Crystal Hohenthaner

Mel Gibson is a Christian. People die everyday. Life is hard and it seems to keep getting harder. Some facts aren’t simply answers. Some facts, like the three above actually raise questions rather than answer them. Questions like:

What does the word Christian really mean? If there is a Heaven, how do we really get in after we die? And how can I really have a full life. Unfortunately most people, even Christians, aren’t confident in their responses to these questions. To the first question people commonly respond:

“I’ve always been a Christian. My parents have taken me to church ever since birth.” Of Heaven people often tell themselves, “I believe in God. and I’ve never killed anyone, and God loves everybody. He’ll let me into Heaven.”

People our age usually decide that the answer to pursuing a full life is to try anything and everything to have a good time. It’s too bad that these are all the wrong answers. A lot of us think (or have thought) being a Christian and/or getting into heaven means being a good person. But how do we know if we are good people?

I’ve recently realized that when I wonder how good I am I often compare myself to people that I think are bad people. I always come out looking good when I use this comparison technique. Most of us do this or have done it. We wonder to ourselves, “Am I a good person?” Then we look around and think, “Well that guy over there cheated on his wife.” And we decide that, “They are worse than I am. I must be okay. I must be a Christian, and I must be getting into Heaven!”

Unfortunately for us, God, although he loves us perfectly is perfectly just. That means when He judges us He uses perfection as the standard. That means, if you aren’t perfect you aren’t cutting it. That’s the law, His law. Only perfect people can make it into Heaven. The rest of us deserve death and Hell. Only one man was ever perfect. That man was God’s son, Jesus. Fortunately for us, God, although He is perfectly just, loves us perfectly. Because He loves us perfectly He created a way to pay for our sins and make us perfect in His eyes.

Jesus is the way. Even though He didn’t have to, Jesus came to earth. Even though He didn’t deserve it, Jesus died. Even though He had never sinned, Jesus descended to Hell. Then on the third day He rose again and conquered death eternally for all who would follow Him. Being a Christian doesn’t mean being a good person; it means following Christ. This is often a vague idea: Follow Him. Following requires four things.