历史上最大的难题是：我们如何才能与一位恨恶邪恶的神和好。能在天堂见到神之前，我们必须经历完全的改变。而这就需要史上最伟大的解决方法。

以下列举了我们所需要知道的：

1.“神就照着自己的形象造人，……神看着一切所造的都甚好”（创世记1:27，31）。

上帝创造的人类在个人及与他人关系的特质上与祂自己相似（创世记1:26），并且上帝希望与他们有一段美好关系。可是，一件可怕的事情发生了：当亚当和夏娃在伊甸园里决定追随撒旦的建议（创世记3），罪便毒害了世界，然后现在我们一出生就渴求按自己的方式做事，而非遵从神。

2.“因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了 神的荣耀”（罗马书3:23）。

我们敌对一位美好和圣洁的神的罪使我们远离祂（请参照以赛亚书59:2）。神“不看邪僻”（哈巴谷书1:13）。因为罪，我们丧失了与神的关系，也连同失去了快乐。这一切的最终就是死。属灵的死亡就是与神隔阂，那是一个非常真实的地方——地狱。身体的死亡标志着机会的结束：我们与神建立关系和避开永恒的定罪的机会（希伯来书9:27）。

3.“因为罪的工价乃是死，唯有  神的恩赐，在我们的主基督耶稣里，乃是永生”（罗马书6:23）。

我们做不了任何事来恢复与神的关系。祂是圣洁的，而我们不是。事实上，祂甚至将我们的善举称为污秽的衣服（参照以赛亚书64:6）。但是，神是如此爱我们，以至于祂将祂的儿子耶稣—全然的神和全然的人—派来给我们，好拯救我们脱离死亡并且得到永生（约翰福音3:16）。“惟有基督在我们还作罪人的時候我们死， 神的爱就在此向我们显明了”（罗马书5:8）。

耶稣为我们的罪在十字架上付了代价。祂为我们做了我们所做不到的。当耶稣为我们死时，祂说：“成了！”（约翰福音19:30）。“成了”的希腊文是用来书写在抵了债的收据上。意思是“还清”。然后，耶稣从死里复活，胜过了罪和死亡（参照哥林多前书15:3-4）。

4.“你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是  神所赐的；也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸”（以弗所书2:8-9）。

神给我们最好的礼物，就是与祂恢复关系，将我们从地狱之灾中拯救出来，将来能进入天国（约翰福音3:36）。这份礼物不是因为我们自己的美德，而是完完全全因为基督在十字架上为我们所做的工（参照提多书3:5）。他是唯一一条通达父神的道路。他说：“我就是道路、真理、生命。若不藉着我，沒有人能到父那里去”（约翰福音14:6）。

5.“你若口里认耶稣为主，心里信  神叫他从死里复活，就必得救”（罗马书10:9）。

要与上帝和好，我们必须承认自己内心和行为的罪，并且求神的饶恕。当我们如此做时，祂便充满恩典地答应完全赦免我们的罪：“我们若认自己的罪， 神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义”（约翰一书1:9）。然后，我们要向其他人宣告从死里复活的耶稣是我们的主。

6.“我实实在在地告诉你们，那听我话、又信差我来者的，就有永生；不至于定罪，是已经出死入生了”（约翰福音5:24）。

我们渴求的生命在基督里是白白给予我们的。我们可以相信祂的应许，呼求祂的拯救，谦卑地领受祂给予的永生：“因为‘凡求告主名的，就必得救’”（罗马书10:13）。神的圣灵住在我们里面，并且帮助我们顺服祂（参照提摩太后书1:14）。

福音被称作是“佳音、好信”（以赛亚书52:7）。耶稣说：“我来了，是要叫羊得生命，并且得的更丰盛”（约翰福音10:10）。神借由基督赐下了我们所渴望的生命及喜乐，祂也要我们永远享用。以下是一段祈祷文，也许能帮助你坚定对耶稣的信心。光是说出这些话，不会有什么奇效，但是，它们也许可以帮助你诚实地对上帝表达出你内心的想法：

亲爱的上帝，我相信祢派了祢儿子耶稣来到世上，为偿还我的罪在十字架上受死。我相信耶稣借由他从死里复活而战胜了罪和死亡。当我有任何不信，我求祢在我心里和想法里做工，好让我克服不信。帮助我相信圣经的话语——你，耶稣，是全神全人，来到世上拯救我脱离罪和死亡，并且使我与父神和好。

对于我的罪我很对不起，我想向祢认罪，这包括自我为中心。我承认我的罪，也知道我并没意识到我所有的罪，但请求祢让我更加觉察和认识到自己的罪。靠着祢的力量，我想要从罪中回转，并且放弃自己身上任何不讨祢喜悦的地方 ——不只是外在行为，还有我的心态。我渴望经历成为新人和活出新生命的喜乐。我愿降服于祢。

