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1. Greetings

2. Greetings

1. My friend, I want to ask you something. The Book of God says, "The wages of sin is death..." and "The soul that sins shall die." Our God is a just God. Why does He send us to everlasting death in Hell, when our sin is not our own fault? Satan comes to us, and makes us sin. Should he not receive the punishment?

2. Our God is a just God. For this reason He has made us so that we can choose good or evil. He does not force us to do good if we wish to do evil. Likewise, He has made a way so that we do not have to do evil, if we wish to do good.

1. How is this? Is it not Satan who causes us to do evil?

2. Satan is truly God's enemy and he will always try to get us to follow him, and turn us from the way of God. And one day God will cast him and all who follow him into the place of fire. Satan will have his punishment. But we do not have to follow Satan. We are free to refuse his words. If we choose to follow God, he says, "I will cleanse your sin. I will put a new heart within you." With this good heart we will not want to sin. We will not follow Satan. God's Book says, "Choose you this day whom you will serve." Every person must make his own choice. We must either follow God or Satan, but we cannot follow both. If we sin, it is not the fault of our friends, or of our enemies. It is not even the fault of Satan. Our sin comes from the desire of our own hearts. The only way to be rid of sin is to receive the new heart God wishes to give you. God says, "I will write my laws on their hearts." Then such a man will choose to please God.

1. How can one receive this new heart? God is so great and so holy, how is it possible to come to Him?

2. God is the great and holy One. God hates sin, and He cannot accept us if we are following the way of sin. For this reason He Himself came into this world and offered His own life as a sacrifice (payment) for our sins. In this way He broke the power of Satan. God will forgive our sins if we receive His work (death, sacrifice) as payment for our own sin. We must truly give ourselves to God, to follow Him only. Then He will give us a new heart. His Spirit will give us strength to refuse the voice of Satan. Then God will withhold the punishment which is ours. But if we do not accept for ourselves the payment God has made for us, we will have to bear our own punishment. And there is no escape.*

1. Did God truly come to this earth and die?

2. Yes. When He took upon Himself the body of a man, His name was Jesus Christ. He was God, but He was also man. Because He was man He was able to die, and because He was God, death could not hold him. He arose and returned to His place in heaven. And it is true, God says, "The wages of sin is death," but He also says, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If we receive Him, we will not receive our punishment. After we die, we will live forever in heaven with God.

*It may be advisable to end script here if the language group is very strongly Muslim, and let other scripts present the message of Christ.

REFERENCES: Rom. 6:23; Ezek. 18:20; Ezek. 36:25, 26; Josh. 24:15; Jer. 31:33; Rom. 6:23.