Throughout history people have searched for truth: about heaven; hell; and eternal life. Be encouraged that the Lord wants everyone to know the truth. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” It is important that one is sincere in their search; it cannot be a casual pursuit. The Lord says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). The Lord will always delight to answer the prayer: “Lord please show me the truth.”
The Holy One is pursuing lost sinners. The account of Zacchaeus illustrates that a seeking Savior will find searching hearts (Luke 19). The diminutive Zacchaeus spared no effort, even climbing a tree to see Jesus; therefore, the Lord looked for him when He passed through Jericho. He invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home and that day Zacchaeus believed in Christ. He had been seeking Jesus and after spending time with Him recognized Him as the One who is truth. He listened to Christ’s words and believed them; he believed in the person of Christ.
Salvation is found in believing God’s Word for His Word is truth (John 17:17). We must seek the God of the Bible for He alone is the source of absolute truth. Its pages speak of Christ the embodiment of truth. The holy Christ manifested the Father’s Name and exposed sinful humanity. The Bible tells the truth about us: that we were born sinners, spiritually dead; heading towards a lost eternity in hell; and helpless to do anything about it (Rom. 3:23; 5:6; 6:23). The Bible tells the truth about God, how in love He provided a way of escape (John 3:16). God’s Son took upon Himself human flesh and at Calvary Christ became our substitute, taking the punishment for our sins. Since He was human He could be humanity’s substitute. Since He was the eternal, holy Son of God He could pay the penalty for humanity’s infinite sin.
Upon understanding our sinful condition and comprehending God’s loving provision for our salvation, we must act on that knowledge, coming to God on His terms. The Bible speaks about the obedience of faith, which goes beyond just the mental acknowledgement of facts. Rather it is personal. It means believing in our heart that when Christ gave up His life 2000 years ago, “He died for me.” Rising from the dead the third day, we can look to Him as our living Savior.
We all are prone to the sin of pride. It is part of our sinful nature. Many people think that they can work their way to heaven. They try to be good and hope that their good deeds will outweigh the bad. At its core that philosophy is illogical. For example, if one was caught speeding they would not recite all the good things they did in the past week, hoping their benevolent deeds would cancel out their offense. In the same way the penalty for our sins must be paid. Yet we are incapable. Eternity is not enough time to pay for our sins which is why the lost will spend eternity in hell. The Bible warns us because the Lord wants us to know the truth and turn to Him for salvation.
So, what are God’s terms? We must receive His salvation as a gift (Eph. 2:8-9). Children learn the concept of a gift early in life. When a parent holds out a birthday present to them they know it is not theirs until they reach forward and take it. In the same way we must come with empty hands, recognizing our helplessness and inability to do anything about our sinful condition. We must come to Christ as our only hope, our only Savior. Christ is a gift. Eternal life is a gift. Heaven is a gift. We just need to reach forward and take it. The Lord turns no one away. “For whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Whatever our past God welcomes all who will come to Him through faith in Christ.