I Must Tell You

by John Sinclair


Good news is for telling-- right? Especially when most news we hear is bad news, aren't we all glad to hear some good news for a change?

If a person is suffering from a terminal illness, and a friend of his learns that a certain university hospital has just discovered a remedy for that disease, that friend ought to tell the victim-- right?

If many people in a famine-stricken country are starving to death, and then one of them hears of a relief organization that is distributing food, he ought to tell the others-- right?

If a person who has an unemployed friend hears of an available job in that friend's trade, he ought to tell him-- right?

So if I know some good news that could help you, I must tell you-- don't you agree? Yet not many people seem to be interested in hearing my good news; but maybe you will be one of the few who will hold on a moment and listen to how it can benefit you.

My good news is about a Man whom few people appreciate as they should, and I learned it from a Book that not many really value. But before you close this booklet and put it aside, I beg you to listen to a little reasoning about Jesus Christ, of whom we learn from the Bible. After all, Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God, and the Bible claims to be the Word of God.

Just suppose that these claims are true; in that case it is very important to pay attention to them-- don't you think so? So even if you are a sceptic, if you think there is even the slightest possibility that they might be true-- and I can hardly imagine a reasonable person refusing to admit that-- then don't you think you'd better find out for sure? After all, if these claims are true, then there's an eternity awaiting you; and what kind of eternity it will be, depends on what you do about Christ.

Some will react by saying, "Religion hasn't done anything for me," or, "religion hasn't changed the world." Actually I'm not exactly talking about a religion, but about a Person. If you say that Jesus Christ hasn't done anything for you, I ask whether you have ever honestly given Him an opportunity. One could just as well say that soap is worthless because if has existed for thousands of years and yet there is still so much dirt in the world. The problem is rather that not everybody gives it an opportunity to show its value by using it. And those who ignore Jesus Christ because He hasn't changed the world have misunderstood His plan. He never intended to change the world. He left everyone free to choose for or against Him, as He didn't want any unwilling followers. He transforms the lives of those who choose Him. The good news I have for you is, then, about what Jesus Christ will do for you if you give Him the opportunity.

Before we talk about what Jesus Christ can do for us, we must answer those who are troubled by the question, "How can we know the Bible is true? Does it stand the tests of modern scholarship?" My answer is that human scholarship cannot prove the Bible either true or false, for scholars can only discover bare facts, and their conclusions depend on how they interpret the facts. It therefore doesn't worry me that the majority of scholars don't believe the Bible. The reason is simple-- the majority of people don't believe the Bible, and scholars are people! It isn't scholarship that keeps them from believing; it's their human nature. Enough scholars believe the Bible to show that it is possible to interpret it in a way that harmonizes with the Bible. Remember also that human scholarship is built on a series of mistakes; any honest scholar will admit that. Many times a new discovery has shown that the Bible was right and scholars were wrong.

To determine whether we can trust the Bible, we must therefore look at its internal evidence. Who could have written the Bible? It could not have been written by good men, for it claims to be written by God. To say it was written by God when it wasn't, would be a most despicable lie; and good men wouldn't write such a lie. Nor could it have been written by bad men, for bad men would be unable to come up with its high moral standards that have stood the test of time. The only possibility left is that the Bible is God's Word, as it claims to be.

Let's apply the same test to Jesus Christ. It is impossible that He was simply a great teacher or philosopher, as many suppose, for He claimed to be the Son of God. Therefore if He were not the Son of God, He would have been either a liar or a lunatic. He could not have been a liar, for He frequently condemned lying and hypocrisy. He could not have been a lunatic, for time has proven that His teaching, if truly followed, produces the sanest life one can live. The only possibility left, then, is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as He claimed.

Some hesitate to believe the Bible because of the miracles it tells of. Their real problem is that they don't believe in the God of the Bible. A miracle is something that is not possible within the laws of nature, of the creation. But why should it seem incredible that the Creator could override the laws of His own creation? To even try to explain the miracles in the Bible in terms of natural science, is to miss the whole point; this is not supposed to be possible. But the moment one believes in the infinite Creator, the God of the Bible, he no longer has any problem with belief in miracles.

Jesus Christ, during his life as a man, never wrote a book; yet no library can contain all the books written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet millions of people throughout the ages and around the world have sung about Him. He never founded a college, yet all the colleges in the world haven't had as many students as the number of His disciples who learn about Him. He never led an army or fired a shot, and yet no general has been able to recruit as many volunteers and bring as many rebels to surrender to him as He. He never exercised the psychiatric profession, and yet He has healed more broken-hearted people than all the doctors in the world. When you consider these accomplishments along with His power to transform a life, are you not encouraged to believe He is really the Son of God?

