Prison

Sin is the lack of faith in God. Sin looks, smells and tastes of death.

When there is a clear invitation from God to believe in Him, I can choose to hesitate and not step forward in faith. Faith is scary, just like walking on water is as scary as hell. But the alternative... If we choose to not step forward in faith, is even more scary. Without faith, fear takes over. Fear because we are now (trying to be) in control of our own fates. That fear kills us slowly, because we become very insecure. We become really afraid to fail, because if our lives are in our own hands, we can't mess up (because then we will mess up our own fate!). We become very anxious when others are more successful than us -- and that anxiety turns into jealousy, then hatred -- then that hatred turns towards ourselves, "Why can't we just be better so we can have a better future?". Finally, when we realize that our lives are slipping out of our hands, we go crazy.

God is asking us to hate the world (and father, mother, treasures), which sounds ridiculous. But actually, if we rest our happiness on things outside of us -- friends, family, success, career, beauty, attractiveness, academics, achievements, financial securities -- and we cling on so tightly to them, we also go crazy. We all know that all these things will some day leave - for reasons foreseen before or not. Sometimes success and fame comes without us inviting them - but constant success rips us off our own selves, because we become used to appreciating ourselves, valuing ourselves because of our accomplishments, not because of our own being. And when our sources of happiness and value are taken away (by life), we will realize that life has no more meaning, light, and happiness. And we, too, will die soon, like a car running out of fuel.

Faith is literally the only way to life. Not just some hand-weavy, imaginary "eternal life", but actual eternal life- starting from now. From today.

My faith will save me. because i have faith in a God who is faithful, who is good, who loves me so much that he would die on a freakin' cross. my faith will save me because Jesus won against death. "Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:19)

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
"do not let" - implies that we can actually let our hearts be troubled and afraid. but we have to actively choose to have faith in Jesus, to receive His peace, and to live.

I can understand what "life" really means when I have tasted "death". But the good news prevails: Jesus is the life (John 14:6). Jesus is my way, my truth, and my life.