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God’s
Plan of Salvation
What
the Bible say about sin, hell and the way to heaven.
The
Bible tells us that we all have sinned, or broken the
laws of God and of man (Romans 3:23; for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God).
Even seemingly moral people are guilty of breaking
God’s laws. There are none who can honestly say they
have never broken at least one of the Ten Commandments
(Ex. 20) and most people have broken all of them either
literally or in their heart. (Jesus said if you hate
someone that makes you guilty of the act of murder in
your heart).
The
laws of God are all good. He gave us these laws for our
benefit. If we don’t live by God’s rules then we
will live by our own. In other words, people either
choose to follow God’s law or create their own moral
law which is called moral relativism. Moral relativism
brings devastation to individuals, families and society.
For example; a man decides he needs a new car but
can’t afford one therefore he chooses to steal a car
because he believes he has the right to help himself to
anything he desires. In contrast Jesus told us to love
others and help those we see in need.
Since
God is just He cannot let people into heaven who refuse
to obey His laws. Because everybody is guilty of
breaking God’s law, we deserve hell—a literal place
according to the Bible (Revelation 21: 8; the
unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters
and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur). Because God loves mankind He does
not want anyone to go to hell. So He provided a way for
us to be forgiven of our sins and have our hearts
changed. (John 3:16; 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.)
God
sent His son, Jesus, to die on a cross so we could be
forgiven of our sins. In the act of sacrificing Himself,
Jesus was suffering the death penalty we justly deserve
for our wickedness. Through this act of love, Jesus
opened the way for us to have a relationship with God.
When we chose to enter into this relationship we are
born again (John 3:3; Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom
of God unless he is born again.")
THREE
SIMPLE TRUTHS FOR SALVATION:
There
are three simple truths that you must know before you
can be born again (become a genuine Christian).
Understand that there are no short cuts to heaven. The
plan of salvation has been clearly revealed in the
Bible. Please read a little further and learn how much
God loves you and the plan He has for your life.
1.
YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE A SINNER.
As
discussed already, the Bible clearly teaches that every
person is a sinner by nature and by choice (Romans.
3:23). The essence of all sin is the willful
breaking of God’s law (1 John. 3:4). Sin is
always a lawless act that places the sinner at odds, or
at war, with a holy God. Right and wrong has been
clearly defined by this loving God. Until you
begin to understand that you are a sinner and that sin
always has consequences, you will never seek the Savior
to rescue you.
2.
YOU MUST REALIZE THAT JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVIOR.
All
roads do not lead to heaven. Besides the fact that
such a belief is illogical, it is based upon a lie.
The Lord of heaven has plainly and unequivocally told us
that there is only one way to heaven, and that is
through Jesus Christ. Jesus stated that He
was literally the “Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). Then He told
us that no one can go to heaven except through Him.
God’s plan of salvation has been clearly
revealed to us. The real issue is not if the
claims of Christ are true, for they are and will hold up
to any honest investigation, but will you embrace the
truth? Only when you comprehend that you are a
sinner, and that the only savior is Jesus Christ, will
you then be willing to take the third step listed below.
3.
YOU MUST GIVE YOUR ENTIRE LIFE TO JESUS.
A
real Christian is one who has given his or her entire
life to Jesus and now lives by the wonderfully
liberating principles of God’s Word. The Savior
will never accept half-hearted devotion. The Lord
of Creation will only accept your entire surrender.
The abandonment of your life to Jesus is the only
reasonable response for the forgiveness He so freely
gives to those who truly repent of their sin.
To
repent means to turn away from your sin and then live a
life of loving devotion to the Savior. Jesus gave
us the magnificent commandment to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). If you
love Him with your entire being you will know His
infinite love in return. You will find that surrendering
your whole life to Him is far easier than you thought.
His love is more than worth it.
You
are now left with the most important decision of your
life: What will you do with Jesus? There is only one
correct response to this question—to abandon your life
to Him. You will either accept Jesus as your Lord
and Savior or you will reject Him. The choice is
yours. Your eternal destiny is determined by this
decision.
PRAYER
FOR SALVATION (TO BE BORN AGAIN)
If you would like to be born
again then find a place to be alone with God. Begin with
confessing your sins to Him and tell God that you want
Him to save and change you. Below is a simple prayer
that will give you an outline of what to pray. Don’t
rush it. Be thoroughly honest with God and yourself.
Make sure that when your conversation with Him is done
you know without a doubt that He has forgiven you and
you are born again.
“Heavenly Father, I ask forgiveness of my sins and I
receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I do believe He
died on the cross to pay for my sins and was raised
again to give me new life. I turn from going my own way
and trust my life to you. Thank you Jesus for saving me
and giving me your gift of eternal life.”
HOW
TO GROW
Now that you have
chosen to become a Christian there are things you need
to do to continue the relationship with Jesus that you
have begun.
1.
Attend a
Bible believing church. Not
all pastors are born again and teach Biblical truths.
Find a church that teaches all of the above truths and
will challenge you to grow closer to Jesus.
2.
Read your
Bible each day. There is
much to learn about God and good place to start is in
one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).
3.
Pray.
All relationships are built by communication which means
spending time with each other. We need to spend time
talking to Jesus each day and He will speak to us as we
pray. It is best to set aside time each day to spend
with God. Learn to enjoy your time with Jesus. It is
wonderful!
4.
Tell others
about Jesus. We find in the
Bible that when people accepted Jesus as their Savior
they told others about Him. If you have let Him change
your life then people will begin to notice that change
and want to know what happened. Tell them!
If you have any
further questions feel free to call or e-mail us.
Glenn & Jessica
Meldrum
(651) 247-3979
E-mail Us! - Please, no junk or bulk mail.
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