The GOSPEL is the greatest news for anyone, any man, any woman, every child on earth. Jesus Christ died on the Cross to save YOU! The Bible tells us that ALL fall short of God's glory, and that we are ALL in need of his mercy. It can be confusing if you don't understand the Gospel. Some people think that they should try to get their life together before they come to God. Some people think that they need to be regenerated by God before they can excercise faith. But the truth is, God wants you to come just as you are. Matthew 9:13 tells us "But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
........So how do we come to Christ?
First and foremost you must recognize that you are a sinner in need of God's mercy and Grace. The Bible tells us on Romans 5 that because of Adam's sin, we are all separated from God, and are in need of His salvation. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says "For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin." In other words, you DO NOT deserve salvation, because you are not sinless. The only sinless man that ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ.(1 Peter 2:22, Heb 4:15, etc.) You cannot save yourself, only Christ can save you. There is no amount of good you can do to deserve salvation, but by the grace of God. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The penalty must be paid. For you to come to the Lord, the penalty for your sins must be paid. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." is declared in Romans 6:23. In the old testament, we learn that before the time of Christ, God required blood for the atonement of sins. This involved the sacrifice of animals offered to God. So how does Jesus atone for our sins? Since Christ is infinitely perfect and holy, (1 Peter 2:22, etc.) and since "God made Christ Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him," (2 Corinthians 5:21) His sacrifice on the Cross is infinitely sufficient to atone for the sins of all who will receive Him. Why did He do this? Because He loves us so much. He is our creator. He created us to have a relationship with us for His own glory. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
You must also realize that Christ is the only one that can save you. Acts 4:12 says "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." But thankfully we have Christ to turn to when we are dead in our trespasses and sins.
Repent and Believe! You must repent of your sins. Luke 13:5 says "...unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Repent means to completely turn from your sins, a change of heart, a decision to obey God. This must not be confused with works, because the repentance is also a gift from God. Romans 3:11 tells us that "There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God." We cannot repent on our own. John 6:44 also says "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." God must grant it to us, and he does. He does this by the preaching and proclaiming of the Gospel. Luke states in Acts 11:18 that "When they heard these things [Peter's Sermon on God's Grace] they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'" Take a look at this passage from Romans 10:12-17
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (emphasis mine)
God has granted you the ability, but it is your responsibility to repent. God can no more repent for you than he can believe for you. John 1:12 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." He gives you the power, (the right) to repent and believe when you receive the Gospel.
So what do you have to do to be saved? Recognize, repent, believe. Get on your knees and humbly, but confidently (faithfully) ask Him to save you. Confess to Him that you are a sinner, and tell him that you truly want to follow Him. Thank Him for sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins, and raising Him from the dead that you may have life through Him. I'm not going to give you a "magic prayer" to pray, you must get on your knees and talk to Him from your heart. You must truly mean what you say to Him. Matthew 7:21 says "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." There is nothing magical about the prayer itself, but what is contained in that prayer. Romans 10: 9-10 says "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Born Again The Bible says you must be "born again." Jesus says in John 3:3 "...I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." What does that mean? The following passage in John 3:1-8 explains clearly:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
To be born again means to be born from above. You are first born of the flesh, of your mother's womb. You are literally "your mother's child." This is your physical birth. When you accept Christ as your Savior, (Repent, Believe) you are "born again" of spirit... of God. You now become a child of God as proclaimed in Romans 8:14 and as His child, you now take part in the inheritance, which is the kingdom of God. (Matthew 25:34) This is the essence of the Gospel.
Eternally Secure, Once you've made the decision to accept and follow Christ, you can rest assured that you have eternal life, and it cannot be taken away from you. It is maintained not by anything you can do, but by the hand of God. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28) Something that is eternal cannot be taken away, otherwise it isn't eternal, it would only be temporary. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
Remember if you have made the decision to follow Christ, and become a Christian, it is your responsibility to share the good news with others. Also, you should find a Bible believing church to participate in. It is essential for Christians to fellowship with other Christians in order to grow in your relationship with God.
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