My name is Justin Pepple. I’m a sinner. I’m horribly flawed. I’ve got issues and my heart is wicked. I’ve broken all of the Ten Commandments in some form or fashion. From the day I was born I was in a path headed toward eternal destruction. My sinful life has severely offended God and I deserve eternal separation from God in hell as a result of my sin. Yet, today God sees me as righteous. All my sins are forgiven. I am no longer a slave to sin, but rather free to be an obedient servant unto God. That’s because Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man came to this earth over 2,000 years ago, lived a perfect life and died for my sin. Jesus took my place, exhausting God's wrath. Jesus endured the punishment that I deserved. After Jesus was brutally murdered he was raised from the dead three days later, defeating death and sin’s curse. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice I have a personal relationship with God by his sovereignty having been granted the grace to repent from my sin, place all my trust in Jesus, and surrender all of my life to him.
Since I became a follower of Jesus, my life hasn’t been perfect. Following Jesus doesn't make all of your problems disappear. In fact your problems may increase. I've had a lot of trials and difficulties as a follower of Jesus. But, I’ve never been alone, even in the darkest moments of life. God has never let me down. Through the Bible, I have learned that there is no other source of joy outside of obediently serving God. I was created to worship God; therefore, anything I do in life that doesn’t ultimately glorify God leaves me unsatisfied deep within, and more importantly robs God of his glory due.
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." – John Piper
You may have doubts and unresolved issues about God and life that don’t seem to make sense. Yet, these questions can only be dealt with through a relationship with God in his revealed Word, the Bible. Our wisdom as human beings is limited in comparison to God’s infinite wisdom. There are some things we’ll never understand about God and life, but one truth among others is most certainly absolute—Jesus became our substitute by sacrificing his life so that we can repent of our sin and place all of our trust in Jesus, making him the Master of our lives. There is no other means by which we can be saved from eternal separation from God in hell outside of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Being a follower of Jesus is more than merely identifying yourself with a church or religion. Being a follower of Jesus means you have believed and embraced what the Bible states about God, Jesus, man, and salvation.
Despite contemporary thinking that suggests man is a result of evolution, the Bible states we were created in God's image and likeness to love and serve God, enjoying his grace and extending his glory to the nations. The Bible teaches that God created everything and rules over all (Psalm 103:19, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16). Therefore, God has authority over our lives and if we genuinely understand his mercies the only logical response is total devotion and commitment to God (Romans 12:1-2). In addition to being sovereign, God is perfectly holy, incapable of committing or approving of any form of evil or sin (Isaiah 6:3, James 1:13). Furthermore, God requires holiness of his followers (1 Peter 1:16).
The Bible states that everyone is guilty of sin (1 Kings 8:46, Romans 3:23). Man's heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). It's not that man cannot produce any good work, or any act of kindness, rather that the best that man can do isn't good enough (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10-12).
Because we all desperately fail against God's standard of perfection, we deserve eternal separation from God in hell (Ezekiel 18:4). It doesn't make a difference if we are sorry for our sin just like a remorseful serial killer standing before a judge still receives the death penalty. Justice is still necessary regardless of our remorseful state. We cannot solve our sin problem on our own or eliminate the consequences of our sin on our own.
Though we don't deserve it, Jesus has paid the punishment by exhausting God's wrath for us. God sent his only Son, Jesus who lived a perfect life without sin, to die for our sin. Jesus took our place by suffering the punishment that justice demands. Jesus was brutally murdered for our sins, yet he rose from the grave, defeating death and sin's curse once and for all. The Bible states, "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" (Romans 10:9).
Genuine saving faith is always accompanied by repentance. Repentance is genuinely agreeing with God concerning your sin, confessing your sins to him, and consciously choosing to turn from your sin (Luke 13:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 1:9). Genuine saving faith means more than merely believing certain facts about Jesus; for, Satan himself believes in the one true God (James 2:19). In addition to believing in Jesus Christ, genuine saving faith is always accompanied by a desire to be obedient to God (Ephesians 2:10). As stated previously, total devotion and commitment is the only logical response if we truly understand God's mercies (Romans 12:1-2). A genuine follower of Jesus has a broken spirit over his or her sin, resulting in a genuine hunger for righteousness (Matthew 5:1-16). The Bible never instructs us to look back to a previous public decision or salvation experience in our lives as an indication of genuine saving faith. Rather, the Bible points to continual, on-going fruit in our lives as believers as evidence of perseverance—genuine saving faith (John 15:1-8). While people can seemingly attempt to produce fruit on their own for a while, only the Holy Spirit can produce genuine fruit in the life of a believer (Luke 3:7-18).
You don't become a follower of Jesus to get something. You don't become a follower of Jesus for the sake of heavenly rewards. You don't become a follower of Jesus to make all of your problems go away. Following Jesus isn't easy. Jesus himself said his own followers would be persecuted (John 15:18-21, Philippians 1:29), but God promised he would never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You become a follower of Jesus because you are hopeless without him (Romans 6:23). You have no other option (John 14:6); you are spiritually bankrupt. Without Jesus, you are spiritually dead, eternally separated from God because of your sinfulness. Do you sense the guilt and your hopeless condition? If so, perhaps the Holy Spirit is calling you to respond to God's mercies and make the most important decision of your life.