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God does have a plan
for your life and He has provided a way for your salvation.
"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." [John 3:16]
The problem is: Man is sinful and
separated from God. Thus he cannot know and experience God's love and
plan for his life. Man was created to have fellowship with God; but,
because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent
way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized
by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an
evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [Romans 3:23]
The result of this sin, if not dealt with,
is eternal damnation.
"For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord." [Romans 6:23]
However, this is not God's perfect plan
for you because He loves you and does not want you eternally separated
from Him.
"He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance." [2 Peter 3:9]
Man however is continually trying to reach
God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good life,
philosophy or religion. But, all man's efforts do not bridge the gulf
that separates a holy God and sinful man. |
Jesus Christ is the
Answer!
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for
man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan
for your life. God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by
sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay
the penalty for our sins.
But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. [Romans 5:8]
We must individually receive Jesus Christ
as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan
for our lives.
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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] |
Receiving Christ involves turning to God
from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to
forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be.
Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
that He died on the cross for our sins in not enough. Nor is it enough
to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an
act of the will.
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]
Do you hear Him knocking at your door
right now? |
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You can receive Christ right now by faith
through prayer. Can you think of anything more wonderful that could
happen to you than receiving eternal life through faith in Christ? Would
you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you?
By thanking God, you demonstrate your faith. If the following suggested
prayer express the desire of your heart, Christ will come into your
life, as He promised. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with
your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.
"Lord Jesus, I
need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the
door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for
forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the
throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
So, What's Next?
The moment that you received Christ by
faith, as an act of the will, many things happened, including the
following:
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Christ came into your life
(Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27). |
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Your sins were forgiven
(Colossians 1:14). |
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You became a child of God
(John 1:12). |
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You received eternal life
(John 5:24). |
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You began the great
adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2
Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18). |
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