 God desires to have a personal relationship with
each one of us because He created us and He loves us. Because God loves us, He not only wants to give us eternal life
but a life of fulfillment here. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10 NIV).
However, there's a real problem that blocks our receiving the abundant life God has for us. In the beginning man was
created with a free will, but instead of choosing to obey God he chose to rebel and go his own way. In this way Sin
entered the human race. We have all sinned and come short of God's standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). The tragedy
with sin is that it is totally self-destructive. Its consequence is spiritual death (Rom. 6:23); that is, eternal death
and separation from God. Man, being spiritually dead, can no longer properly relate to God. God is still present. His
love and power are still there, but being spiritually dead we cannot adequately respond to Him or receive His love and
power. Because man can never find God or peace with Him through his own efforts, God in His mercy has sent His Son, Jesus
Christ, to save us from our predicament. Jesus Christ is the only way to God (John 14:6). This is because God's judgment
on sin is death, and when Christ, the sinless Son of God, died on the cross, he literally died in our place as the ransom
price for our sins. We are in fact condemned to spiritual and eternal death. This is the natural consequence of our sin.
But, now God says to us, "Because I love you, you no longer have to pay the price for your sin since I have paid that price
for you in the death of My Son, Jesus. All you need to do is to turn back to me and accept my free pardon. How do we accept
God's provision for our sin?
First: Confess that we are sinners in need of God's forgiveness. "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)
Second: Repent (that is, turn from your sin
to God). Jesus said....... the Kingdom of God is at hand,- repent, and believe the Gospel (Mark 1: 1 5).
Third: Believe "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved...... (Acts 16:31).
Fourth: Receive
"But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His
name" (John 1: 12). To be sure that you have received Christ, you can pray the following prayer right now out loud or just
in your heart to God: "Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I believe
that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin. I now invite Jesus into my heart and receive Him as my personal Lord and
Savior. With your help I want to serve and obey You. Please help me to grow to my full God-given potential. Thank you
for forgiving my sins and making me a member of your family." If you have sincerely prayed to receive Christ, why not contact
us to let us know of your decision! We would love to be able to rejoice with you, send you some helps to get you growing in
your faith, and to pray for you as you endeavor to follow Christ.
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