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It’s hard to imagine that we can have the word “good” paired next to the word “news” anymore. Once you flick on the TV, you see hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, shootings, and unfortunately so much more.

Fortunately for you, this booklet is not about weather or politics. Instead, I’m here to share wonderful news that I simply can’t keep to myself.

“Wait, is this another Christian Gospel presentation?”

Hold on, Friend. I do understand your concern in this area, seeing that unaware Christians tend to mislead others in thinking that Jesus will only bring pleasure, and never hardships. Because of this, whenever someone “gives Jesus a try,” many people experience pain due to not understanding what the unaware Christian should have started out with.

However, if you would allow me 8 minutes of your time, you will see the importance of this matter. And in order to understand the wonder of the Good News, one must first understand the reality of the bad news.

What’s the Bad News?

Before I explain the bad news, I just want to point out that this booklet is quite short for the topic. That being said, it may seem like I am spitting facts at you as hard as a llama spits saliva. So, just know that the intended presentation is out of love.

It’s quite impossible to understand the significance of the phrase, “Jesus died for our sins” when we don’t know what sin really is.

According to 1 John 3:4, “… sin is the transgression [breaking] of the law.” “The law” here is God’s Law.

The Lord goes on to say in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…” A “wage” is a payment—rather, your earnings.

Due to Adam’s decision to disobey the Lord, sin entered the world. As Adam’s descendants, it continues to affect us, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

According to what we've looked at in Romans, death is what we’ve earned.

Now, what I would like to do for the next minute or two is take you through a small test to see what sin really is according to a Holy God.

“The Good Person Test”

This test is a replica of the Law of God, according to which God will judge the sinner on that final day.

Will You Be Innocent or Guilty?

• How many lies have you told in your life?
• Have you ever stolen anything, even something small?
• Have you ever looked with lust? (Jesus says, “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” Matthew 5:28.)
• Have you ever used God’s name in vain (i.e. “OMG”)?

Although these are only a few of the Ten Commandments, God tells us:

• All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).
• No thieves nor adulterers will inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
• The Lord will hold no man guiltless that takes His name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

Standing next to other people you may look pretty good, but next to God’s holy Law, no one will be found innocent. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

“All These Have I Kept, What Lack I Yet?”

I’m not here to judge you, but if you’re anything like me, you’ve broken at least one of these Commandments.

Let’s contemplate for a moment—how many people does someone have to kill in order to be considered a murderer? Of course, only one. Therefore, how many lies does one have to tell in order to be considered a liar? One as well.

The point I’m making is that you only need to break one law in order to be considered a lawbreaker.

As James 2:10 tells us, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Good & Just Go Hand in Hand

I want to pause for a minute to extol you for your patience. No one likes to feel judged, and I would like to remind you that my goal is not to judge you, but rather for you to judge yourself.

To better understand God’s justice, let’s look at a court scenario as an example.

Say you are in the court of law with the judge and jury all having proof and witnesses admitting you’ve committed murder. You then look at the judge and say, “Look, Judge, I know I’ve done wrong, but I believe you’re a good person. So, won’t you just forgive me and put this all behind you?”

That would be crazy!

The judge would look at you and say, “You know, you’re right about one thing. I am good; and because I’m good, I sentence you to life in prison.”

Many people mistakenly cling to God’s goodness as a way to escape condemnation, when in reality, God’s goodness is the exact thing that will bring them into judgment.

God, like the judge in the explanation, is good; because of His goodness, He will see to that which is just.

The Good News

It’s finally time to share the news you’ve been waiting for. Hooray!

Now, I want you to approach the Good News with this goal in mind, to better understand why I've shared the bad news with you:

We live in a society that is so anti-fear and anti-offense that we attempt to negate as many uncomfortable thoughts as possible. My goal with the bad news, however, is meant to put the fear of God in you, in the hopes that you’ll see it as your friend and not your enemy.

I know I don’t know you personally, but you are a soul, just like me, and I love you; I don’t want you to go to Hell.

As I said similarly in the beginning, for one to accept the Good News, one must first understand and accept the bad news. For, as Jesus said, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” (Matthew 9:12).

In the words of an itinerant preacher by the name of Tom Harmon, “Heaven is not full of those who know they are good enough, Heaven is full of those who know they aren’t.”

Jesus Died For Our Sins

The Ten Commandments are called the Moral Law. You and I broke this Law, but Jesus paid the fine. That’s the reason Jesus cried, “It is finished!” just before He died. He was saying, “Paid in full.”

Say you were facing the judge guilty, and the judge sentences you to pay a fine of $1,000,000. You then tell the judge you cannot pay, and the moment he goes to sentence you to jail, someone in the gallery stands up and offers to pay the fine for you. If you accept this stranger’s gift to you, you can legally walk out free from jail and debt.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, went to the cross, shed His pure blood, and rose from the dead three days later as payment for our sins. By taking our sins upon Himself, He has placed His righteousness upon the believers who,

• Know and acknowledge that there is nothing in themselves that can and will save them from condemnation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 4:15).
• Call upon the name of the Lord for Salvation (Romans 10:13).

Dear Friend, it’s not some special prayer that will save you.

As an example, say you were in the water, drowning, and you struggle to the surface. You then see a boat pass your way and cry, “Help!”

The people in that boat wouldn’t be focused on the way you said, “Help!” Rather, they would be seeking for the person who cried out (you).

Trusting Jesus Christ

As we come to a close, I would like to end with one last example. Say you were 30,000 feet above the ground in an airplane when you hear the captain’s voice through the speakers, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, the engines have malfunctioned and the plane is going to crash. Please put on your parachutes.”

The simple belief in the parachute working would not be enough to save you from this crashing plane. You first must put it on. In putting that parachute on, you are placing your entire trust in it. You are entrusting your very life to it.

Trusting Jesus is more than a simple belief. You are entrusting your very life into His hands.

Fear not, “He is the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Summary

Finishing the second verse we started with, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Friend, if you have accepted Jesus’ wonderful gift of salvation, you have eternal life. “Eternal” means forever.

If you’ve received Jesus, by His blood, He took your sin and replaced it with His righteousness: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). You are set free.

If you were to die before you accept His marvelous gift of salvation, would you go to Heaven or Hell? The answer is Hell, because of the beginning of Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death...”

And in this concept of death, we are talking about the second death, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

Now, if you have accepted His gift and were to die right now, where would you go? Having accepted this wonderful provision of Jesus Christ, you would go to Heaven (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 4:15; Romans 10:13).

Dear Friend, “eternal” is forever. You can’t have something eternal last for a short while. So, if you were to die 10 years from now, having accepted Christ’s provision, where would you go? The answer, of course, is Heaven.

Conclusion

The news on TV is so full of life-or-death situations—what better news is there than death to life?

I pray that after reading this booklet, you have made your eternal destiny sure.

Thank you so much for your time, My Friend! I pray that this message has blessed you. If you have accepted Jesus’ wonderful gift of salvation through this tract, Hallelujah!

I hope that after you've heard the bad news, the Good News makes more sense to you. May God bless you with this knowledge.

A simple servant for Jesus’ sake,
Kylee

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