WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?

An Evangelistic Tract

"What is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for alittle time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:14b).

Dear friend,

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of your life? Have youconsidered why you need to work so hard to make the grade in school or to earnenough money to make ends meet. Have you thought about how meaningless life canbe? You are suffering most of the time in order that you may enjoy yourself alittle in life. You want to earn a lot of money, but you know that money cannotreally buy you happiness. You may be a top student in school, and you may climbup the corporate ladder, you may buy a car or two and a condominium orbungalow. You may retire as a very rich man all eager to enjoy the labour ofyour years. But old age comes upon you in no time. Not only do you have tosuffer aches and pains, but you pay for your medical bills with your hardearned money. And all too soon it is time for you to leave this world. All theremainder of your savings goes to your children who will reluctantly dig out asum to pay for your funeral expenses. Then, after you are gone it will be yourchildren’s turn. Like you, they will suffer hardship and pains just for a fewyears of pleasure in life. Life seems to be so meaningless! Being rich doesn’tmake your life very different, you know it. History tell us that one therichest and most powerful man who ever lived in this world, at the end of hislife had to conclude that his life of pleasure was meaningless. I am quite surethat if you think about it honestly, you will come to the same conclusion aboutyour life. So what if you have done some good in yourlife? So what if history records your name? The world, we are told byscientists who do not even believe in God, will end one day: either the sunwill burn out or the universe will collapse into itself. Many people havecommitted suicide because they woke up one morning and realise that theirexistence is meaningless regardless of their status or contribution to society.

Have youpaused and wondered about your life? Have you considered what you are doing orwhere you are heading to? Have you ever wondered if you are really differentfrom an animal? I mean, an animal lives in this world, then it dies and it is goneforever. After a while, it makes no difference whether it really existed ornot.

But you knowdeep in your heart that you are different from animals don’t you? Animals don’tthink about the future? Animals do not know the difference between right and wrong.Ever seen a cute mother hamster eating her new born babies? The sight isrevolting! But is it wrong for her to do so? No, because animals have nomorals. But you are different. You think about the future and you have a senseof morality. And your sense of morality tells you that your life does not endhere, or your life would be utterly meaningless. But the problem is what willhappen after you die? I don’t know you, but I believe that you suspect in yourheart that there is a God and that you will be judge for what you do in thislife,—whether good or bad. I’m right, aren’t I? And I also know that you areprobably thinking that you are not all that bad, or that you have done moregood deeds than bad deeds, and so it should not be difficult for you to do wellat the day of judgement.

How do Iknow so much about your heart? Well, I know, not only because I have beenthrough it myself, but because the Word of God, the Bible, speaks about thesethings so clearly. The Bible tells us that man is created in the image of God,and that is why we are different from animals. Animals have no souls, but wedo, and our souls will exist forever. And you know what? You are right thatthere will be a judgement day. The Bible says: "God shall bring every workinto judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it beevil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

However, Imust warn you that your notion that you are not so bad after all is terriblywrong. You are deceiving yourself as to how bad you are, for the Bible says:"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who canknow it?" (Jer 17:9). God is a holy God. He will not tolerate sin. If weare to pass the judgement of God, we must be 100% sinless, but God says:"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).Yes,—all,—including you and me. And God tells us that sinners will becondemned to hell forever and ever.

You believein hell, don’t you? The Bible teaches us that it is a place of terribletorment. Almost every religion acknowledge that there is a hell, though mostwill paint hell as less terrible than it really is!Nevertheless, almost every religion teaches that we must do good in order toget to heaven, that is, every religion except true Christianity. Why does Christianity not teach that we must do good in order toget to heaven? Because the Bible says "all have sinned, and come short ofthe glory of God." No matter what good works you do, you will not meet thestandard of God! Indeed, don’t let anyone fool you: No religion can bring youto heaven. Not even Christianity!

I thoughtthis is a Christian tract? Yes it is. But I want you to know that Christianityas a religion does not bring you to heaven. No, the Bible tells us that therewill be many who claim to be Christians who are on the broad road that leads tohell (Matt 7:13). Make no mistake, you may be baptised and you may be going tochurch faithfully, you may even be a leader in your church, and yet be headingto hell. No, it is not Christianity that saves. The Lord Jesus Christ says:"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, butby me" (John 14:6). He did not say as all other religious leaders mightsay: "I showyou theway, the truth and how to live" No, He is the way, the onlyway; He is the truth; andHe is the life. Jesus, not Christianity is the way!

And did youlisten carefully to what the Lord said? He did not say "no man enters into heaven, but by me." Hesays "no man comes unto theFather, but by me." You see, human beings invent many religionsbecause of a restlessness in their soul. This restlessness is there because manis created in the image of God, and until his soul returns to God and findrests in Him, there will be a restlessness and emptiness in his soul. I believeyou know what I mean, for if you think carefully, you’ll find an emptiness anda sense of incompleteness in you. Our souls are restless until they find restin God. Heaven is onlymeaningful for our souls if God our Creator is there. Eternal life is not just lifethat does not end. That would be meaningless. The Bible tells us that eternallife is a living fellowship with the Living and True God and Jesus Christforever (Jn 17:3). True Christianity is not only about going to heaven, it isabout fellowship with God, and this fellowship begins in this life.

But how canwe have this fellowship with God? Amazingly, man, by nature has an inbornnotion that if we do what is right then, we can go to God. This notion, Ibelieve comes about because God has imprinted His laws in man’s heart when Hecreated man. This is the same law that gives us our sense of morality.

