We truly care about your soul. That’s why we must be blunt:

The Bible is the inspired and perfectly preserved revelation of the One True God, the Creator of the universe. It reveals the righteousness of Almighty God, the sinfulness and utter depravity of man, and God’s plan and purpose to redeem mankind from the curse of his sinful nature and wicked ways.

Fulfilled prophecy is the main proof that the Bible is the written Word of God. It makes more than 800 prophecies, all of which are removed far enough in time from their fulfillment that there can be no chance of accident or coincidence. Of these 800 prophecies, roughly 300 of them have already been fulfilled literally, and the 500 that remain are set to be fulfilled in the future. The probability of these 300 already fulfilled prophecies coming to pass by coincidence is mathematically, statistically, and scientifically impossible. So, when the Bible speaks about itself being the holy words of the Living God, it is speaking with mathematical and statistical certainty of a scientific fact. With regard to the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Bible predicts 48 details of his life hundreds of years before his birth and then shows them to be fulfilled literally. The Bible then hazards its truthfulness on 500 more prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled in the future. The Shastras, Vedas, and the writings of Buddha do not dare hazard such guesses. And, the Quran, compared with the Bible in this respect, looks like an ant hill would look beside Mt. Everest.

The message of the Bible is not one of religion. Religion is mankind’s attempt to perform righteous deeds or accrue merit so as to appease his own idea of god and attain his own salvation. Through religion, man seeks to justify himself with God, idols, or his own imagination so as to grasp heaven, nirvana, eternal peace, or whatever utopia he can conjure up in his own mind. In this sense, all manmade religions are the same. The best such can offer are the rantings of self-proclaimed prophets and gurus and an uncertain salvation based upon meritorious works. God says it like this: “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).

No, the redemptive message of the Bible is not one of religion. Religion is bondage; the Bible’s theme is one of reconciliation and a personal relationship with the One True God through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh. This is freedom from the bondage of religion.

Manmade religion preaches salvation by works or an endless cycle of reincarnation, while so-called “science” asserts that all ends with death. The Bible, on the other hand, reveals that it is appointed unto men once to die. After this, all will stand in judgment before the holy and righteous Judge of the Universe (Hebrews 9:27). And, my friend, don’t forget that the Word of God has proven itself true time and time again by way of detailed fulfilled prophecy, something to which no other religious book can lay claim. You would do well to heed the Bible’s warnings. Do you care about the things of God? You will meet Him one day.  Are you ready to stand before your Maker in judgment?

Consider for a moment the loud message of the Bible: There is ONE TRUE GOD who created the universe and made man in His own image. He placed man in the Garden of Eden and told him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man directly disobeyed God and fell from his state of innocence (see Genesis 1-3). Thus, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). In Romans 3:23, the Scriptures read, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Moreover, Ezekiel 18:4 states, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." We, as human beings, are sinners—not mere makers of mistakes—but unholy, unrighteous, wicked, and self-indulgent transgressors of God’s law. It's not simply what we do, it's who we are by nature--LAWBREAKERS. It has been our nature since the very beginning of time to strive with our Maker.

You may disagree and claim to be a good person. You may even stake your eternal destiny on your good deeds and/or your religious observances. But, God’s standard of goodness is absolute perfection, and "There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God" (Romans 3:9-10). Our sinfulness extends to our very nature and manifests itself in our disobedience to God’s standard of righteousness. It’s not just what we do; it’s who we are. Religion concentrates on the outward appearance and the ceremonial cleansing of the flesh, but Jesus said, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23). You are defiled on the inside, and outward religion cannot make you clean. God, on the other hand, revealed his standard of righteous to mankind in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-18; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). This Law was given by the hands of Moses to the children of Israel, a special nation raised up in history by God Himself for the purpose of demonstrating His power, grace, and immutable character to all mankind. This same Law is also written on the human conscience (Romans 2:14-15), so every man is privy to it. We all know that lying, stealing, killing, envy, etc. are wrong. Our conscience (God’s Law written on our heart) condemns us and makes our guilt personal.

