Dear Explorer,
Read John 15:22-25
This can be a confusing section, so let's read very carefully. I believe that Jesus is saying that if He had not come, then the world would not be guilty of sin. I believe that He is talking about the sin of being empty. If He had not come, the entire world would be empty, then God would be unjust to punish us for "emptiness" because there would be no other option for us.
Many people today believe that God is cruel to criticize the world for being "empty." But the truth is: Jesus came! Jesus died in your place so that you could be filled!
Others want to embrace God but skip Jesus. Jesus makes it plain in John 15:23 that it's a package deal. You can't have one without the other. Loving a Holy God without Jesus means that you can't measure up to God's standard of holiness. If you reject Jesus, you are empty, and your sins are still there.
But God did send Jesus to fill our emptiness and forgive our sins and because of Him, we can be in a loving relationship with God the Father and call him Abba, "Daddy" God.
God has designed a wonderful plan to allow you access to His Heaven for all eternity. All He asks is that you invite Jesus into your life and let Him guide you. It's really that simple.
In John 13:20b Jesus says, "he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." (NASB) If you've never asked Jesus to be your Messiah and want to do it, it's very simple. Just bow your head and tell God that you are sorry for all the emptiness inside and that you know that without Jesus -- there's no way you could get into Heaven. Ask Jesus to take away your sins and fill you up inside It's really that simple -- as long as you mean it and want it and are ready to receive Jesus at the control center of your life.
But what does this mean for those of us who have already invited Jesus into our lives?
I am beginning to realize that reviewing God's plan and understanding how very lost I would be without Jesus is vital to my sharing the Good News with others. Often, as we begin to grow and mature as followers of Jesus, we forget that without Jesus, we would be just as lost and empty as the rest of the world. There's a song by Mylon Lefevre called "Without Him" that sums it up pretty well.
Without Him I could do nothing,
Without Him I'd surely fail;
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail.
Jesus, O Jesus!
Do you know Him today?
You can't turn Him away;
O Jesus, O Jesus!
Without Him how lost I would be.
Without Him I would be dying,
Without Him I'd be enslaved;
Without Him life would be hopeless
But with Jesus, thank God, I'm saved!
If you have been following Jesus for several months or years now, how different do you think your life would be right now if you were not a follower of Jesus?