World history, and the key to eternity, in three verses plus a chorus ⇔ 

by Michael Krigline, June 1984. wp.krigline.com ⇔

I was 23 when I wrote this poem/song, and after decades of study and life-experience I’m still amazed at how simply a young man can grasp mankind’s tragic history and God’s grace-filled key to so much more.

~   ~   ~

A world of peace and harmony; no pain or toil; no disease…
Just Adam, Eve, and God together happily.
But just like us the human pair reached out to take what wasn’t theirs
And disobeyed the One who’d made them free.
Their guilt and shame they now could see, and lest they live in this agony,
A sword of fire kept them from the Tree of Life.
Blood was shed as a beast was slain—God used its skin to hide their shame—
But they’d traded off God’s love for sin and strife.

In His love, God sought a way to bring His people back to stay,
But many thought that they could make it on their own.
God used the blood of sacrifice to help them see sin’s awesome price,
But for our sins this blood could not atone.
For only death can satisfy the cost of sin, so all must die,
Unless the price is paid by One who knew no sin.
So Jesus paid death’s price, then rose; God’s own Son in human clothes—
And now He asks that we would live for Him.

Without faith you can’t please the Lord; so believe He IS and does reward
The people who will look for Him with all their might.
Jesus offers life anew, with purpose, love, contentment too,
To all who live by faith and not by sight.
So in Faith accept what Christ has done; turn from sin and to God’s Son;
The way is hard, but it’s worth it in the end.
Let Jesus take away your strife and feed you from the Tree of Life;
Then you can live forever as God’s friend.

Chorus:
Lay it down, let your life go… You’ll never know what life can be
until you trust the Lord with all your mind and strength and soul.
Dead to sin, living in Him… then you’ll know what life can be
now and eternally—Oh Lord, please help us see…
He’ll give life to your soul. Jesus wants you to be whole.

Over 35 years after writing those words, the main thing I would add to this summary of the Christian faith is my conviction that we are not just saved from sin, but saved into a Body called The Church. The Christian faith starts when we “lay it down”; and God knew that it would take the loving community, discipline, and discipleship of our fellow pilgrims to resist temptations to return to the easier life of selfish disobedience, and strive together to become like faith-filled citizens of heaven. –Michael

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