These are evidences to encourage us to believe the Bible. I cannot prove the Bible to you, as the idea of proof is relative. When I say that something has been proven to me, I mean that the evidence presented is sufficient so that I accept it as fact. A reasonable person will accept an idea as fact when a reasonable amount of evidence has been presented. But no amount of evidence can force a person to believe something, as he can always make up excuses to get around it. Suppose, for example, that when I arrive at home, my wife tells me that my father phoned this morning. If I am at all reasonable, I will believe her-- right?-- since my wife knows my father. But if I absolutely don't want to believe her, I can always make up some excuse like, "How do you know it wasn't somebody with a similar voice, playing a trick on you?" Yet we don't normally act like that in daily life, so why act that way toward God and the Bible?

It is necessary to take a step of faith to believe the Bible. The proper order is: evidence, then faith, then proof. If faith came first, it would be "blind credulity," as it is often accused of being. If proof came first, there would be no room left for faith. But evidence can encourage you to take the step of faith to believe the Bible and choose to follow Jesus Christ. Once you have chosen Him, the change in your life will prove to you that He is real.

Another question that may trouble you is, "With so many religions on earth, how can we know which one is right? Or, are all religions equally good?" It may seem impossible to answer this question until we realize that, basically, there are only two religions, which we can call the "do religion" and the "done religion." All forms of religion that ever existed belonged to one of these two. The "do religion" says, in one way or another, "Do certain things, and you will reach a certain goal or ideal." For many who mistakenly think they are Christians, this goal is to get to Heaven. For the Buddhist, it is to reach the state of nirvana, while for the Hindu it is to become a brahman after a reincarnation. Even a materialistic atheist follows this religion, his goal being either personal comfort or the creation of a utopian society. All these religions and philosophies really say the same thing-- "Try hard enough, and you will get what you are aiming for."

The "done religion," which I am presenting to you, is unique. It alone tells us to come to Jesus Christ empty-handed, making no claim to have anything to offer Him, and receive our authorization to enter Heaven as a free gift. This authorization is given, not on the basis of something we do, but on the basis of what Jesus Christ has already done for us-- that is why we can call it the "done religion."

Why must we come to Jesus Christ empty-handed? First of all,-- are you willing to hear it?-- we are sinners. Because of our sinful state, neither what we are nor what we can do, can be of any merit before a holy God. Modern man prefers to think that sin is an old-fashioned idea. He often says, "Man is good but just maladjusted." Yet if we say that man is basically good, we have no explanation for the existence of evil. If man were basically good, and knew that good was desirable, where would evil come from? Some claim that there is no basic difference between good and evil; but when such people are shown the logical conclusion of this claim, they find that nobody could live with it. It would mean absolute anarchy with no protection.

If, on the other hand, we say that man is naturally bad, we can explain the existence of both good and evil. Evil exists because it is man's natural tendency, and good exists because man realizes it is desirable.

Before a sick person can get well, he must first admit he is sick; otherwise he won't do anything to cure his sickness. Similarly, before man can be delivered from sin, he must first admit he is a sinner.
Man may think he is "not too bad" until he learns that God's greatest command is to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Matthew 22:35-40). Every time we pass even an infinitesimal fraction of a second without loving God with our whole being, we sin. What kind of picture does that give us of ourselves?

We are often asked, "If there is an infinite God who is good, why does so much evil exist in the world, such as wars, crime, social injustice, etc.? If God is infinite, why doesn't He stop these horrors?" We reply that to do so would be to treat the symptoms instead of the disease. It would be like telling a person with a cold to cure his cold by making an effort to stop coughing. These evils pointed out are symptoms of sin in the human heart. God treats the disease by providing a remedy for sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Man must, therefore, come to Jesus Christ empty-handed because he is a sinner. A second reason why must come empty-handed is that Christ has already paid the price of having our sins forgiven so that we could enter Heaven. Man could not pay the price of his own forgiveness. No amount of effort to live decently, good works, or sacrifices for good causes, could ever be enough. Even everlasting torture would not be enough as a payment. But Jesus Christ, being God incarnate, was able to suffer infinitely when He was crucified. Christ did not die as a misfortune to a good man, nor as a martyr for a good cause; He died as our substitute, to pay our ransom from condemnation for our sin. We must therefore come to Christ empty-handed because you don't pay a bill twice. Many have questioned the validity of letting the innocent suffer for the guilty. Yet that is what our earthly courts do when they let a prisoner out on bail. An innocent person pays a certain sum and the prisoner is set free. Also, Christ can do something that our courts cannot do. When He sets a sinner free from condemnation, He also transforms his character to make it gradually become like His holy character. That is certainly another reason why God accepted that Jesus pay our ransom. There still remain unexplained mysteries about Christ's substitutionary death; but it is clearly what the Bible teaches, and we can accept it without understanding everything about it. After all, people use electricity without understanding everything about it, don't they? And what percentage of motorists understand auto mechanics well enough to design a vehicle?

