Where is God?
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?
How do I know that there is a God?
Why doesn’t God just show himself?
How can a compassionate God send people to hell?
Aren’t all religions just different ways to God?
Who is Jesus?
How do I become a Christian?
God is the creator of all things . God is the supreme power, the source of all authority, the supreme intelligence, and most loving of all beings. His being and form defy comprehension, but is described in his written testament – The Bible – as an overwhelming brightness or consuming firein appearance. In essence he is spirit, that is, non-physical. He is known by many titles, but by the name Yahweh and also by the name of his Son, Jesus. His Holy Spirit is also a dynamic agent of his purpose in the Earth. God shares identity with his Son and Holy Spirit as one being.
God, The Father, rules from heaven, that is, the invisible realm beyond the cosmos. The term heaven as it appears in the King James Bible has meaning depending on context. In some cases, it refers to earth’s atmosphere, in others, outer space. But the physical universe is inadequate to even contain God, so often heaven refers to a spiritual realm where God is.
However, God also has omnipresence through his Spirit and omniscience into all his creation, even knowing the very thoughts of each person.
Mankind brought all ill upon itself, by our own choices and actions. Pain, suffering and death are the judgment for sin. Sin is a choice for evil over good.
The first calamity was brought into the world by the first man and woman – Adam and Eve, from whom we are all descended. However, all of us have sinned as well.
Because of this dismal state of affairs, God provided a way for man’s reconciliation to himself through his Son Jesus, to restore man as a righteous being and save us from judgment, and undo of all the evil that ensued from man’s fall. In short, everyone has a chance to choose again.
First, it is already within each person to know that God is. Secondly, the Gospel – the report of God’s mercy extended to us through his Son – is a testimony of God. Also, the Spirit of God beckons the heart of each man, even as he hears the Word. In accepting these evidences as credible – which is faith – and placing his trust in Him, does one begin to know God. If anyone does not harden himself to the Word and the Spirit, but draws toward God, God will in turn reveal himself to that person.
God the Father has a glory so radiant that mortal flesh cannot survive his presence. Nevertheless, God has manifested himself in ancient times, wrapped in various elements, such as fire, a volcano, and a tornado. But in this age, God has shown himself through his Son, who at his discretion will appear to men, and will at the end of this age be seen by all upon his return to earth.
In the meantime, God reveals himself to us by his Spirit. Only one in whom the Spirit of God dwells can perceive the things of God. Because of this, men must rely on the spiritual, wherein is our redemption, over the natural whereby came our downfall.
God desires that every man escape Hell and find salvation. Hell is intended for the rebellious angels, and for Satan - the once Angel of Light who thought to supplant God, and in whom there is no good. Anyone who regrets his evil deeds and repents, and turns to God through Christ will be saved from hell. But those who persist in evil, because they love it, or are too proud to submit to God, or are just plain foolish enough to disregard God, will not escape condemnation.
God is just, hearing the cry of those oppressed by sinners, and so will not let evil persist forever. For this reason, we are under a physical death sentence, our ancestors being evicted from Eden to prevent our perpetuity as a doers of evil. But even as this judgment was pronounced, God gave the first promise of redemption through the descendent of woman, who is Jesus Christ, so that we have hope of salvation, and can escape the second death of the soul.
Jesus is very explicit in specifying that He is the only way to God.
Mankind, which once knew the One True God, drifted away gradually to serve false gods, while others fell prey to false prophets, hence the other religions (which are invalid). God has chosen to overlook this matter until one hears the Gospel, and then that person must receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Though God is one God, he refers to himself in the plural, indicating a complex personage defying human comprehension. Among this Godhead is Jesus, both God and the Word of God. Promised to mankind in ancient times as the Messiah or Christ (meaning Chosen One), He is both the human manifestation of God and God’s Son.
Jesus was born as a man, though having prior existence, and walked this life in every way as a man. Yet, the Spirit of God was upon Him, and he went about healing the sick and preaching salvation though repentance. He came to be the one man who obeyed God in all his ways, without sin, and offered his life in sacrifice, taking upon himself our death sentence for sin. The manner of this death was Roman crucifixion. Because of this, God accepts all of us who believe in Jesus, and we thereby escape condemnation to hell after death. He rose from the dead, giving us hope for the same resurrection and immortality. After this, he ascended into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of the Father until the day the Father sends him back to earth to rule from Jerusalem over all mankind forever.
The essential criteria is to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is our sacrifice for sin, and was raised from the dead, and to openly proclaim him. There are other things that follow as part of living a Godly life, such as baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and being transformed in our thinking , and sincere belief will lead a person to do these things. But accepting salvation is as simple as crying unto God.
I could lead you in a pre-written prayer, but God is ready to hear you, in your own words. For God is our Father, and hears our cry to him as a parent, and regards an honest confession better than religious pretentiousness. I recommend you begin confirming your belief by calling on Him yourself.