Why?
Why is religion important? Does it really matter?
The answer is simple: Yes.
We were made to worship and glorify God. This is why so many people can go through life always searching for happiness in so many things and never find it. It’s the reason why soldiers and dying men have cried out to a God they don’t know. It’s why a parent prays to a God in heaven for the first time asking Him to heal a sick or hurting child. We must understand that while we want to deny any accountability to God, the reality is that we all need Him and will be judged by Him if we choose not to accept Christ and glorify Him with our lives.
When man was created, God and Adam (the first man) had a wonderful relationship. Unfortunately this relationship was broken by sin. Adam’s sin against God condemned all humanity to sin and separation from God (Gen 2:17, Rom 5:12-19). As a result, you and I were born into this world with a sin nature and readily choose sin (Ps 51:5, Jer 17:9, 1 John 1:8, Eph 2:1-3). You see, God is holy (Lev 11:44-45, Ps 99:4-9) and cannot be associated with sin. As a result of sin, man is condemned (John 3:18) and will spend eternity separated from God in flames of torment in a place called hell.
God was unsatisfied with this and made a way for man to once more have a close relationship with Him. A pure sacrifice for man’s sin had to be made. God’s provision was to send His sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to die for mankind (Rom 5:8, 1 John 2:2, 2 Peter 3:9). Salvation is totally and completely a gift of God, otherwise known as grace (Eph 2:8-9), and there is no way that it can be earned by man. The gift of salvation is received through repentant faith (Eph 2:8, 2 Tim 2:25).
When the Holy Spirit of God convicts a man of his sin and man repents (Acts 3:19, Rom 2:4), asking God to save him from his sinful nature, that man can be assured of his salvation in Christ and confidently await eternity with Him (John 6:37-39, John 10:27-30, 1 Pet 1:5, Heb 7:24-25, 1 Cor 9:27).
Man wants to be free to live life on his own terms. The popular message of the media and world today is simple: self motivated pursuits = happiness, and we shouldn’t have to be accountable to anyone for how we live our lives! The fact is that we ARE accountable for our actions and the way we live. Whether we choose to accept this fact or not doesn’t change the reality of God’s existence and how He views our lives. Who and what we decide to live for are important to God and He must be glorified.
Friend, if you are unsaved (don’t belong to God) and reading this today, it my sincerest prayer that you will reflect on your life and consider where you are going to spend eternity when you die. Make Christ your Savior and make heaven your home. Commit to Christ, and you will have a new purpose for your life: to live for God and the advancement of His kingdom. Then you will know what happiness and fulfillment in this life are all about.
If you have any questions regarding anything you have read, don’t hesitate to contact us. Maybe you still aren’t sure, or perhaps you would like someone to pray with you while you make a profession of faith in Christ…Whatever the case, just let us know how we can help.
In Christ,
Tom