Do you know Jesus Christ personally?

Did you know that you can have a personal relationship with God? God has personally provided a way for each of us to have eternal fellowship with Him, because He loves us and wants to have a relationship with you and me.

See, God is the creator of the world (Gen. 1:1). As creator, He alone determines the standards by which all creation, which includes you and me, is to live. God is perfect and He chose that His creation, i.e. you and me, is to live by His example which is completely holy and without sin (Lev. 19:2; Isa. 6:1-8; Ps. 99; Eph. 5:1, James 1:13). God is also just and righteous, meaning He must punish those that live outside of His standard. Just as a loving parent corrects his/her child, God punishes those that fall short of His standard out of His love and desire to see us live the best life possible (Rom. 1:18-19).

The problem is every one of us humans have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). This means that we have all done things that do not live up to the standard given by God for us to live by. That one time you failed to live up to God’s perfect standard is enough to keep you from living eternally with God.

Therefore, we must realize that we are all sinners and need forgiveness from God. Without the forgiveness of God, we are destined to an eternity without Him (spiritual death). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). That means without God’s forgiveness, we will spend eternity in a very real place called hell.

However, God loved us enough that He bridged the gap between our sins and His perfect and holy standard 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 that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Notice God did this while “we were still sinners” and living in rejection of the standard God had prepared and commanded of us. He loved us enough to provide a to be forgiven for our sins. Nothing we could ever do would make us good enough to be forgiven, so God out of His grace (undeserved favor) provided a way for our forgiveness.

In fact, God provided the only way to salvation and a personal relationship with Him in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to forgiveness by God except through His gracious provision in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (John 14:6). There is no other way to be forgiven for your sins than through Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:5-11, Col. 1:15-20)

It is important to understand that we must individually accept this gift of salvation and eternal life. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is available to those who are willing to surrender their sinful life for a life that is devoted to living by the example given by Jesus Christ. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Rom. 10:9-10). Understand that this is a commitment of the heart and not a simple acknowledgement of Jesus being the Son of God. We believe in our heart and soul and the confession that follows is to be a result of our belief. This is an act of surrender of yourself and your identity to accept the identity found in Jesus Christ (John 15:1-5).

When you receive Jesus Christ into your heart, you will experience a new birth (John 3:3). Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self. This is also called "repentance." We must trust Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what 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 is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

Are you ready to accept God’s free gift of eternal life with Him? If so, you must confess your sins before God and accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life. Talk to God from your heart about your decision (below is a sample prayer to help you – there is nothing special about these exact words just look at them as a guide to help you as you pray from your heart).

Father, I agree with you that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I believe in Jesus Christ and in His death on the cross to pay the price of my sins. I confess to you that Jesus is Lord, and believe that you raised Him from the dead. I ask you to enter my life right now, and save me as I commit my life to you this day. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you have accepted God’s free gift of forgiveness and surrendered your life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, please let us know so we can help you begin your new journey to TRU E LIFE in Christ. Please click here and send us an email.

If you need more information about accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or have any questions about what it means to be a Christian, click here to send us an email and we will provide you any help we can.