Religion says, "Do." The Cross of Jesus Christ says, "Done!"
Many people look to religion in order to earn eternal life. Yet, Jesus very clearly tells in Scripture how we can go to Heaven. He said,
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"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." - John 14:6
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Questions of life are very deep and sometimes troubling. "Is this life all there is?" "What happens when I die?" "Where will I spend eternity?" The single most important question that you will ever answer is this - “If I were to die today, would I spend eternity in Heaven with God?” The answer to the question is based upon whether or not you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.
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On the authority of God's Word, you can know that for sure. The Bible tells us in I John 5:13, “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.” The simple truth is God wants you to know how to have a personal relationship with Him. This is the difference between trusting in religion and trusting in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Here is what the Bible says:
- God Loves You! -
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 3:16
Our sin creates a separation from God and eternity with Him in Heaven.
1. The Bible says that all people have sinned.
Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
In order to receive eternal life with God, I must first admit that I am lost in my sin like the Bible says. Sin is contrary to God’s laws and commandments and separates us from God.
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The Bible says there is a penalty for our sin.
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Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
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We cannot get to God by ourselves. We will fall short every time we try, because sin gets in our way.
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Religion and good works cannot bridge the gap created by our sin.
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Not only does sin separate us from God, the Bible says there is a penalty for our sin in Romans 5:8, "For the wages (payment) of sin is death..." This death is not just in our body but also means an eternity in hell.
Man naturally tries to earn his way into Heaven through good works or religion. This seems logical, but the Bible says in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
God's Word clearly tells us that salvation cannot be earned by being a good, religious person! Religion tries to buy salvation, but this is not the way. Only the blood of Jesus and His finished work on the Cross can satisfy the penalty for our sin.
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The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
2. There is a price for my sin.
Through His death on the cross, Jesus Christ paid for our sins
so we can have the free gift of eternal life with Him in Heaven.
3. The Good News — Jesus Christ Provides the Way!
He paid for Heaven for us. Salvation is a free gift!
Even though we are lost and separated from God, He loves us. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
He took our sin upon Him. When He was on the Cross, He saw you, and knew you could not be good enough to earn your way to Heaven. He knew you would need a Saviour.
Because of God's great love, Christ became sin for us and paid our penalty with His blood. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again three days later giving us victory over death and hell. He became the payment for our sin. By His grace, salvation is provided. Christ bridges the gap between us and God caused by sin. His blood erases our sin and can wash us as white as snow. But we must believe and accept this free gift!
We must place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and eternal life.
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In order to have a relationship with God and an eternal home in Heaven, we must go through Jesus. We must stop trusting in ourselves, our works, and our religion. We must instead, place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sin. Christ paid our sin debt and only requires that we accept His free gift by believing that He died, was buried and rose again. This is the way to Heaven.
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But how do we accept this free gift? The Bible says in Romans 10:13 that we must call upon the name of the Lord in prayer. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." That is a promise directly from God!
If you will believe on Him with our heart and pray to Him with your mouth, you will receive eternal life. Romans 10:10 tells us,"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." This means if you will pray to God, confess you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him and only Him to be your Saviour, He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life.
4. Believe and Receive Christ as your Saviour
You can make that decision today by praying from your heart something like this:
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Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I repent of my sin and ask for your forgiveness.
Please come into my heart and be my Saviour. I believe You died and rose again for me.
I am trusting in You alone to take me to Heaven when I die.
Please help me to live for You from this day forward.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
You'll never regret this decision! If you have prayed to trust Jesus as personal Saviour, we would love to hear from you.
We would like to send you a Bible and some materials to help you learn more about your new relationship with Christ!
Give us a call at 239-261-0122 or email us at daughters@sbcnaples.com