Step 1:
God's Purpose: Peace and Life
God loves you and
wants you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal.
The Bible says ...
"We have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." —Romans 5:1 (NIV)
"For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life." —John 3:16 (NIV)
"I have
come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." —John
10:10 (NIV)
Why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?
Step 2:
The Problem: Our Separation
God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as
robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of
choice.
We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice
today. This results in separation from God
The Bible says ...
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord." —Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Our Attempts to Reach God
People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God ...
The Bible says ...
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
—Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his
face from you, so that he will not hear." —Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)
No bridge reaches God ... except one.
Step
3:
God's Bridge: The Cross
Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the
grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and
people.
The Bible says ...
"For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ."
—1
Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
"For
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring
you to God."
—1 Peter
3:18 (NIV)
"But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us."
—Romans
5:8 (NIV)
God has provided the only way.
Each person must make a choice.
Step 4:
Our Response: Receive Christ
We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal
invitation.
The Bible says ...
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me."
—Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to
become children of God."
—John 1:12 (NIV)
"That 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."
—Romans 10:9 (NIV)
Where are you?
Will you receive Jesus Christ right now?
Here is how you can receive Christ:
1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through
the Holy Spirit.
(Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)
If you have sincerely given you life to Jesus and are trusting Him alone for your salvation, then God has promised to forgive you, and He cannot Lie.
Numbers 23:19
God
is not a
man, that He
should lie, Nor a
son of man, that He
should repent; Has He said, and
will He not do it? Or has He
spoken, and will He not make it
good?
Titus 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.