It is our prayer that you have already made the most important decision to accept Christ into your own life. There is only one way of salvation and it is through Jesus Christ.
Becoming a Christian is an act of faith. Jesus Christ willingly died for your sins and calls upon you to trust him as your personal Savior.
One does not become a Christian by merely attending church or religious services. Sitting in church will not make you a Christian any more than sitting in your garage will make you an automobile!
To become a true Christian believer, you must come to know Jesus Christ. This involves a personal encounter with Christ. Such an encounter may happen anywhere: at a church altar, in your car, or at home. The place is incidental. The personal experience with Christ is what really matters. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
We need forgiveness. The Bible clearly teaches that we are all sinners by nature and by choice. Sin is the transgression of God's law. To sin is to voluntarily disobey God's law. The Scripture says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Sin is a problem with which we all must deal because its consequences are so devastating. The Scripture says, "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death involves total separation from God for all eternity. It is the greatest of all the consequences of sin.
We are all guilty of sin. The degree or intensity of our sins may vary, but we are all guilty of sinning. The Bible reminds us, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). The prophet Isaiah illustrated it this way: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way"(Isaiah 53:6).
Sin is an offense against a holy God. It separates us from God and keeps us from experiencing all that God has for us in life. Since we cannot save ourselves, nor remove the fact of our sin, we need to be forgiven.
We need a Savior. A savior rescues someone else from dire consequences. Jesus Christ is called the Savior because He died to rescue us from the consequences of our sin. The Bible says, Christ died for our sins... was buried, and... rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The apostle Peter put it this way: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [raised] by the Spirit" (I Peter 3:18).
Jesus died in our place and took the punishment for our sins. Trusting Him as your personal Savior means that you accept his death on the cross as the sufficient payment for your sins.The Bible declares,
"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).
Christ's payment for our sins is so complete and sufficient that we can add nothing to it. We cannot save ourselves, and we need not try, because He has already paid for our sins. That is why the apostle Paul said, "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).
Salvation is a free gift of God made possible by His grace to undeserving sinners. It is not a reward for our good deeds. Nor is it something we must spend a lifetime trying to earn. It is a gift that we must receive by simple faith.
We need to receive salvation by faith. Knowing that Christ died in our place and that God is willing to pardon our sins will not save us until we receive that pardon by faith. If a prisoner was condemned to die and was given a pardon, he would have to receive it in order to be set free. Saving faith is simply receiving God's pardon for sin. That pardon was secured by Christ's death on the cross.
Faith is the placing of one's trust in someone or something. It is believing a chair will hold you up when you sit on it. It is believing the word or promise of someone when he gives it to you. Saving faith is believing in the promise of God. It is accepting the offer of salvation as a free gift from God to you personally.
Jesus said, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The New Birth is not just a nice idea, it is an absolute necessity. The unanimous testimony of the Bible is that one is born again when he receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Spiritual rebirth occurs when God is born in us and unites His Spirit with our spirit.
In the last night of His earthly ministry, Jesus prayed for all who would come to believe in Him: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us (John 17:21). Our union with Christ is to be exemplified by our unity with other believers. The New Birth makes us children of God and adds us to the family of God. By the New Birth we actually receive the divine nature of God Himself.
The Bible says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9.
We need to call upon God to save us. The invitaion of the Gospel is clear. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). We want to personally invite you to call upon God, by faith, to save you. Ask Him to save you and believe that He will do it. Do not hesitate. The Scripture urges us, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6).
Right now, while you are visiting this web page, give your life to Christ and receive Him as your personal Savior. The Bible says, "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 1:12).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. You should seek out others and tell them about your salvation.
Thank you and God bless you." |
