by Dennis Pollock
Today, I want to answer the most fundamental question regarding Christian theology. The question is this: “Why do people need Jesus in their lives? If we try hard to live a good life, and treat people decently and with respect, is it necessary for us to become Christians, disciples, and followers of Jesus Christ?”
If you say, “I want to live a life without God, without prayer, and without ever consulting the Scriptures, and I want to die after the end of my meaningless life and go to hell, then you do not need Jesus. Living a Christ-less, God-less life is easy. Just go about your business, do as you please, live for yourself, and die without hope. This is natural, normal, and automatic for human beings. And that is precisely what most people in our world choose to do.
The simple answer to the question, “Why do we need Jesus?” is that we cannot please God or be accepted by Him apart from Jesus. But let’s get a little into the specifics of why this is. We’ll start with a verse from Isaiah, who writes: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) This was not just true for the Jews in Isaiah’s day. This is true for all men and women everywhere, from every culture and nationality. Man’s basic problem is not a lack of self-esteem, education, or poverty. Our big problem, the source and root of crime and misery and violence and wars and suffering and drug abuse and alcoholism and divorce, is estrangement and alienation from our Creator. And the reason for this estrangement is sin.
We as a world, and we as individuals, have broken the laws of our holy God, and we continue to break his laws day after day and generation after generation. So why do we sin so much, so often, and so lustily? The answer is that there is a sinful nature within us that controls and enslaves us from birth until death. We were born with a spiritual virus, the sin virus. It spoils relationships, manifests as selfishness, encourages cruelty toward others, creates criminals and gangs, and stirs men to rape women, abuse children, and kill each other. And despite all our modern education and technology and medications and therapy groups and rehab institutions, it shows no signs of stopping or even letting up. We may be more sophisticated in sinning than previous generations, but we are no less enthusiastic or prolific. We sin… because we love to, and we do it with gusto. To quote the singer Gaga: “We were born this way.”
Enmity Against God
Jesus Christ resolved this one problem above every other issue in our lives. Sometimes we get it wrong and assume that He came as a divine therapist or self-esteem booster, or anxiety fixer. He can be all that to us, but that is not His major mission. Jesus appeared on earth, first and foremost, to be a Savior and a Resolver of our sin problem. Without Christ, we are alienated from our Creator. We are more than alienated – we are at war with Him. Paul writes: “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7) And our enmity against our Creator has made us spiritually sick. We are dying. One definition of enmity is “intense hostility.” Not only do people choose not to please God; in their present state (being without Jesus), they are not even capable of pleasing God. They may look pretty and have pleasant personalities. They may be pillars of the community and have many friends. They may work hard and keep their lawns immaculate. And yet they are going through their lives, day by day and year after year, as God’s enemies. They are at war with their Creator. They are rebels fighting against the established order of God, and the only hope they have is to lay down their arms and seek terms of surrender.
God has provided those terms, and He sums it up by commanding us to believe in His Son Jesus Christ and be baptized in His name. This is when the estrangement, the alienation, and the enmity come to an end. Here is where reconciliation takes place. Paul writes:
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation… we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:18-21)
They Must Hear!
The prodigal son came to his senses while he was out feeding the pigs, wishing he could have some of what they were eating. He recognized his folly and returned to his father. But most people today will not return to the Heavenly Father simply by coming to their senses. Most of them will need people like you and me to tell them about Jesus and our need for reconciliation. We will have to open our mouths and share the gospel with them.
The experience of reconciliation is called being born again. And Jesus declared, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Most people would rather try anything other than this to fix themselves. They will spend thousands of dollars on rehab or psychiatry. They will meditate, chant, and watch YouTube videos by the thousands to resolve their issues and fix their lives. But our one great need is to come running to Jesus, calling on the only name given to our world that brings reconciliation and peace with God. And what relief, what blessing, what joy it is when we know that we have been transformed from rebel to child of God. We have been reconciled with Christ, and all is well, now and forever.