The Law of God is plain, and it is does two things: It stops the mouth of every man who would justify himself, and it gives man a knowledge of his sin (Romans 3:19-20). Do you measure up to God’s Law? For example, the 9th Commandment says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness." Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? Proverbs 12:22 says that lying lips are an abomination unto the Lord, and Revelation 21:8 says that all liars shall have their part in Hell. The 8th Commandment says, "Thou shalt not steal." Have you ever stolen anything—something small, something large, time, etc…? What does that make you? In God’s eyes, you are a thief. Have you ever used the Lord’s name in vain, substituting God’s name for a curse word? Maybe you claim to know God and then take His name in vain with your lifestyle. The Bible calls both of these things blasphemy, and the 3rd Commandment is very plain. Have you ever committed adultery or murder? God judges the heart, not the outward appearance (I Samuel 16:7), and Jesus said that anyone who has lusted after another person will be judged as an adulterer at heart (Matthew 5:27-28). If you have ever harbored hatred or disdain for someone, Jesus said that God will judge you as a murderer at heart (Matthew 5:21-22; I John 3:15). Do you take pleasure in fornication when God tells you to flee from it? I Corinthians 6:9 says that no fornicator will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Have you put the LORD God first in your life (the first and greatest Commandment), or do you serve a false god that you have made up in your own mind to satisfy your own lusts and pleasures? This is idolatry, one of the oldest sins in the world, and God hates it. Have you always remembered God’s sabbath day; or have you always honored your father and mother in word, thought, and deed? If the answer is no, then you are guilty of breaking the 4th and 5th Commandments respectively. The 10th Commandments says “Thou shalt not covet.” Have you ever desired something that is not yours? The 2nd Commandment says not to worship idols. Does your religion lead you to worship idols of wood, metal, and stone “which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk” (Revelation 9:20). Perhaps you worship an idol that you have made up in your own mind, calling it “God” or “Jesus” to satisfy your own lusts. The God of the Bible says: “Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:4). Are you guilty or innocent? And, don’t break the 9th Commandment by lying to yourself.

Sin is the transgression of God’s Law (I John 3:4), and because Almighty God is the holy and righteous Judge of the Universe, if you break God’s Law in just one point, you are guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10). Consequently, every mouth is stopped, and all the world is guilty before the Lord (Romans 3:19). “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). The Bible plainly says that we are guilty and that God will eternally punish all murderers, thieves, liars, adulterers, fornicators, blasphemers, whoremongers, homosexuals, idolaters, etc. in Hell for all eternity.  And, He will even judge our words and thoughts (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 2:16) and every idle word that we speak (Matthew 12:36). On Judgment Day, will you be found innocent or guilty of breaking God’s standard of righteousness, the Ten Commandments? In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus rightly summed up God’s Ten Commandments in this fashion: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). Have you loved your Maker with all your heart, and have you always loved your neighbor as yourself? If not, you are a lawbreaker, and you deserve God’s justice.

Perhaps you think that God is good and that He will just overlook your sinful nature and your sinful deeds. It is quite arrogant to think that God only loves you. He loves more than you: He loves righteousness, justice, holiness, and purity. Therefore, it is His goodness that will make sure justice is served. And, it is our attitude that sin is "no big deal" that makes us blameworthy and damnable in God's sight. The Judge of the Universe would be a corrupt judge if He turned a blind eye to such injustice.

You may still maintain that you are basically good, but God says that you are not (Psalm 14:2-3). So, one of you is lying, and the Bible tells us that it is impossible for God to lie. God’s law demands justice, and the penalty for sinning against an eternal Creator is death in an eternal Hell (Romans 6:23). Moreover, as already mentioned, if we break the law in just one point, we are guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10). A criminal is convicted of a single act by a human judge and a human jury, regardless of how nice he is most of the time. How much more so when it comes to the perfect God of the Universe? It’s too late to be good.

