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  You mean I can actually know now if I'm going to Heaven? and have peace and contentment here in the meantime Salvation Begins With God: Who is this Jesus? Why do I need a savior? How must I respond to Him?
If you're like many people today, you've heard the name of Jesus. You may think of Him as a religious leader or perhaps as a really good man who lived 2,000 years ago. But have you ever wondered if He could possibly make a difference in your life today? What God Wants Did you know that God loves you and wants to have an ongoing relationship with you - one in which you both talk to and listen to Him? One in which you allow Him to be a part of your life decisions? He wants you to experience an abundant life [John 10:10], which He knows can be found only in Him. He wants you to be set free - free from your past, from guilt and shame, from bondage to sin, from addiction, from selfishness. Have you felt the "tug" of God on your heart? Becoming a Christian is one of the most important steps you will take in your life on earth. Continue reading to learn what the Bible teaches about becoming a Christian and what it means to be a follower of Christ. This call to salvation begins with God. He initiates it by wooing or drawing us to come to Him. John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him ..." (NIV)
Revelation 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in ..." (NIV) Human Efforts are Futile: God desires an intimate relationship with us, but we cannot obtain it through our own efforts. Isaiah 64:6 "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." (NIV)
Romans 3:10-12 "...There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (NIV) Separated by Sin: We have a problem. Our sin separates us from God, leaving us spiritually empty. Be willing to turn from your sins .Come to Him just as you are (don't wait until you feel "good enough") Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (NIV) It is impossible for us to find peace with God through our own efforts. Anything we try to do to obtain God's favor or gain salvation is worthless and futile. God's Plan God has a plan to accomplish all of that. That plan is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the spotless, sinless Son of God. He came to earth to "rescue" us from sin. You already know that wrong-doing has a penalty. Well, the penalty for our sin is death - eternal separation from God. But since God loves us so much, He Himself took ownership of that penalty. He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus was crucified by people who didn't understand who He was or why He had come. Jesus willingly died on the cross in our place, fulfilling God's plan to redeem mankind - even the very people who nailed Him to the cross! Though He was perfect and sinless, He took our sins upon Himself so that we might have a restored relationship with our Creator(1 Peter 2:24). But the story doesn't end with Jesus' sacrificial death. The Bible says that just three days after He was crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem, God raised Him back to life! Jesus is no longer in the grave - God raised Him from the dead just as He will raise us at the close of history. There is a day coming when time shall come to an end and all people will stand before God in judgment [Revelation 20:11-12]. A Gift from God: Salvation then, is a gift from God. He offers the gift through Jesus, his Son. By laying down his life on the cross, Christ took our place and paid the ultimate price, the penalty for our sin -- death. Jesus is our only way to God. John 14:6 "Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (NLT)
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (NIV) Responding to God's Call:
You Choose
You can either accept Jesus' substitutionary death on your behalf, or reject it. If you reject it, you will stand alone before God on the day of judgment and give an account of your life. You will fall short of God's standards [Romans 3:23] and will have to pay the penalty yourself [Romans 6:23] by spending eternity in hell [Revelation 20:15], forever separated from God. But if you accept Jesus as your personal savior, God will accept His sacrificial death on your behalf. It's not a choice you can make on that final day - it's a choice you must make today - either to accept Jesus or reject Him. God loves you and wants you to spend eternity in heaven with Him. Make the decision today to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and savior. Here's how simple it is.
The only thing we must do is respond to God's call. But how? How do I become a Christian? Receiving God's gift of salvation is not complicated. The response to God's call is explained in these simple steps found in God's Word: 1) Admit you are a sinner and turn away from your sin. Admit your need Acts 3:19 says: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." (NIV)
Repent literally means "a change of mind that results in a change of action." To repent, then, means to admit you are a sinner. You change your mind to agree with God that you are a sinner. The resulting "change in action" is, of course, the turning away from sin. 2) Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from your sins and give you eternal life. Believe in your heart and mind that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for you and was raised back to life (accept Him as the only way to God) John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (NLT) Believing in Jesus is also a part of repenting. You change your mind from unbelief to belief, which results in a change of action. 3) Come to him by faith. In John 14:6 Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (NLT) Faith in Jesus Christ is a change of mind that results in a change of action—coming to him. 4) You may pray a simple prayer to God. Talk to Jesus and invite Him to come into your heart and life and save you from your sins (receive Him as personal Savior) You may want to make your response to God a prayer. Prayer is simply communicating with God. Pray using your own words. There is no special formula. Just pray from your heart to God, and believe that he has saved you. If you feel lost and just don’t know what to pray, Here's what to pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinful and in need of Your forgiveness. I repent of my sinful lifestyle and I want to turn from it and follow You. I believe that You died to pay the penalty for my sins and that You rose from the grave. I invite You to come into my heart and become my Lord and Savior. I ask this in Your name. Amen." 5) Now, don’t doubt. Salvation is by grace, through faith. There’s nothing you did, or ever can do, to deserve it. It’s a free gift from God. All you have to do is receive it! Ephesians 2:8 says: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." (NIV) 6) Tell someone about your decision. Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (NIV) A New Creation If you sincerely meant what you just prayed, you have received the forgiveness of God and been accepted into His family [Ephesians 1:15]! You are a new believer in Christ Jesus. We are so thrilled that you have made this decision, and we want to be part of helping you get to know God better. There are many simple yet extremely important things you need to know now that you are a believer, and we want to e-mail you some free information that will help you. Please take a moment to let us know of your decision so that we can send you this information right away. We will protect your privacy and will not share your e-mail address or other personal information with others, and you will not be placed on a mailing list. administration@storiesofsalvation.org |
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