The Greatest Need (Acts 4:12)

Da’ T.R.U.T.H. || It’s Complicated One of the biggest beefs people have with Christianity is its exclusivity. No one wants to be told they’re doing wrong. They want to believe their good will outweigh their bad or that their faith will get them to heaven. Yet, on the flip side, most don’t have a problem condemning people like Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler to an eternity in hell for their evil acts. But, if you’re remotely trying live a decent life, then they want you to pump the breaks when it comes to Christianity and its claim to be the only way. So, what are we to do? In the second verse of his song “The Greatest Need,” Da’ T.R.U.T.H. talks about a dream he had where he was on stage with leaders from other world religions. These men led quiet and devout lives, but God would not let them into heaven. Why not? Their faith was sincere & all they wanted to do was see their creator face-to-face. Isn’t that enough to get to heaven and meet God? The pluralistic society we live in today would answer yes to such a question; as long as you’re not hurting anyone …

Da’ T.R.U.T.H. || It’s Complicated

One of the biggest beefs people have with Christianity is its exclusivity. No one wants to be told they’re doing wrong. They want to believe their good will outweigh their bad or that their faith will get them to heaven. Yet, on the flip side, most don’t have a problem condemning people like Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler to an eternity in hell for their evil acts. But, if you’re remotely trying live a decent life, then they want you to pump the breaks when it comes to Christianity and its claim to be the only way. So, what are we to do?

In the second verse of his song “The Greatest Need,” Da’ T.R.U.T.H. talks about a dream he had where he was on stage with leaders from other world religions. These men led quiet and devout lives, but God would not let them into heaven. Why not? Their faith was sincere & all they wanted to do was see their creator face-to-face. Isn’t that enough to get to heaven and meet God? The pluralistic society we live in today would answer yes to such a question; as long as you’re not hurting anyone and your beliefs are authentic, you’re good to go.

Christianity and the Bible say otherwise. The Bible teaches that, for as good as we are, we do not measure up to God’s standards, even on our best day. No matter how sincere or devout our beliefs, that is not enough for us to enter heaven. You see, we’ve all offended God because we have a sin problem. Even someone like Moses couldn’t see God’s face because of his sin (Exodus 33:20), so what makes us think we can? If ever there were anyone who could boast of his good deeds it would be the Apostle Paul, but even he counted them all as rubbish when compared to his greatest need (Philippians 3:8). Deep down, we all know that we’re sinners and we can do nothing about it, no matter how hard we try.

If our good deeds can’t get us to heaven and our sins condemn us, what are we to do? This is where Christianity is set apart from every other religion and worldview. We have an answer for man’s greatest need and the answer is Jesus Christ. To stand before a holy and righteous God we need our sins forgiven. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again to make that forgiveness possible. There’s no other way for us to gain right standing with God. Like Da’ T.R.U.T.H. says in his song, “Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good.” No, “Jesus came to make dead people live,” which he does by forgiving our sins when we place our faith in him. So, while Christianity and its claims may rub people the wrong way, it’s the only way any of us can ever see God face-to-face.

Read Isaiah 64:6. How are we and our righteous deeds described in this verse?
Read Acts 13:36-41. The Law (think the 10 Commandments) showed us that we couldn’t live up to God’s standards. What does this passage say Jesus came to do?
Christianity’s exclusive claim to salvation isn’t something the Church created. Read John 14:6 and 17:3. What does Jesus himself say about the path to God? How does he describe eternal life?

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Background music: Doloto “I Am” from album Recycled Thoughts: Instrumentals – courtesy of Doloto