Along with on-campus, face-to-face ministry, I have the privilege of managing part of Jersey Metro’s (Cru in NJ) online ministry. We do a lot through our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our website’s blog to bring people to Jesus. As staff, we can also sign up as recipients of online questions from our evangelistic website, www.EveryStudent.com.

Since its launch, literally thousands have indicated decisions for Christ. Praise God!

My most recent inquiry comes from someone named “Muhammad.” I share our interaction below and will update it as needed. Please pray Muhammed comes to Jesus!

Muhammad:

After reading all those paras, I still have one question. If Jesus died for our sins, does that mean that we can do everything on earth, sinful it may be?

My reply:

Great question!

As Christians, we believe we CANNOT be saved according to our righteousness because we have none. Only God is righteous. So God sent Jesus to live the perfect, sinless life for us because we would be helpless otherwise.
Jesus also “died for our sins” or in other words, he “paid the penalty for our sins.” Because we are sinners and God is most Holy, we ALL deserve hell. But Jesus is our substitute, who paid for our sins.
To answer your questions specifically, NO, as Christians we cannot do whatever we wish. In dying for our sins, Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven by a Holy God AND he paved a way for us to be righteous. In other words, Jesus died for our sins so that we might put sin to death.
Check out this scripture from the Bible, found in 1 Peter 2: 21-25. I hi-lighted the main part.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Do you understand, Muhammad? You too do not need to pay for your own sins but can receive Jesus as the the one who paid it all. And then you can experience forgiveness and true righteousness. You need only ask God to forgive you and believe in Jesus as the way to salvation and good works.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Muhammad:

Respected Sir/ Ma’am, it was great to know what happens when a Christian dies. You have explained it the very best, but, I guess, I still couldn’t understand one thing. You said that, we can be forgiven if we believe in Jesus. Does that mean that, I committed sins, I died, I also believed and then I’d be sent to heaven? Also, what happens to agnostics, and atheists, when they die of course.

My reply:

Muhammad,

We all commit sins. Our sins require God to punish us. But because of God’s love for you, Jesus, who lived perfectly without sin, took upon himself the punishment we deserved. He died in our place.

So…to answer your question, yes. If you are TRULY a believer in Jesus, God has forgiven your sins and you will go to heaven. Of course we must live holy, but by trusting Jesus already paid the punishment for our sins, God sees us as holy. In other words, righteousness cannot save us, but once Jesus does save us, we can live righteously and go to heaven.

Do you understand?

Muhammad:

Thank you so much, dear Sir!

My reply:

Muhammad! You’re welcome. What is your opinion of Jesus?

Are you ready to accept him as Lord and Savior?

Muhammad:

Dear Sir, I would love to. I’d like first read all [Cru’s] spiritual kit and then I’d decide. Thank you so much again, Sir! Oh! And one thing more! Are the pictures of Him real on Google or any other site? Thanks.

My reply:

Muhammad,

The Bible never gives any physical description of Christ. The closest thing we get to a description is in the book of Isaiah 53:2b, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” All this tells us is that Jesus’ appearance was just like any other man’s – He was ordinary-looking. Isaiah was here prophesying that the coming suffering Servant would arise in lowly conditions and wear none of the usual emblems of royalty, making His true identity visible only to the discerning eye of faith.

Isaiah further describes the appearance of Christ as He would appear as He was being scourged prior to His crucifixion. “His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14). These words describe the inhuman cruelty He suffered to the point that He no longer looked like a human being (Matthew 26:67;27:30;John 19:3). His appearance was so awful that people looked at Him in astonishment.

Most of the images we have of Jesus today are probably not accurate. Jesus was a Jew, so He likely had dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. This is a far cry from the European/Caucasian Jesus in most modern portrayals. One thing is clear: if it were important for us to know what He really did look like, Matthew, Peter and John, who spent three years with Him, would certainly be able to give us an accurate description, as would His own brothers, James and Jude. Yet, these New Testament writers offer no details about His physical attributes.

My answer above is from here. Please let me know if you have any other questions!