- CHAPTER 1 -
Bad News First

“Do you want to go to Hell?” asked the preacher sitting on the right side of me. Squinting my eyes, I growled, “I am not afraid of Hell. I have been to Hell. My life is Hell.” Up to that point, the suffering of my soul ran so deep I could not imagine Hell being much worse. Despite any pleasure or goodness that life had offered, the pain inside never ceased leaving death continually knocking at my heart’s door. Reality hurt, which is why I spent most of time trying to run from it.

For some time that Friday night, the preacher on my left had been questioning me about my own sin and God’s Moral law. Angered by his persistence, I snapped boldly at the group of 30 young adults, “I know I am going to Hell. I deserve to go to Hell. What I can’t figure out is why you people think you’re going to Heaven?” I didn’t need to be told about God’s judgment concerning sin. I felt it in the core of my being. The weight of guilt laid heavy on my soul.

Most likely, anyone who has knowledge of the Bible has heard the bad news of the Bible. Humanity has sinned against God. No one is righteous. The whole world is a prisoner of sin. The human heart is wicked. We are sinners. We have broken God’s law and are doomed to Hell. Many of us don’t even have to hear this message as we already feel the weight of guilt pressing down on our shoulders. We know we have messed up. We feel hopeless, worthless, and depressed. Something is wrong.

Healthy people don’t need a doctor, sick people do. When a person who is sick goes to see a doctor, they don’t expect the doctor to say, “You are sick.” The patient knows they are sick. They came to the doctor to be cured. The patient wants to know how to overcome the illness and become healthy once again. The diagnosis only affirms what they already know—there’s something wrong with me.

The bad news of the Bible is this: there is something wrong with you. If you don’t know this to be true, then the good news will be worthless to you. If someone offered to cure your illness and you did not have an illness, how would you respond? You might laugh, you might be offended, or you might wonder why they thought you were sick.

The Bible teaches that all of humanity has been corrupted by sin. The core of our being has spoiled and become rotten. The first man and woman contracted the terrible disease of sin and it has spread through all humanity. No person is exempt.

However, the Bible also teaches not everyone will accept this. Even though God is taking painful steps in the life of every person to show them their fault, many people still say, “There is nothing wrong with me.” They become offended even hearing such an idea. They refuse to admit any guilt or liability toward God. Some deny the existence of God just to be free from responsibility and accountability.

If this is you, then I am sorry to say that I have no good news for you. I am left to wonder why it is you are even reading this book. The good news of the Bible is for people who have realized the truth—something is wrong with humanity. We are not supposed to feel empty, hopeless, worthless, guilty, anxious, and horrible inside. Life is not supposed to be painful.

The problem we all face has an ugly name called sin. This is the disease that plagues us. Like any other disease, this also produces many negative symptoms. Some of these include: death, rebellion, hatefulness, anxiety, despair, meaninglessness, guilt, sadness, selfishness, and pain.

The good news message of the Bible is that God is offering a cure for sin in Jesus Christ. This offer is for all of humanity. It is a new life filled with love, peace, hope, and joy. This life is something we may receive now, in our present day on earth, and something we will see in the future when all things are brought under God’s rule. There is hope for you. There is a cure.

No one can be cured, however, unless they receive the cure. This is where many people fail. Our first inclination in this illness is to self-medicate and treat the symptoms. Inwardly, we feel a deep hunger beyond our physical needs. We have a spiritual hunger caused from a deep need for God. Feeling this hunger, we try to satisfy it with ungodly things. These things, however, do not satisfy. Rather than treat the illness, we have treated the symptom. As a result, this produces within us a deep lust and often times addiction. We become enslaved by a treatment that offers momentary relief, but doesn’t solve the root problem. Instead of being healed, we lean on a crutch.

My crutch was creating art. I spent an entire life producing art to hide from my bleeding heart. With every drawing produced, I felt a sense of worth or value. The works of my hands became my God. My artwork made me. I was praised for my art and this made me important. My life was meaningful and eternal because I had created works of art appreciated by others. And yet, I still felt empty inside.

Often times, I would try to escape through pleasure. A pack of cigarettes was a friend that never left me. No matter what happened, I could always sneak out and blow away my anxiety in a cloud of smoke. At other times, I would escape the harsh reality of life by diving into a new world through video games. While in a brave new world, I was free to wield the darkness of my heart through violence and adventure. In an imaginary world, I could do whatever I wanted and please myself. There was no responsibility or accountability. And when this didn’t satisfy, alcohol and drugs provided the final escape from reality where no inhibition was restricted and the world became a playground. While drunk, I didn’t have a care.

Such vices provide a means to self-medicate and hide from reality. The illness may not be cured, but at least for a time it may be ignored. When the fun ends, reality sets in and the illness has worsened. These momentary pleasures only increase the rate at which the illness takes over. With every vice, death comes closer. The drunk momentarily forgets the deep inner thirst for life while having fun in a blissful and detached state. When the alcohol wears off, the destructive effects of the toxins leave the person hurting and depressed. Alcohol abuse does not fill a person with life; rather, it destroys the body that allows for life. The person then develops a deeper need as the problem worsens. The thirst for life grows deeper and addiction pursues. The person becomes dependent on alcohol as a crutch to treat the symptom rather than the illness. By trying to run from core problem of sin, they have become a slave to its power.

We cannot cure ourselves from this disease. We cannot escape its power. According to the bible, the whole world is a prisoner to sin (Gal 3:22). Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34) If we are slaves to sin, then we cannot master sin. It has a power over us that we cannot do anything about. This means we are trapped in a deep pit that we cannot climb out of. No matter how we attempt to make life meaningful by chasing all this world has to offer, whether it be wealth and riches, power, seduction, or even pleasure, we always end up back at the bottom of the pit. In the morning, we awake to find a deep longing for something else, something more. We end up empty, depressed, and sad. We cannot cross the barren desert of our heart into the land of peace and plenty.

Once we realize this truth, then we are ready to hear the good news. God has provided a doctor with a cure. If you make an appointment with this doctor, He will give you the cure and you can find true peace, love, hope, and joy. Do you want a life that is more than just surviving? Do you want the fullness of life where you find meaning, value, and eternal riches? Do you want to be set free from sin?

Then come and hear the good news message of the bible. God is offering you hope.