Becoming a Christian
The central message of the Bible is the gospel, which means the good news about the person and work of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 provides a succinct summary of the gospel saying, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” These truths are fleshed out further in the pages of Scripture.
So that the Bible teaches us that:
1. We have all sinned by violating God's law.
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
2. Because of our sin we are under the judgment of God.
"For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23
"...And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished...." Nahum 1:3
3. God loves us and sent Jesus to take our punishment by dying in our place on the cross for our sins.
“And He [Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
“He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
4. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve salvation from sin's penalty. Salvation is a free gift of God's grace.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
"For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
5. Salvation comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith is more than giving mere mental assent to some facts about God.
"You believe that God is one? You do well; the demons also believe and shudder." James 2:19
Faith is putting complete trust in Jesus to forgive your sins and give you the free gift of eternal life.
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Acts 16:31
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." John 6:47
God invites you to find forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Jesus His Son. If you are convinced that you're a sinner in need of the salvation that only Jesus can provide, God invites you to believe into Jesus for pardon and new life in Him. Some find it helpful to express their faith in Jesus through a prayer like the one below.
Lord, I know that I am a sinner and deserve to be punished for my sins. I believe that Jesus came into the world, died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. I believe in Jesus as my Savior by trusting in Him alone for pardon and life. Help me to grow in my relationship with you as I begin my new life in Jesus. Thank you. Amen.
If you’ve trusted Jesus as your Savior, we encourage you to get in a good Bible teaching church where you can grow in your relationship with Jesus and connect with others who love and serve Him. If you live in the Mancelona area, we invite you to come and be a part of the Pathway church family. We’d love to have you!
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