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» Christian Message Boards   » Miscellaneous   » Christian Evangelism   » How To Accept Christ

   
Author Topic: How To Accept Christ
Carol Swenson
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Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929

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How To Accept Christ


Do You Know For Certain That You Have Eternal Life And That You Will Go to Heaven When You Die?

God wants you to be sure. The Bible says, “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” (1 Jn 5:13).

Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” What do you think you would say? You may not know what to reply. But you do know God loves us and has a purpose for our lives. The Bible states it this way, “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” (Jn 3:16).

God’s Purpose Is That You Have Eternal Life.

You can receive eternal life as a free gift. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro 6:23b).

You can live a full and meaningful life right now. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10b).

You can spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven, for He promised, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (Jn 14:3).

Our Need Is To Understand Our Problem.

God’s purpose is that we have meaning in life as we direct our lives and hearts toward Him. Then why is it that people seldom find true meaning in life? Our sinful nature keeps us from fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.

• We are all sinners by nature and by choice. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro 3:23).

• We cannot save ourselves. “Not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:9).

• We deserve death and hell. “For the wages of sin is death” (Ro 6:23a).

• We can receive what we do not deserve. God is holy and just and must punish sin, yet He loves us and has provided forgiveness for our sin. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6).

The Good News Is God’s Provision In Jesus Christ.

Becoming aware of our sinfulness, we may desire a remedy. God offers that remedy in His Son, Jesus Christ, who became like us to show us how we might become like Him.

• Jesus is God and became human. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:1, 14a).

• Jesus died for us on the cross. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Pe 3:18a).

• Jesus was resurrected from the dead. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Ro 4:25).

The only way Jesus can affect our lives is for us to receive Him. The Bible says, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn 1:12).

How We Receive Jesus

Realizing that Jesus is the solution to our rebellion against God, we may desire to establish a relationship with Him. To do so the Bible says:

• We must repent of our sin. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Ac 3:19a).

Repentance is not just feeling sorry for our sin. “They should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds (Ac 26:20b). Repentance is turning away from our sin and turning to God through Jesus. It’s like making a U-turn.

• We must place our faith in Jesus. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).

Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder” (Jas 2:19). Faith is trusting in Jesus.

To Trust Totally in Jesus:

We must surrender to Jesus as Lord or Master “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 mouth that you confess and are saved” (Ro 10:9-10).

Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is not just words we repeat. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21). Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is giving Jesus control of our lives.

To give Jesus control of our lives is like driving down the highway with another person. As long as you are driving, you are in control. If, at some point, you realize you do not know the way, but the other person does, and you say, “You take the wheel and drive,” then the other person is in control. The two of you will take the route that person chooses.

As evidence of giving Jesus control, you will want to identify with Him. The New Testament way is to Confess Jesus publicly (Mt 10:32-33) and to follow Him in baptism and Church membership (Ac 2:41).

Three Important Questions

• “Does what you have been reading make sense to you?”

• Is there any reason why you would not be willing to receive God’s gift of eternal life?”

• “Are you willing to turn from your sin and place your faith in Jesus right now?”

The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Ro 10:13). Please read this prayer and see if you want to say something like this to God.

Dear Lord, I believe you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross and were raised from the dead. I know I have sinned and need forgiveness. I turn from my sins and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for saving me.

Call upon the Lord in repentance, faith, and total trust using these or similar words of your own. Jesus will become your Savior and Lord.


(Disciple’s Study Bible)

Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator


 
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