我充满感恩地领受祢的饶恕，求祢做我的救主、主和王。求祢住在我里面，赐给我力量活出新生命。求祢用祢的爱充满我。帮助我学习祢的话语，效法祢的圣徒，好活出更新的生命，能够爱人和饶恕他人，如同祢爱我和饶恕我一样。谢谢祢。

以上所有的事是奉耶稣的名祈求，阿门。

一旦你接受基督为救主，接下来最重要的事之一，就是要加入基督徒的大家庭，也就是教会。一个好的教会会教导神的话，提供爱、帮助及支持。假如你有更多关于耶稣的问题，教会也将帮助你去寻找答案。去认识知道神话语的人，他们能帮助你在与耶稣的关系上成长！读经，祷告，分享你的信仰，并且常常与主内弟兄姐妹团聚。“你们却要在我们主救主耶稣基督的恩典和知识上有长进”（彼得后书3:18）。

译：Alice Wang；校：李花秀。

作者简介：Randy Alcorn

分类：圣经与神学

标签：罪，恩典，救恩，Eternal Perspective Ministries

简介：人的问题，特别是罪和死亡的问题，只有神才有答案。

Our Problem, God's Solution

The problem of how we could possibly be reconciled with a God who hates evil is the greatest problem of history. Before we can see God in Heaven, something must radically change. This calls for no less than the greatest solution ever devised.

Here is what we need to know:

1. “God created mankind in his own image...God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:27, 31).

God made human beings with personal and relational qualities like His own (Genesis 1:26) and desired to have a delightful relationship with them. But something went terribly wrong. When Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan’s advice in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), sin poisoned the world and now we are all born with the desire to do things our own way, not God’s.

2. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Our sins against a good and holy God have distanced us from Him (see Isaiah 59:2). God “cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (Habakkuk 1:13). Through sin we forfeit a relationship with God, and along with it our happiness.  The result of all this is death. Spiritual death is separation from God in a very real place called Hell. Physical death marks the end of our opportunity to enter into a relationship with God and avoid eternal condemnation (Hebrews 9:27).

3. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

There is absolutely nothing we can do to restore ourselves to God. He is holy, we are not. In fact, He says even our good deeds are like filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6). But God loved us so much He sent us His Son Jesus, fully God and fully man, to deliver us from death and give us life (John 3:16).  "God demonstrates His own love toward us…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Jesus went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. He did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. When Jesus died for us, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word translated “it is finished” was written across certificates of debt when they were canceled. It meant “paid in full.” Jesus then rose from the grave, conquering sin and death (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

4. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God’s greatest gift is a restored relationship with Himself, delivering us from Hell and granting us entry into Heaven (John 3:36). This gift depends not on our merit but solely on Christ’s work of grace for us on the cross (see Titus 3:5). He is the one and only way to God. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

5. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

To be right with God, we must admit our sinful hearts and actions, and ask God’s forgiveness. If we do, He graciously promises full forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Then we are to affirm to others that the resurrected Jesus is our Lord.

6. "Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

The life we long for is freely offered to us in Christ. We can believe His promise and call on Him to save us, humbly accepting His gift of eternal life: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). God’s Holy Spirit indwells us and helps us obey Him (see 2 Timothy 1:14). 

The gospel is called the “good news of happiness” (Isaiah 52:7). Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). God offers us in Christ the life and happiness we crave and He wants us to enjoy forever. Here’s a prayer that may help you affirm your faith in Jesus. There’s no magic in just saying the words, but they may help you genuinely express to God what’s in your heart:

God, I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price for all my sins. I believe Jesus conquered sin and death through His resurrection from the dead. To the degree I find any of this difficult to believe, I ask that you work in my heart and mind to overcome my unbelief. Help me to trust what the Bible says—that you, Jesus, are the God-man who came to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father.

I am sorry for and want to repent of my sins, including my self-centeredness. I confess my sins, realizing I’m not yet aware of all of them, but I ask you to make me more aware. With your strength I want to turn away from doing wrong, and give up every part of my life that doesn’t please you—not just my actions but my attitudes. I want to experience the joy of being a new person and living a new life. I surrender myself to you.

I gratefully receive your forgiveness and ask you to be my Savior and Lord and King. Please come to indwell me and empower me to live a new life. Fill me with your love. Help me to learn from your Word and your followers how to live as a transformed person who loves and forgives others as you love and forgive me. Thank you.

I ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Once you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, one of the most important things you need to do is become part of a family of Christians called a church.  A good church will teach God’s Word and provide love, help, and support. If you have further questions about Jesus, you can find answers there. Seek out people who know God’s Word and can help you grow in your relationship with Jesus! Read the Bible, pray, share your faith, and gather regularly with God’s people. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

See also: Can You Know You’re Going to Heaven? and Can EPM Recommend Any Churches Near Me?

Photo by Edward Koorey on Unsplash