4 TRUTHS and 1 DECISION
that will change your life
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
1 John 5:13
You can know your sins have been forgiven.
You can have an eternal home in heaven with God.
How can you know for sure?
1. ALL MEN ARE SINNERS
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
1 John 3:4 “. . . sin is a transgression of the law . . .”
The law mentioned in 1 John 3:4 is God’s law and the Bible defines sin as the transgression (breaking) of that law. Romans 3:23 states that ALL have sinned (broken God’s law.)
If you will simply be honest with yourself, you will have to admit this is a true statement of fact. You are a sinner because you have broken God’s laws. In fact, you have broken them often.
According the teaching of the Bible, I am a sinner, I have broken God’s law. Read more...
3. YOU CANNOT SAVE YOURSELF BY GOOD WORKS
Galatians 2:16 “For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Galatians 3:10-11 “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident.”
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
The Ephesians passage teaches us that salvation is not by works. We cannot work our way to Heaven. We cannot be religious enough, we cannot pray enough, we cannot be baptized enough, we cannot dedicate our life to Christ enough, we simply cannot get there by our own efforts. The Bible teaches us that our good works do not provide forgiveness for our sin.
According to the teaching of the Bible, keeping the law will not get us in to Heaven. We cannot be good enough to earn our own way. Keeping the law and doing good works do not provide forgiveness of our sins. Read more...
2. THE PENALTY FOR SIN IS DEATH
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death . . ."
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
The passage in Revelation mentions the second death. When the Bibles states that the wages of sin is death, the Bible is referring not only to physical death, the cessation of life (the first death), but also to spiritual death, being cast into the Lake of Fire (the second death).
According to the teaching of the Bible, because of the sins I have committed, I have earned my place in the Lake of Fire. Read more...
4. GOD SENT HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST, TO DIE FOR YOUR SIN AND GIVE YOU AN ETERNAL
HOME IN HEAVEN
1 John 4:14 "The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."
1 Corinthians 15:3 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."
The payment for sin is death (refer to truth #2). To forgive your sin, Jesus took your sin upon Himself and God punished Him for the wrongs you have done. Payment had to be made. Jesus became sin for you, Jesus was wounded for your transgressions, the Lord (God the Father) laid on Jesus your iniquity, Jesus bore your sin in His body as He was crucified, Jesus died for you. He was buried and three days later arose from the grave and today sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
According to the teaching of the Bible, God loved you so much He sent His Son Jesus to take your sin upon Himself and to suffer and to die in your place. Jesus bore your sin and suffered the penalty of your sin. Read more...
ONE DECISION that will change your life
YOU HAVE A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO BELIEVE THESE 4 FACTS ARE TRUE AND TO DEPEND ON JESUS CHRIST TO SAVE YOU FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN.
"...what must I do to be saved?"
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life."
Romans 3:21-22 “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witness by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe."
Romans 4:5 "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
The word "believe" is emphasized in each of these verses, and this word indicates a choice that must be made based on the facts that have been presented.
In our American culture, we use the word “believe” a bit haphazardly. One might say I “believe” in unicorns or I “believe” in Big Foot. Both statements are more of a hope that these mystical creatures exist. The belief in unicorns or Big Foot is not a convinced belief based on facts.
The word "believe", as it is used in the Bible, speaks of an absolute convincement that the object in which you are believing is wholly true. To believe in Jesus to forgive you of your sins does not mean that you hope Jesus is God and that you hope Jesus can forgive your sins, but that you are absolutely convinced that Jesus is God, that He died on the cross for your sins, and you are completely trusting Him alone for forgiveness of sin and entrance into His Heaven. You are believing in (depending on) Jesus alone to save you.
According to the teaching of the Bible, you are a sinner, which means you have broken God’s law. Your sin has separated you from God and the penalty for your sin is eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire. Your good works do not take away your sin and you cannot earn your own way into Heaven. God loves you so much He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, taking your sin upon Himself, and paying the penalty that you owe. If you are convinced of these truths and you make the choice to believe in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sin, the Bible says you have eternal life.
God loves you so much He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, taking your sin upon Himself, and paying the penalty that you owe. If you are convinced of these truths and believe in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sin, the Bible says you have eternal life.
If you have further questions or have just trusted in Jesus for your salvation, I would love to get in touch and rejoice with you in making the greatest decision of your life. I will do my very best to help you locate a good church so that you can begin to grow in your understanding of Scripture and learn how to live a life that will be pleasing to the Lord.