Now, consider this: The Law of God (i.e. God’s standard of righteousness as revealed in the Ten Commandments and written on the human conscience) was not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient (I Timothy 1:9-11). It is like an x-ray that shows us our sin and points us to our need for a Saviour (Galatians 3:24). Thus, the Good News that I am about to share with you makes good sense: “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:21-22). Because we are guilty and deserve Hell, and because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), this is what God did for us: He came to this earth Himself (Jesus Christ—God manifest in the flesh) to take our punishment and pay our fine. He offered up His body as a substitutionary sacrifice to pay the price for our sins and, being innocent Himself, was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost for our justification. As a result, the debt of sin is paid in full, and total forgiveness can be found for those who will repent of their sins and put their complete faith and trust in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

In other words, more than two thousand years ago, when Jesus cried from the cross “It is finished”, a legal transaction took place: God Almighty stepped in and paid your fine. You broke his moral law written on your conscience, and Jesus Christ paid your fine with his His life’s blood. This means that because of the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God can dismiss your case. He can commute your death sentence. He can legally allow you to live upon your repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Let me say it again: Jesus Christ lived a perfect life without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and then suffered and died on a Roman cross to satisfy the righteous demands of God’s Law (Galatians 3:10-13). After three days, he rose up from the dead, proving that His sacrifice had been accepted. Therefore, a holy God can forgive sin and grant us everlasting life. Salvation is a free gift; it cannot be earned, it can only be received. In John 3:16, the Bible reads, “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.” A few pages back in John 1:12, it says, “But as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

It must be further emphasized: THIS IS NOT ABOUT RELIGION. Religion, however sincere, can never satisfy a righteous God, for as compared to His goodness, even our so-called good deeds are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Religion cannot erase sin—No religious efforts or experiences can cancel out a single sin, and good deeds can never remove evil deeds. Even Buddha knew this. He was once asked: “How long would it take for good deeds to delete one evil deed?” Buddha pointed to a pillar of a Hindu temple, characteristically filthy with the soot of incense and sacrifice, and then replied: “If you had a rag and were given one swipe per year to clean the pillar, consider the time it would take for the pillar to be completely wiped away. It would take longer than that for a good deed to cancel out an evil deed.” In other words, Buddha acknowledged that such was impossible, and in this, he was correct. Because we are defiled from within (Mark 7:20-23), and because salvation is “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9), religion can never change man’s sinful nature—The heart of the problem is a problem of the heart (Jeremiah 17:9), and God’s Law clearly reveals this. As Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Also, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5). If you are relying on your religion to make you right with God, not only is it powerless to do so, but trusting in such actually adds to your sin and your condemnation.  After all, even the prayers of those who turn their ear away from the Word of God are an abomination (Proverbs 28:9). Unless you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus Christ, you will die in your religion; you will die in your sins (John 8:24).

At this point, you may boast in your intellectual denial of God’s existence, the pompous claims of humanistic science, and your assertion that you are not a religious person. If you really believe that the existence of countless galaxies and solar systems (which, by the way, do not slam into each other and rotate at intervals that you can set your watch by) came about when some primordial dust cloud randomly and spontaneously flung them into outer space, then the Bible describes you quite accurately: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Evolution is not real science: its foundational claims cannot be proven, and time and time again, such have been demonstrated with observable science to be false. On the contrary, real and objective science has always supported the claims of the Bible. Go study the Laws of Thermodynamics, the magnetic half-life of the earth, the decreasing size of the sun, the rate of sediment flow from rivers into oceans, population growth statistics, the real value of so-called “vestigial organs,” the complete absence of “transitional species” in the fossil record, etc. Then, honestly try to say that the earth is billions of years old and that your great, great, great, great . . . grandfather was swinging through the trees and that his great, great, great, great . . . grandfather was floating around in a bunch of primordial soup. Try to explain where the uniqueness of the bombardier beetle, the extinct trilobite, and the hummingbird fit into the evolutionary tree. Deal with the amazing and complex nature of the human eye and then try to say with a straight face that such came about by chance. Let evolution try to compensate for the symmetry of the human body and the undeniable design found in matter. What about the human conscience, something unique and completely absent from all other animal species? How did this “evolve”? No, my friend, common sense tells us that every design has a designer. To deny God and boast in the THEORY of evolution makes you a religious man. You follow a man-centered religion that requires more faith to believe than the simple claims of the Bible, and your religion completely justifies the atrocities of Adolph Hitler, the Khmer Rouge, Joseph Stalin, and every other madman that simply took “survival of the fittest” to its logical conclusion. If all ends for you at death, then Hitler got away with everything he ever did, and you are no better than him. Why not go and put yourself out of your misery?