This leads to the answer another question. People often ask, "Is it possible to go to Heaven by trusting in the substitutionary death of Christ after living a criminal life, while a person who leads a decent moral life without believing in Christ will be condemned?" The answer is found in the wonder that Christ works in transforming our character. A person who has been liberated through the ransom paid by Christ, leads a good life-- not to earn his way to Heaven, but as a result of the transformation Christ has made in him. Entrance to the Christian life is therefore not a reformation, but a transformation.
 One last objection must be considered-- "How can I have confidence in the Christian message when there are so many hypocrites in the Church? I have known many people who claim to be Christians, but who certainly do not live as though their character had been transformed by Christ." I frankly admit that there are many hypocrites who pretend to be Christians; but is that a reason to reject true Christianity? If you were seriously sick and in danger of death, would you refuse to consult a well-reputed doctor because there are so many quacks in the medical world? In fact, hypocrisy is proof that genuineness must exist, for nobody has any reason to make a false imitation of a non-existent thing. No detective will ever find a counterfeit three-dollar bill, as no crook would be senseless enough to counterfeit what doesn't exist in reality. When you consider Christ's message and offer, do not look at hypocrites in the Church, nor even at the imperfections of genuine Christians, but at Christ Himself.

Let us now present the conditions to be met in order to benefit from the ransom Christ paid so that we could be freed from condemnation for sin and authorized to enter Heaven. Notice that I say "conditions." I have called the true message of the Bible the "done religion" in contrast to the "do religion," because instead of telling us to do things to earn our way to Heaven, it tells us to accept what Jesus Christ has already done for us. There are, however, conditions to meet in order to receive forgiveness of sin as a free gift.

What difference is there between works to merit God's favour, and conditions to meet to receive His gift? A BIG difference! Here is how we can illustrate it. A little child can do nothing to earn his living; he must receive his food, shelter and clothing as free gifts that his parents have paid for. Yet if the child has been properly trained, there is one condition he must meet before he can receive these needs; he must say "please." Saying "please" does not merit his needs, for nobody gets paid for saying "please;" but it is a condition he must meet.

Two conditions must be met in order to receive God's gift of forgiveness of sin and entrance to Heaven. They are repentance and faith (Acts 20:21).

Repentance is a rejection of sin and of a life lived for oneself. It is also a turning toward a life in which God reigns. Only God can make us able to live the transformed life; but repentance is a choice and an act of the will to abandon the old life and let Christ live the new life in us. Repentance is therefore more than mere regret.

Let us suppose that, while I am driving my car, I realize I have taken the wrong road. I may regret my mistake enormously, but the regret alone won't put me on the right road. I have to turn the wheel to change directions. Once I have turned the wheel, it will not be my own strength that will take me to the right road; the motor will do that. But in order for the power of the motor to take me to the right road, I have to turn the wheel. Repentance is like the turning of the wheel. Simply regretting our sins will not put us on the road to God. On the other hand, our own moral strength can never enable us to live a life pleasing to God. Only Christ living in us can do that (Galatians 2:20). But in order for Christ to live in us and put us on the road to God and Heaven, we must make an act of the will that is comparable to turning a steering wheel, and which is called repentance.

Faith is dependence on and attachment to Christ. A missionary translating the Bible into the language of a primitive tribe, wondered what word to use to express the idea of faith, trust, and belief. Then he learned that in the area where that tribe lived, there was a certain type of vine that always grew climbing around and around a tree. Without the tree to hold it, that vine could not survive. The missionary noticed that, in the language of that tribe, one verb indicated the way that vine climbed on the tree. He used that verb to translate the words "believe" and "trust."

True repentance and true faith amount to a total capitulation of one's self will, and surrender to God's will. The Bible often calls the Christian a bond slave of Christ (e.g. Romans 6:16, 17, 20) and a reconciled enemy. This certainly is not to say that his life is miserable, for everyone who has given himself to Christ finds Him a most kindly and loving Master. It does mean, though, that while the Christian has many privileges, he has no personal rights. His standing is in many ways similar to that of a prisoner of war. I will therefore draw some comparisons from World War II, for the simple reason that it is the most recent war in which Canada was involved and that ended with a total capitulation of the enemy. If any of my readers are of German descent, let not their feelings be hurt by this illustration; my mother was a German!

