"What must I do to be saved?"
This question was asked of Jesus over 2000 years ago by a Jewish leader named Nicodemus. Jesus' answer to him was this - "You must be born again."
That is the opportunity that God offers every one of us through His Son Jesus Christ - the chance to have every sin we've ever committed forgiven and become a brand-new creation in Christ. That is what it means to be "saved". This "salvation" is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it - He will not force it on anyone.
God's Word (the Bible) says that we have all sinned and fall short of God's perfect standard of holiness (Romans 3:23). It goes on to say that the wages (or penalty) for our sin is death (Romans 6:23). Not physical death, for every one of us will one day die physically (apart from Christ's return). The death the Bible is talking about here is a spiritual death (the book of Revelation calls this "the second death" (Revelation 20:11-21:6). When God created us, He gave us each a spirit and our spirit will exist eternally - we are eternal beings. Where we spend that eternity is determined by what we choose to do with Jesus Christ. We can have our sins forgiven and spend eternity with God in his kingdom or we can spend it apart from God in Hell. To be eternally separated from God is the spiritual death Revelation is referring to.
Here's the Good News (the Greek word for "good news" is gospel) - no one has to go to hell. The price for our sin was paid in full by Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. He is God's sacrificial lamb and He died so we can live with God forever. John 3:16 Eternal life begins the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Would you like to accept God's offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ? You can do it right now if you'd like! Just pray a simple prayer like this one:
Dear God, I confess to you today that I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness. I believe you sent your Son Jesus Christ to earth in the form of a man to suffer and die as payment in full for all of my sins and the sins of the entire world. I thank you for that today and I accept the gift of forgiveness and eternal life you offer me through Jesus. I accept Jesus as my Savior and the Lord of my life. Help me from this day forward to live my life for you. Help me to grow in my knowledge of you and your will for my life.
In Jesus name - Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and meant it - congratulations!!! You are now a born-again child of God - you have crossed over from death to life!
Welcome to the family of God!
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:4-7; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:17-21.