All sarcasm aside, there is a God, and you will stand before Him. Your religion, your scientific theories, and your self-righteous morality cannot save you on the Day of Judgment. On that day, the questions that will matter most are these: Have you been born again (To be born again means to have the Spirit of Christ born in you by grace through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ—a spiritual rebirth, not the physical rebirth that reincarnation falsely claims)? Have you humbled yourself before God? Have you repented of your sins? Have you received the free gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus Christ alone? The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 10:9-10 reads: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is your only hope, my friend, and God promises to save you if you will just cry out to Him. Trying to do enough good to go to heaven is an offense to God, who sacrificed His Son for our sin. It is selfish folly to refuse to accept a gift of full payment and claim to work off that infinite debt on your own.

Do you care about the things of God? You will stand before Him in judgment. Will you stand before Him guilty or forgiven? There is only one way to be forgiven, and that is through the person and work of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. God does not sit atop a spiritual mountain with many different pathways leading to Him. Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY (Isaiah 43:11; Acts 4:12).

A link to the Gospel of John as found in the New Testament of the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible can be found below. The words of this Book were originally inspired by God and perfectly preserved down through the centuries. The Gospel of John clearly reveals to us who Jesus was, why He came down to earth, and why we need Him as our Lord and Saviour. Consider a few words of Jesus Christ Himself as preserved in the Gospel of John: Jesus claimed to be God manifest in the flesh. In John 10:30, He said: “I and my father are one.” In John 3:13, Jesus claimed to be in heaven while he was on earth. Only God could make such a claim. In John 14:9, Jesus claimed that those who had seen Him had seen God the Father. Jesus goes on to say in John 8:24: “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Perhaps most astounding, however, was Jesus’ bold claim in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” By making such a statement, Jesus Christ, in essence, took all manmade religions and threw them in the garbage heap.

If you are reading this, you must make a choice. Was Jesus Christ telling the truth about Himself in John 14:6, or was he a liar? If Jesus Christ was lying about himself, then he was the biggest and most deluded fool that ever walked the earth, and his teachings are worthless. If He was telling the truth, however, then He is the ONLY WAY to salvation.

The truth is, Jesus Christ proved His claims about Himself to be sure when he rose from the dead, after prophesying that He would do so (Matthew 20:19; Mark 9:31, 10:34). There were more than 500 eyewitness accounts of the resurrected Lord (see I Corinthians 15), and the laws of any manmade justice system teach that if eyewitnesses have given a testimony and agree in their testimony, and if that testimony has been reduced to writing and no reliable evidence can be produced to overthrow the written testimony, then the written testimony stands and cannot be disannulled or abrogated. In other words, the fact of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead would stand up in any legitimate court in the land. No other religious teacher, prophet, or guru ever lived without sin, claimed to be God, was affirmed to be the Creator come down from man (Mark 1:11, 9:7) and then proved such claims to be so by raising up from the dead. Buddha never claimed to be a god, yet many worship him as such. Mohammed had the Ten Commandments and broke every one of them; yet, man revere his words above the Word of God. These are dead men. Countless others have come and gone, claiming to possess the way of salvation. All have died in their sins, and Jesus, claiming to be the only door to life, referred to these as thieves and robbers (John 10:7-8). You must choose: Was Jesus a liar, or is He the way, the truth, and the life? His tomb is empty, and His body has never been found because He is alive (Mark 16:16). In Revelation 1:18, Jesus says: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Please read the Gospel of John from the Holy Bible. If you don't have access to a Bible, you will find a link to John's Gospel below. Read it with an open heart, and ask the One True God to reveal Himself to you in this, His word. John 20:30-31 reads:“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Will you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today? Your own righteousness is not good enough to get you into heaven, and God’s Law written on your conscience has already condemned you. But, though helpless on your own, you are not hopeless. Romans 5:20 says, “Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” You are helpless without a Saviour, but only hopeless if there is no Saviour. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world (I John 2:1-2, 4:14), and only through Him can you find grace and truth (John 1:17). Why perish?

