It is, despite so many people’s claims, very simple. Let us look at five very basic points, which will help you understand both yourself and the Lord.
God is the Lawmaker, and just as He made universal natural laws that govern the very elements of the Universe, He also created universal spiritual laws that govern our relationship with Him. Man can no more change these spiritual laws than Congress can change the law of gravity.
Point One
God LOVES you very much. He offers a wonderful future for your life.
God's Love: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“Believe” as generally used in the Bible means much more than “thinking this is so,” as so many people would define it today. Here, it means more than recognizing that Christ Jesus exists; it means taking action to commit to His service. (Remember even Satan believes in God, "Thou believe that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19)
True Biblical belief requires that we act on it by commiting our lives to Him.
God's Future: Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (that is, full and complete) (John 10:10)
But few people HAVE that “abundant life.” Why?
Point Two
All people are SINFUL. Sin separates us from God. Separate from God, we cannot understand or experience God's love and future. "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "For the [result] of sin is death" –not just physical death, but spiritual separation from God (Romans
God created Man to be in fellowship with Him. But our stubbornness has caused us to become willful, go our own way, and therefore, we break that fellowship with God. Whether our stubbornness is an active rebellion against God, or a passive apathy towards Him, it is sin, and separates us from our future and His love.
How do we end that separation?
Point Three
God provided just one solution for Man’s sin: Jesus Christ. Only through the Son of God can you can know and have God's love and future.
He Died in Our Stead: "But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
He Defeated Death: "... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ... he was buried ... he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1st Corinthians 15:3-6)
He is The Way to God ~ "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by
We must do more than “know” what God’s provision for us is; we must understand more...
Point Four
We must each RECEIVE and ACCEPT Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord; otherwise we can neither know nor have a future through God's love.
We Must Accept Jesus as the Christ (the Anointed): "But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John
We Can Have Christ Only through Faith ~ "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We Must Be Born into Christ: "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
We Are Personally Invited to Receive Him: Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come to him" (Revelation
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self and sin (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of will... and we must demonstrate that faith. True belief requires action.
Point Five
Once you have believed and rejected sin and self, you must accept Christ; you must become a born-again Christian by confessing His Name before men and being baptized INTO Jesus Christ.
We Must Have A Living Faith: "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works (deeds or service) is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" (James 2:20-22)
We Must Submit to His Will: “And they said, ‘Men and brethren, what must we do to be saved?’ And Peter answered and said, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts
A New Change ~ "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
Yes it is true that works, service or good deeds do not save us; God alone can save us. But we must submit to Him and we do this through publicly confessing He is Lord and being buried with Him in the waters of baptism, “that we might rise to walk in newness of life.” (Romans )
Are you ready?
You can receive Christ right now very simply. First, you must by faith through prayer (that is, talking with God); show that you believe in God and His Son, and tell Him you repent of your past life of sin. God knows your heart, so don’t be as concerned with your words as with your attitude. You can then tell others, even if it is only one person (to start with) that you accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, your Lord and Savior. Then you can submit to Christ, in faith, in the waters of baptism (immersion in water), just as those thousands at Pentecost, the Ethiopian Eunich, the Philippian Jailer, and so many more from that day to this; “Arise, and be baptized, washing away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord,” (Acts 22:16) “This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you-not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.(1 Peter 3:21).
IF you are willing to submit, Jesus Christ will come into your life, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as He promised. We are very excited if you want to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord, and if you decide to follow Him. We would love to help you become and grow as a Christian. Please let me know if you need any further assistance, or if you need assistance in study or to be baptized into Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
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