JESUS: THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” - John 3:16-17
The good news of the gospel:
Realize That You Are A Sinner
To become a Christian, you must realize that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23) and that your sin is rebellion against God (Psalm 51:4). Think about every time you have lied, stolen, lusted after someone, hated someone, disobeyed your parents or used God’s name disrespectfully. You will never be good enough to enter Heaven on your own merit (Ephesians 2:8-9) because committing even one sin deserves judgment (Revelation 20:12) according to God’s law (James 2:10). No amount of good deeds can ever erase your sin.
Repent Of Your Sin
According to the Bible, God is filled with wrath and hates sin (Romans 1:18). Sin is very serious to God and you must be willing to repent (Romans 2:4-8). To repent means that you are changing your mind about your sin and realize that your sin does not please God. True repentance starts with genuine sorrow and regret over your sins (2 Corinthians 7:9-10) and leads to a change in behavior.
Believe In Jesus Christ
God loves you so much that He made a way for you to escape eternal punishment in Hell and allow you into Heaven. Jesus willingly died on a cross to pay for the penalty of your sins (1 Peter 2:24) and rose from the grave (Matthew 28:5-6) to conquer death. The Bible says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It is not enough to just believe these facts, but you must personally receive Jesus Christ into your life (John 1:12).
Trust In Jesus Christ
You can personally receive Jesus Christ by trusting in Him as your Savior to rescue you from the penalty of your sin (Romans 8:1-4). You must also be willing to follow Him as your Lord (Luke 9:23-24). Nothing is more important than where you spend eternity, so please don’t wait another day to make this critical decision.
Recognize What We Truly Deserve
We are all sinners deserving of hell. That is because we sinned against a Holy God who gave us life. He sees every sinful thought, attitude, word and deed we have ever committed. Think about how many times you have sinned. It is not possible to be good enough to deserve Heaven (or bad enough to not be forgiven). You broke God’s laws and deserve punishment. Only Jesus can pay the fine you owe.
Have the Proper Motivation
Think about how you would feel if you were guilty of countless crimes and got sentenced to life in prison unless you could pay a 100 billion dollar fine. Then, all of a sudden someone comes and pays your fine and sets you free. How would you feel? Probably extremely thankful, undeserving, indebted, and excited. That should be your attitude toward what Jesus did for you because He paid a fine you couldn’t pay. Your motive to follow Jesus should be because He took the punishment you deserved to save you soul and allow you into Heaven, not because you fear Hell or desire a better life on earth.
Turn in Faith to Christ
Maybe you have decided that you want forgiveness for your sins and want to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Please take some time and think about your very own sins that sent Jesus to the cross. It should break your heart. Think about the humiliation, beatings, and eventual death He endured for your sins. That is how amazing Jesus is and how much he loves you. If your heart isn’t deeply moved then you are probably not ready to follow Jesus. When you get to that point, take a moment and speak to God in your own words. Only He knows how sincere you are.
Talk to God
Confess to God that you have broken His law and sinned against Him. Tell Him you are going to turn from your sins (repent) and that you need His help to clean you up. Ask Him to forgive all your sins. Thank Him for sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross in your place to pay for your sins. Believe that He rose from the dead to conquer death. Accept His free gift of eternal life in Heaven. Place your trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord.
Common Questions:
How are you saved?
When you put your trust in Jesus’ payment for your sins and commit to following Him, you are saved. Salvation is God’s gift to you. You cannot earn it, and you don’t have to “get right” to receive it.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Who can be saved?
Everyone! We all need saving — from the person filled with regret to the preacher’s kid who followed every rule. God’s desire is for everyone to have a relationship with His Son.
2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
When is a person saved?
We are saved when we receive and believe the good news that Jesus came, died, and rose again for our sin. You don’t have to remember the exact time or place you made that recognition to be saved.
The important thing is that there’s a turning point when life started to look different because of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
How do we know we’re saved?
Jesus gives every believer the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us a desire to live for God as well as the ability to hear, recognize, and respond to God’s voice.
To love God, to enjoy His presence, to hear His voice, and to feel the conviction of sin and the need for repentance — these are all common experiences of those who are saved (John 10:3-5).
Can we lose our salvation?
You didn’t earn your salvation, so you can’t lose your salvation. If you have put your trust in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has changed your heart, nothing and no one can separate you from God.
Romans 8:38-39 promises, “...neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Do you want to be saved?
Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Confess and believe. That’s all it takes to be saved. You can confess to Jesus in your own words, or pray the following:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I’ve fallen short. I’ve sinned and need your forgiveness. I believe that You lived, died, and rose again so that I could be connected to God. I confess you as my Lord and commit my life to You. I give you my past, present, and future. Take my life and use it. I give it to You. Amen."
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