God is not willing that any should perish, but at the same time, he is not a beggar. Neither is he some sky fairy that exists to make your dreams come true. He is a great righteous King that rules over all the earth (Psalm 47:2). And, no religious observance or ritual can save you from Hell or make you right with God. Only He can do that, and you have to want it. Turn away from your idols and empty religions, and simply acknowledge your sin to the Lord, asking Him to save you from Hell. Thank Jesus for taking the penalty for your sins, put your complete trust in Him, and tell Him with conviction that you accept His gift of eternal life. Jesus Christ will then come into your heart and give you a new life, just as He promised (John 6:37; Romans 10:13). This, dear friend, is what it means to be born again, and Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:7).

Flee to Jesus Christ; embrace his Gospel of salvation; this is your only hope. Do it today, for you may not have tomorrow. Read the Bible, beginning with the Gospel of John, and do what God’s Word says. If you forsake your own way and follow Christ, God will never leave you nor forsake you.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

To reject God’s means of salvation in Christ is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit of God who testifies of Jesus (John 15:26). And, “he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation” (Mark 3:29-30). The religious leaders of Jesus’ day rejected Him as one possessed by a devil, blaspheming the Holy Spirit. By rejecting Jesus Christ, will you do the same?

Consider yet more words of Jesus Christ as contained in the Gospel of John: “Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:44-48). The choice is yours.

Perhaps you are reading this and would claim Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Saviour, and for that, I rejoice. However, I must ask you two questions: Are you living for the Lord? Are you telling others about him? If the answer is no, then why not? A missionary friend of mine once walked across America with his wife so as to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the streets. During this endeavor, he wrote to me: “All over the place, we are seeing disturbing evidence as never before that most Christians are simply living isolated lives far from the battlefields of inconvenience in relative comfort and safety, motivated either by self-centeredness or a total disregard for the eternal consequences of their inaction, completely content to let the world around them slip off into eternity without hope.” As a brother in Christ, I implore you not to let this be your epitaph. Rather, let those of you who claim the name of Christ depart from iniquity and go forth as shining lights in a dark world, speaking the truth of the Gospel.

Now, I am not going to write out a “sinner’s prayer” and then plead with you to repeat it in your mind. God is not willing that any should perish, but again, he is not a beggar. He is a great righteous King that rules over all the earth. And, neither I, nor some "magic words," can save you from hell or make you right with God. Only he can do that, and you have to want it. On July 21, 1993, I simply acknowledged my sin to the Lord and asked him to save me from hell. I thanked Jesus for taking the penalty for my sins, and I told him that I accepted his gift of eternal life. Jesus Christ came into my heart and gave me a new life; I was born again, and I have been a changed man ever since. This, too, can be your standing. Flee to Jesus; he is your only hope. Do it today, you may not have tomorrow. Then, get a Bible (If you don’t have one, write me at P.O. Box 791, Conover, NC 28613 or email me at jboyd@fpgm.org, and I will send you King James Bible for FREE): Read it, beginning with the Gospel of John, and do what it says. God will never leave you or forsake you.

Born-again believers who may be reading this, please don’t settle for mere existence. Don’t be a spiritual wimp like the typical "Christian." As Jesus commanded, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15), AND, as I Timothy 6:12 says: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called."

- Jesse M. Boyd