heart what it is saying, you can be saved from your sins:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, and I'm sorry for my sin. I believe that you died on the cross for me, and I am asking you to come into my heart today and forgive me of my sin. In Jesus name. Amen."

If you prayed that prayer, please let us know by clicking here. We have additional materials that we would like to send to you to help you out. Also, next in importance to your soul's salvation is uniting with a Bible-believing church. Your spiritual life and growth are vitally linked to your involvement with a church that loves Christ as well as people who need Him.

Look no longer! Our church is just what you need . . . plain Bible preaching coupled with personalized ministries for everyone in the family. Along with our different ministries, you will find friendly people who really care about you.

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