How to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior
How to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior
The Central theme of the New Testament is God's love for you as an individual. This love was revealed through Christ's coming into the world and living among me, His dying on the cross, and rising from the dead. Through Christ's death God offers you forgiveness for your sins, and through His resurrection the promise of everlasting life. Christ died and rose again for the whole world, but for you to become a Christian is an individual matter. The only way to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is to accept His offer of forgiveness and everlasting life. The following Scripture passages show God's part and yours. Read each verse and believe it, for it is the Word of God speaking to you.
GOD'S LOVE IS REVEALED: "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
God loves you and all of mankind. He wants to bless your life and make
it full and complete. He offers you not only an abundant life here and
now, but also a life, which is eternal - His very own life.
MAN IS SINFUL: "for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
The saying, "Well, we are just human - nobody is perfect," is
biblically sound. When we acknowledge this truth, we can see our separation
from God, for He is holy.
SIN HAS A PENALTY: "For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." Romans 6:23
To continue in sin will result in spiritual death, which is separation
from God forever. The alternative is to personally receive God's free
gift, which is pardon from sin and provision of life everlasting.
CHRIST PAID THE PENALTY: "But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
You may think you must lead a "good" life and do charitable
acts before God will love you. This is not so. God loves you even in your
sin. He doesn't like what you are doing. He sent Christ to die in your
place and to pay the penalty for your sins so that you can be reconciled
to Him.
SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT! "For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:8,9
Grace means undeserved favor. God graciously offers to you what you could
never do for yourself. God's gift to you is FREE. You do not, and cannot,
work for a gift. All you need to do is receive it. Believe with all your
heart that Jesus Christ died for you to provide deliverance from your
sins and to give you eternal life.
WE MUST RECEIVE CHRIST: "To all
who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right
to become children of God." John 1:12
When you receive Christ - when you accept what He has done for you - you
become a child of God. Picture, if you will, Jesus Christ standing at
the door of your life. Invite Him in. He is waiting to be received into
your life.
RECEIVE CHRIST NOW! You can invite Jesus
Christ into your life right now by praying to God something like the following:
Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that I need Your forgiveness.
I believe that Christ died in my place to pay the penalty for my sin and
that He rose from the dead. I now ask for forgiveness and invite Jesus
Christ to come into my life as my Savior. Thank You for making me Your
child. Help me learn to please You in every part of my life.
GOD'S PROMISE FROM HIS WORD: "For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans
10:13
If you just now received Christ by calling upon the name of the Lord in
prayer, the following took place: your sins were forgiven (Colossians
1:14 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins."), you became a child of God (John 1:12 "But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name."), you were made an
heir to all of God's blessings (Romans 8:16,17 "The Spirit
itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.")
and you now possess everlasting life (1 John 5:12,13 "He
who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.")!
You became a Christian the moment you received Christ in your heart. Don't trust your feelings, for they will change. Take God at His Word and believe His promises. Review the above passages whenever doubts arise. You should be able to say with assurance, "I have received Christ. On the authority of God's Word, I have eternal life."
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior through reading these steps, would you kindly call, write or visit our services and let us know what Christ has done in your life so that we can REJOICE with you. May God grant you "all joy and peace in believing."
Robert McFarlane - Pastor