During that war, many Germans actually disagreed sharply with the Nazi ideologies (though they didn't dare say so), and consequently felt no enmity toward the Allies in their hearts. Yet the simple fact that they were Germans made them our enemies, and the only way they could be reconciled with us was to give themselves up as prisoners of war. Similarly, many people have no feeling of enmity toward God in their hearts, and may even feel a certain love for God. Yet the simple fact that they are human, and consequently possess a sinful nature, makes them God's enemies. The only way they can be reconciled to God is by surrendering themselves to Him as bond slaves.

When the Germans found themselves defeated, there was nothing they could do to merit or to purchase peace. They could not merit peace after all the atrocities the Nazis had committed, and they could not purchase peace because they had spent all their wealth on war. They had to come empty-handed to ask for peace, and depend on the good will of the Allies for their survival. Peace had to be a free gift for them. Yet they had to meet a condition before they could be granted peace-- an unconditional surrender. Even so, man can do nothing to merit or to purchase peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and entrance to Heaven. He must come to Christ empty-handed and receive favour with God as a free gift. Yet an unconditional surrender to Christ is required before he can receive this gift.

Many people, having learned the conditions of finding favour with God, forgiveness of sin, and entrance to Heaven, decide it is more than they are willing to accept. It was so when Jesus Christ was on earth. Many of His hearers said of these conditions, "This is a hard saying" (John 6:60). Yet I'm sure you can appreciate that Christ was always frank with His listeners. He was not like many modern merchants, whose advertisements give you a fantastic picture of an offer they're making, but when you get into their store you find that it's "not so hot." He was not like a high-pressure salesman. Christ always told people right from the beginning what the conditions of following Him would be, and advised them not to bother following Him any further unless they were willing to meet the conditions. Many were unwilling, but a few responded by saying, "To whom shall we go?" (John 6:68). They had realized that He was their only hope for finding everlasting life, that He was a loving Master and that they would be happy following Him. I am hoping that some of my readers will be among the few who make this latter decision.

Christ never wanted unwilling followers. He calls those who will gladly belong to Him, and who, grateful for His grace toward them, will live to please and serve Him with all their hearts and all their strength. You see, Christianity is not the sissifying religious facade that many have made it out to be, and that they have judged to be appropriate for women, children, and effeminate men. Jesus Christ and His apostles would have had no use for "clergymen" who wear long robes with lace trimmings, who preach with a delicate little feminine voice, and who expect you to make a fuss over them when they come to your house for tea and dainties. Jesus Christ was not lacking in manliness, for He travelled great distances on foot, braved storms at sea, often slept outside under an open sky, several times faced threats of violent attack, and allowed men to crucify Him as our substitute so that our sins could be forgiven. His apostles endured similar hardships, and martyrdom was very familiar to the early Christians. True Christians are soldiers in Christ's army (Ephesians 6:10-20; II Timothy 2:3). There has never been any shortage of red-blooded men among those who really followed the teachings of Christ.

The decision is now up to you. Christ never rushed anyone to make his choice, though there are warnings in the Bible against careless procrastination (like Jeremiah 8:20). Christ advised people to weigh their decision carefully (Luke 14:25-35). Being reconciled to God through Christ is like signing a blank check for Christ to fill out as He pleases. It means giving up all rights to run your own life. Nor will your life be run by any human hierarchy, but by Christ Himself as He enables you to understand the Bible. You will find that He requires you to make many sacrifices and often resist the crowd, and you will sometimes be misunderstood and ridiculed by other people.

Yet you will find that Christ understands you better than you understand yourself. He knows what is best for you, and He wants to give it to you. Instead of the passing, superficial thrills that the present world offers, He will give you genuine and lasting happiness. Among others who have decided to go Christ's way, you will find true, devoted friends who will be closer to you than your natural family could be without Christ. They will be, in fact, your brothers and sisters in God's family. You will find that they care about you, and do not discard you when you are in trouble or when they no longer need you. Christ can make your home life genuinely happy; and He has filled with true, devoted love many homes that had been on the point of breaking up. Christ will put meaning and purpose into your life. He will give you the moral courage to stand for what is right. He will deliver you from fear of the future, for you will know that your life is in His hands and that it will be followed by eternity in Heaven.

Furthermore, you can be sure of being accepted by God. A person following the "do religion" would have to be most conceited to claim to be sure of acceptance by God, for that would imply that he was sure of being good enough for God to accept. In reality, nobody is good enough. But those who follow the "done religion" are absolutely sure of forgiveness of sin and entrance to Heaven, since this depends not on what they do, but on what Christ has done. They know that Christ paid their ransom from condemnation, and that they have laid down their arms and received His gift of reconciliation and peace; so they know that they are accepted by God. That is my good news for you. Having weighed the issue myself, I decided many years ago to go Christ's way; and I have never been disappointed or regretted the decision. Nor will you, if you choose Him.