The full text of this tract is shown below in the KJV version. (Do you want to print this tract in a different version than the one listed? Contact us and let us know what you're looking for—we may be able to create the alternate version for you at no charge.)

Imagine Responding to an Emergency Call for Chest Pain

When you arrive, an anxious wife is extremely concerned about the symptoms her husband is exhibiting. As you’re ushered into the living room, you observe her husband in a recliner who is pale, diaphoretic, and appears focused on his chest discomfort. He acknowledges you, tells his wife she shouldn’t have called and that he’ll be fine in just a bit.

Being the professional that you are, you introduce yourself, and ask if he would let you examine him. He’s not interested in your assessment as he feels you’re wasting your effort, “There are people in much worse condition than me. Save yourself some time and go find someone who really needs an ambulance.”

Undeterred by the patient’s limited perspective of the situation, your concern for the best interest of the patient presses on: “Sir, at least let me give you a quick assessment so we can see what the problem might be. Your family would sure feel a whole lot better if we could make sure everything’s going to be ok.”

Reluctantly he agrees. “It doesn’t matter what you find,” he stammers between each difficult breath, “I’m not going … people die at hospitals … I’ve seen the news reports.” Nonetheless, you ask a series of questions, take a set of vitals, and perform a 12-lead EKG. It’s what you suspected: an acute heart attack. Now your job is to convince your patient.

“Sir, I know you weren’t too interested in going to the hospital, but the truth is your condition is serious and will, most likely, only get worse with time.”

If only he would have listened maybe he would have had another 10-20 years. A grieving family would have been spared the agony of the loss. You even sometimes blame yourself for failing to convince your patient of the consequence of his actions. Surely, if I could have convinced him of the outcome, his choice would have been different.

So, it is with you, except so much more is at stake. It’s not another 10-20 years of living, it’s eternity we’re talking about. Your thought may be, “I don’t believe in eternity, God, etc. In fact, even if there were a God, I’m not doing too bad … there’s a whole lot of people in worse condition than me. I’ll be ok.”

Unfortunately, our belief doesn’t make things true or untrue. The man in the illustration believed he would be fine. His belief didn’t make it so. What he really needed to do was believe in something that was true—the diagnosis and advice of the paramedic. Whether it was pride, ignorance, arrogance, or foolishness, the result was the same. The patient failed to believe, and life was lost.

So the Question Is…

What would it take to convince you that you (and all mankind) have a spiritual condition called sin, that its final conclusion will be death (the lake of fire), and that God has provided the cure (Jesus Christ) for any who are willing to place their faith in Him alone for mercy, forgiveness, and salvation.

To start, there must be, at the very least, a willingness to consider whether you have a sin problem. God has already diagnosed mankind’s condition: “for all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). But so we could understand our condition, He provided a diagnostic test. If you’re willing to honestly look at the results and take the cure (which has been fully paid for) recovery is guaranteed 100%. Let’s run through this test together now.

Sin Diagnostic Assessment

1. Have you always** put God first in every area of your life?
“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

2. Have you always** told the truth?
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16).

3. Have you always** been content?
“Thou shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17).

4. Have you always** honored you parents?
“Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12).

5. Have you always** avoided taking things that weren’t yours?
“Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).

6. Have you always** avoided using God’s name in vain?
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

7. Have you always** been morally pure, in thought and action?
“Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
“But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

8. Have you always** viewed God from His perspective from the Bible?
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” (Exodus 20:4-5).

9. Have you always** been free of hatred (murder)?
“Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).

** ”Always” refers to “100%”, perfect, absolutely error free.

Results: Answering no “once” in any category is indicative of a lethal prognosis.

The prognosis for having just one negative value is death. How do we know this? Because God has said in His Word that “the wages of sin is death” and ”whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (Romans 6:23; James 2:10).

The Treatment

God said “without shedding of blood is no remission” of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified on a cross 2000 years ago to pay for each person’s sin. He was buried, and then conquered death through resurrection three days later. He offers you life—however, just like your patients, you have to choose to accept the treatment. God wants us to choose Him, but He won’t force it.

False Cures for Sin

There are other antidotes for sin. However, none are effective. They temporarily deaden the senses, but the guilt is still there.

Bogus cures include:

1. Good works. This treatment helps a person focus on all of the good things they have done in life. This is equivalent to a patient saying they have more good cells than cancerous cells, therefore they don’t need a cure. Unfortunately, this doesn’t remove the cancer, and good works don’t remove the spiritual cancer God calls sin. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

2. Deny the existence of God, sin, hell, etc. The problem is that denying a problem doesn’t resolve the problem.

3. The pleasure of the world. This person may or may not believe in the existence of God. Their primary concern is temporary enjoyment. This is equivalent to a patient taking a narcotic, feeling good, and not dealing with their medical condition.

4. Procrastination. How many patients have had poor outcomes because of delaying treatment?

5. Knowing about God, but not knowing Him personally. Many people attend religious services or receive some kind of spiritual training, but knowledge about God is not enough. The fact that someone may work at a hospital, read medical literature, or even become a skilled healthcare professional, doesn’t mean they will necessarily self-administer the proper cure for their ailment. “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).

6. A combination of any of the above.

As with medical quackery, false cures prevent the patient from obtaining the true cure which will resolve the issue. So, what’s the upside to repenting (changing direction) and placing my faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin?

Benefits

1. Avoiding the lake of fire. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12). “… Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

2. A personal relationship with the God who created you, knows you, loves you, and died for you. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

3. A new home. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

4. Immortality. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

5. No more tears, sorrow, pain, or death. “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

6. Extra benefits that you can’t even imagine. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Time Is of the Essence!

As a medical professional, you could probably share many stories of people who had an unplanned meeting with death. They thought tomorrow would come as it had today, but it didn’t. How many more people will lay their head on a pillow tonight only to wake up to an eternity in either Heaven or Hell.

And if that’s not a sobering thought, how about this. If your loved ones were to follow your decision, are you confident that the choice you make is the right one? You are a professional lifesaver—you can’t afford to be wrong!!

Again, just like our patient in the story … the choice is yours.
- Jeff Diehl, Flight Paramedic

Back to top of page