See for Yourself

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.
--Acts 16:31

"I'm not afraid of death," Woody Allen once said, "I just don't want to be there when it happens." The joke is brilliant because it's so perceptive: who does want to be there? And knowing we must die one day only makes it all the more urgent to find the answer to life's ultimate questions:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
How should I live?

Christianity has a name for the answer to those questions. It's called the gospel (literally "good news"). Gospel in the ancient world originally referred to an announcement of victory or other messages that brought great joy. According to the New Testament, the gospel of God is this: that we are so sinful, lost, and helpless that only the death of Jesus, the unique Son of God can save us. But it doesn't leave us there. The gospel goes on to give this message of hope and victory: that those who trust in Jesus to reconcile them with God instead of their own efforts are now "holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (Colossians 1:22-23).

Who am I?
The gospel tells us we are made by an infinitely wise, powerful and good Creator in his image and likeness.

Why am I here?
The gospel tells us to have fellowship for eternity with the God who made us.

How should I live?
The gospel tells us with all of our heart and mind and soul and strength to the God who created us and redeemed us.

The good news of the gospel not only gives answers to the ultimate questions, but the answer to death itself: everlasting life and favor with God. Though it is our enemy, death is not to be feared, because in his death and resurrection Jesus Christ has conquered death, and at his return will abolish death forever. And so the Christian is person who has found in Jesus Christ the solid and joyful answer to Allen's uneasy joke.