Do you know Jesus?

Humanity’s Problem

Man’s fundamental problem is sin. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Sin is rebellion against God. Humanity was created for eternal fellowship with God but broke this fellowship through disobedience. Because of this, we are separated from God. Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death.” Sin cannot be accepted by the Holy God (Rev. 21:27).

Sin first brings physical death and is the ultimate cause of spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God. Spiritual death occurs when a person dies in his sin (John 8:24). Humanity is not merely out of fellowship with God; we are dead to God (Eph. 2:1). What can a dead person do? Nothing! A person cannot save himself. Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.”

We cannot earn salvation by good works (Eph. 2:8). We are already condemned and have been judged as unrighteous by God (John 3:17-18).

God’s Solution

God requires a person to repent of his sin. Second Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord . . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Repentance means to change your life’s direction. It involves turning away from your present road of rebellion against God and going down the road which leads to Jesus Christ. Repentance is not just being sorry for your sins. Repentance is a decision to change allegiance from sin and self to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

True repentance leads to receiving Christ by faith. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God.” Becoming a Christian is more than just believing facts about Jesus. It is about personally accepting what Christ has done for you. Mere intellectual belief in God will not get you into heaven (James 2:19). You must commit your life to Christ to follow Him as your personal Lord and Savior. Trusting Jesus means that He becomes your king. If you are not willing to live the Christian life, then you have not truly made Jesus your Savior. Jesus’ call is to follow Him (Mark 2:14). That is what a Christian is—a follower of Jesus Christ. You can receive Christ by prayer. The Bible says, “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

This decision is the most important decision you will ever make. Do not delay. Make your decision as soon as possible. Do not make the mistake of thinking that all doubts must be removed before trusting Christ. You must be willing to trust Christ for what He has done for you in the past and leave the future to Him. I suggest you pray something like this:

Dear God, I now confess to You that I am a sinner. As best I know how, I will turn from my sin and place my trust in You. I believe that You died for me on the cross and rose again from the grave. I ask that You forgive me of my sin as I now receive Your gift of eternal life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Changed Life

When you receive Jesus as your Savior, He will change your life. Second Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The Holy Spirit will give you internal spiritual confirmation that you are a child of God (Rom. 8:16). The Bible refers to your conversion as a new birth (John 3:3). You are made new in the Spirit and placed into the body of Christ. The way that you can know this has occurred is through the internal witness of the Holy Spirit and the outward evidence of a changed life (James 2:17). A changed life is the most powerful evidence that a person is a Christian. The lack of a changed life is likewise a strong indicator of the absence of Jesus Christ in a person’s life.

When you receive Christ, the first step that you will want to take is to publicly profess Jesus Christ in a local fellowship of believers. Be sure to find a church which teaches salvation through faith, believes in the authority of the Bible, and demonstrates a love for reaching others in evangelism. We invite you to join with us here at Hardeetown Baptist Church. As you serve Christ in your local church, pray, read your Bible, and share your faith with others.

If you accepted God's free gift of eternal life by accepting Jesus as your own Lord and Savior, please contact us here at Hardeetown. We would love to celebrate your new life with you! Just click on the link to take you to our contact page.

http://www.hardeetownbc.com/contact