It's Easter. More than Bunnies. Jesus Paid Our Sins - April 14, 1995

You know, some people think that the Bible was written merely by humans, but I don't; I believe it is the word of God. Here's why.

I can only imagine that if human being were to get together to write a nice moral tale about a fictional creator, it would be a nice story about a nice God who did nice things for nice people. It would have strong morals, like a fable, and have nice subject matter, like a Doctor Seuss book.

But in my study of the Bible, I've found this not to be the case. In fact, when I study the Bible, I find a large book, full of rapes and murders and indecent acts. It's an offending book. Reading the Bible is like watching "Cops" on TV. You get to see nothing but the real truth.

The story, the Bible, says there are rules in this world. I can buy that; it's the same today. If you speed and get caught, there's a ticket to pay. The Bible says that because we do not honor God, we have earned our punishment. It's like working at a work-study job. The wage you get is what you worked for. Because we have not honored God, we have earned our wage, which is separation from him (also known as Hell).

See, Hell bothers me. Doesn't it bother you? The idea that there is a place where every single good thing is absent and where people exist there forever disturbs me. If I had written the Bible, I would have left that out. I'd love the story to go that all people can go to Heaven. That's how I would have written it. But that's not what it says.

There is a wage, and the wage must be paid. Enter in Jesus. He didn't speed! He didn't deserve Hell (he was the only one) and yet he went to Hell for us. It's like he took everyone's speeding ticket from us and paid it. But haven't you heard that Jesus is God, and because of that he was able to rise again? Jesus is not dead; he lives forever today.

Our sins are paid for. That's why I'm writing this. I'm writing because there is no sin that has to send anyone to Hell. If you go, it's not because you sinned (sins are paid for) it's because you reject the Son of God who paid for your sins. If you don't want Jesus to pay your sins for you, that's your choice.

I'm writing because I have made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as my savior. I believe that he is the truth. I believe that he lives inside every single person who trusts in him. I believe that he desires to forgive people. And I believe that Jesus hates Hell so much that he was willing to make sure no one had to go. You don't have to go. You can trust Jesus instead.

It's not crazy. It's not even weird. It's actually pretty normal. I can't believe that the Bible is a nice book written by nice religious leaders. If it were, it might says things like that we all can be like a God, or some other idea clearly thought up by humans. It might say that we can actually do something to impress God or earn our way into Heaven. The Bible tells of something very strange; it says that God loves us and earned our way into Heaven for us. We couldn't do it ourselves, so Jesus did it for us.

I've also noticed in my study of the Bible that it goes out of its way over and over to raise up the importance of mothers and women, commanding their respect and equality. There is no way a Patriarchal society of first century Israel would have written that! It is a shame that today many people misuse the Bible to repress groups, like Women, and earlier in our history, slaves, etc.

I just want to say a bit about context. The Bible says that "There is no God." It says it right there in Psalm 14:1! But read the whole verse and it reads, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" See, you can even disprove the existence of God if you take verses out-of-context. It's a shame that Women and African Americans have been mistreated through the years due to the Bible taken out-of-context. That's why we need to study it. It's a book about freedom and equality. It's also about hope.

I've learned that the Bible is not so cut and dry. It demands study. The good news is that you're free to open it up and read it. It says over and over that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ.

I believe those words are inspired. I believe Jesus lives in my heart. I believe the Holy Spirit is at work today. I believe that there is a Trinity. I believe there is a hope, and that hope is Jesus.

I was tired of going my own way when I knelt down and became a Christian. I wasn't born a Christian. One can not be born a Christian no more than one can be born a Medical Doctor. It's something you become. You become a Christian by deciding to trust Jesus to forgive your sins. If you'd like, you can open up to the third chapter of John and read the dialog between Jesus and a religious leader about this. Check on my work - see if I'm telling it like it is. It's written there and the text explains it better than I could. Our only hope is Jesus.

UNH, it's Easter this weekend. I do believe Jesus actually rose from the dead. I believe he was seen by over 500 people and that his resurrection is historical. Now I can not prove that to you 100% no more than I can prove that USAir is 100% safe. But I think I can make a pretty strong argument. We're talking about history, and the only way to prove history is to look at the evidence. I'd be glad to go over the evidence with anyone who would like to see it. I believe I can make a strong case for Jesus' resurrection, and I'd certainly like to hear from any one who has questions. My phone number is 862-8427, and my email is: mark.sohmer@unh.edu.

You have nothing to lose, except maybe an hour or so of your time. I think it's worth it. I do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I do believe that forgiveness comes through him. I do believe that he gives equality to his followers. I believe that he is coming again and those who are forgiven come with him, and those who want nothing to do with him are left behind. I'm with Jesus! It's easy to be on his side. Open your heart to him, and ask him in. He'll constantly prove himself to you every day from then until your with him in Heaven. I pray you'll have a great Easter. Thanks for reading this.