A presentation of the Gospel with CU Martus

The University of Pennsylvania has much to offer us in terms of educational and career opportunities. Few places in the world present such immediate access to cutting-edge knowledge and resources. However — despite these benefits — all of us can attest that students at the University of Pennsylvania are often left empty, broken, and despairing. 

There is a reason for this. Most students on our campus operate under the assumption that the chief end of man is to spend his days seeking pleasure and self-exaltation. Some find it in earning a perfect score on every exam. Others find it in landing a top internship on Wall Street. More find it in alcohol, partying, and sexual immorality. 

We were made for much more. Rather than our chief end being the pursuit of pleasure, our chief end is to be in relationship with the God who made us. The problem is that we are born rebels against God. Instead of loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37), we revolt against Him with a lifestyle characterized by sin (Romans 3:10-18) — high treason against the King of the universe. 

A day of judgment approaches for all people, on which every deed will be laid exposed before the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25). Scripture plainly states that the standard for passing through that judgment is the perfection of God (Romans 3:23) — a standard of which all of us have woefully fallen short. 

But there is hope. In His love, God freely offers us a righteousness that is not our own. His Son, Jesus Christ, fulfilled God’s moral law on the behalf of sinners, died a death that He did not deserve, and was raised from the grave. When we turn to Him in faith, God exchanges our manifold sins for Jesus’ spotless righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through the cross, Jesus extinguished the punishment due to sinners, so that God can uphold His justice while freely offering forgiveness (Romans 3:26). 

It is on the basis of Christ’s work alone that anyone may be saved from the wrath of God. Instead of finding fulfillment in meaningless things, those who have bowed the knee to Christ are continuously transformed into the image-bearers of God that they were made to be — experiencing lasting joy through a renewed relationship with God through Christ. 

What should you do? Turn from your sin and turn toward Jesus in faith! Your Christian classmates eagerly await the chance to meet you and tell you more about our great God and King.

This article is written on behalf of an evangelism campaign for Christian Union Martus, a campus ministry which brings spiritual transformation and renewal to campus by equipping students to seek the Lord, grow in knowledge and love of His Word, and thoughtfully engage Penn with the gospel.