Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know if you have Him living in your heart? Many people believe that if they are simply good people, or if they attend church regularly, they will go to heaven when they die. Unfortunately, that is not how salvation works.

 

The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and have fallen short of the standards God has (Romans 3:23).  The standard of Jesus is perfection (Matthew 5:48) and that the consequence of anything less than that is death and eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). God is holy and because we all fall short of holiness, we deserve eternal separation from Him.

 

That creates quite a dilemma for us, but that is where the good news begins! God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to come down to this earth, live a perfect life, die on a cross for all of our sins, and rise from the dead (conquering death). As Jesus took our sins on Himself, God gave us the Perfection of His Son (2 Corinthians 5:21)!  It was in this exchange that we were given forgiveness of our sins and a ticket into heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that it is through grace (unmerited favor) by faith (trust) in God and not through any of our own or good works that we can be delivered of our sins.

 

How do I make this happen? Romans 10:9 tells us that we are to come to God and admit to Him that we are in need of deliverance and forgiveness and that we agree that He sent His Son, Jesus to die for sins and rose again, and is the only acceptable solution for our problem.  A simple and sincere prayer of faith in what Christ has done allows you to receive the free gift of salvation.

 

If you have never done this, will you take the time to do so right now? If you have, please let us know so that we can celebrate with you and talk to you about your public confession through baptism!