The firsttwo persons created by God, the Bible tells us, are: Adam and Eve. They knewthey had to obey God perfectly, and as long as they did, they enjoyed a verymeaningful life in which they had intimate fellowship with God their Creator.But one day they disobeyed God, and the Bible tells us, they brought death tothemselves and to the world: not just physical death, but spiritual death andeternal death; for "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23a). We areall descended from Adam. We were not only represented by him and so legallyguilty, but we are also born as sinners. Our actions are all tainted with sin.So, though we know we should do what is right because of the conscience God hasgiven us, yet we cannot be good enough because we are by nature sinners. Allseemed so hopeless.

But God didnot leave us without hope. He sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christto be born as man of the virgin Mary. He came to do what Adam did not do, andwe cannot do, i.e. to keep God’s holy laws perfectly. After living a perfectlysinless life for 33 years, He was sentenced to die by being nailed on thecross. The death of the cross is the most cruel death ever invented by theRoman empire. But Christ did not commit any crime. He was sentenced to deathfor our sakes. Seven hundred years before Christ was born, it was prophesiedthat Christ would suffer and die for His people: "He was wounded for ourtransgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of ourpeace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa 53:5).

Why is thisnecessary? It is necessary because God is not only a loving God, but a just andholy God. God has to punish sin, or He would not be just. Even a good humanjudge will sentence his own children to death if he finds them guilty of crimespunishable by death. We have all sinned. In God’s holy standard, every sindeserves death. We deserve to die eternally. But God our heavenly Father, inHis good pleasure was determined to show mercy to some of us that we may berestored to fellowship with Him.

But He hasto show mercy without compromising His justice. How does He do that? He does soby inflicting the punishment due to us on Christ, His only begotten Son. Thisis possible because Christ and His Father, together with the Holy Spirit areunited as one God, equal in power and glory. When we sin, the Scripture tellsus, we sin against God because He is the ultimate standard of right and wrong.So when God the Father punished His Son for our sins, He not only deals withour sin as justice requires, but He forgives us of our sin against Him. WhatJesus did, therefore, was to reconcile us to God by paying for our sin:"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal lifethrough Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

This is whyJesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto theFather, but by me" (Jn 14:6). He is indeed the way to the Father by His being punishedand dying on behalf of His people. He is the truth of God or the Word of God manifestedin the flesh, because the whole Bible points to Him. Since the creation of theworld, everything was being prepared for Christ to come as man. And so we findthat there were many prophesies about Christ—where He would be born, of whatfamily, how He would live, what He would do, how He would suffer, how He woulddie, how he would be buried, etc. All these prophesy were fulfilled to theletter.

Now, Christis the life for two reasons: Firstly, Christ didnot die like any other prophets or religious founders in the world. They diedand remained dead and buried. Not so in the case of Christ. After He died topay for our sins, He rose again from the dead. Many people saw Him after Herose from the dead, and some even had the privilege of seeing Him ascend intoheaven. The Bible tells us that He is now seated at the right hand of theThrone of God, and constantly praying for His children. He prays with compassionknowing all our needs because He once suffered as we did (Hebrews 4:15-16).Secondly, Christ is the lifebecauseall who repent of their sins and believe in Christ and embrace Him as Saviourand Lord will have eternal life. The Bible declares: "For God so loved theworld, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in himshould not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into theworld to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved"(Jn 3:16-17).

Dear friend,if this is the first time you are hearing the Gospel presented, there isprobably more facts than you can grasp in one reading. May I urge you to readthis tract over again, while thinking about your life and searching your hearthonestly. And if you find what I am telling you having any meaning at all, mayI urge you to come, and seek the Lord with us! Come, and hear the Gospelpreached each Lord’s Day! Come, and know more about Christ! Come and we willgive you a Bible that you may read for yourself what God reveals about Himself!Come, and get to know Christians who were once in the same situation as youare, but have found peace and comfort in their lives through knowing Christ.Come and ask what questions you may have.

I want youto realise that you are in a very very precarious situation. Do you realisethat if you are out of Christ, you are standing at the edge of hell? I say thisbecause the Word of God teaches us, if you are trying to get to heaven or tothe Father by your own effort, that the moment you die, you will plunge intohell, never to have a second chance. Your efforts cannot save you. Your goodworks cannot save you. The Bible tell us that "all our righteousnesses areas filthy rags" (Isa 64:6). It also remind those of us who are Christians:"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: itis the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).None of us deserve to be saved; neither do you. Your religion cannot save you:not even if your religion is Christianity. Only Jesus Christ can save you byrescuing you from the punishment due to you for your sin and freeing you fromthe bondage of sin and Satan by changing your heart, and making you hate sin.

If you arenot in Christ, you are dead in your sin and helpless to save yourself. Repentof your sin, believe wholeheartedly in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do so, youmay have the assurance that the perfect righteousness of Christ covers you andyou have a righteous standing before God. Then will you be granted rest foryour soul; and your life will have true meaning and purpose. Until then, youare, as it were, hanging on a spider web suspended over hell. Your life is notonly meaningless, but in danger of eternal lost at any moment. I don’t know ifGod would have called me home by the time you read this article. You won’t knowif you will be in hell before the day ends. Consider the words of the LordJesus Christ: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the wholeworld, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36); "Strive to enter in atthe strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall notbe able" (Luke 13:24). Do not wait! Come seek the Lord with us! Repent ofyour sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!