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3.
Christ's Answer
Because
our sin has separated or disconnected us from God, we have
been left with a God-shaped vacuum, or spiritual
emptiness, within. As Augustine put it, "You have made us
for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they
find their rest in you." The world's many religions are
all evidence of man's endless search to find God and fill
this vacuum. However, because God loved us so much, he sent
his own sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our predicament.6
Christ
did this by dying on the cross in our place to pay the consequence
of and ransom price for our sins—death. Thus, Jesus
Christ is God's only provision for our sin, and he is the
only way back to God and the only door into eternal life.7
God's
Word, the Bible, says, "For there is one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself
as a ransom for all men."8 Had there been any
other way to save mankind, Christ wouldn't have had to die
for us. Because he was without sin, he was the only one
qualified to die for our sins.
4.
Your Invitation
If
you were found guilty of a serious crime and were condemned
to death, and if offered, would you accept a free unconditional
pardon?
Because
of Christ's dying for us, that's what God offers us, and with
it the gift of eternal life. All we need to do is to accept
his pardon. Here's how to do this:
First:
Confess. God's
Word says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins."9
Second:
Repent. That is, we
need to turn from sinful and selfish ways to follow God and
his ways. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent
and believe."10 That is, we need to turn from sinful
and selfish ways to follow God and his ways.
Third:
Believe. "Believe in
the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,"11 declares
the Word of God.
Fourth:
Receive. God also said, "To all who received him
[Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right
to become children of God."12
Admitting
your sinfulness, believing that Jesus died for your sins,
inviting him into your heart and life as Lord and Savior,
and accepting God's forgiveness is what makes you a real Christian.
The following prayer will help you do this:
| "Dear
God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all
the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son,
Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive
me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life
as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you.
Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be
and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying
for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal
life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen." |
|
YOUR
RESPONSE:
If
you prayed this prayer, please let us know by CLICKING
HERE or on the PASSPORT
below, fill in the simple form and we will send you a FREE
printed
copy of the pamphlet, How to Grow and the web address
for the "Living, Loving and Learning: Steps for Spiritual
Growth" FREE web articles, to help you in your spritual
life.
NOTE:
We have a strict privacy policy and will not give any information
about you to anyone or any other organization.
 |
|
Inviting
Jesus into your heart and life as your personal Savior
is your Passport into Heaven. Whatever, you do, don't
leave Earth without it!
|
5.
Here's Great Assurance
If
you genuinely prayed the prayer to invite Jesus Christ into
your life and truly meant it, you are now a true Christian
and have the gift of a new spiritual life as well as eternal
life. You are also a child of God and a member of his family.13
God promised this. Choose to accept it. Take it by faith
and not feelings. Feelings change but God’s Word never
does.
God’s
Word says, “And this is the testimony: God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the
Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life. 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.”14
When
you pray to receive Christ into your life, you have a brand
new spiritual life and this life needs care and nurturing
just as your physical life does. Again, if you prayed to invite
Christ into your life, be sure to
CLICK HERE, fill
in, and submit the coupon and we will be happy to send you
helpful free literature.
FOOTNOTES: 1.
John 3:16;
2.
John 10:10;
3.
Romans 3:24;
4.
James 4:17;
5.
Romans 6:23;
6.
See Ephesians 2:8-9;
7.
See John 14:6;
8.
1 Timothy 2:5-6;
9.
1 John 1:9;
10.
Mark 1:5;
11.
Acts 16:31;
12.
John 1:12;
13.
See 2 Corinthians 5:17 and
John 1:12; 14.
1
John 5:11-13.
Copyright
© by Dick Innes. Used by permission.
More than 3,000,000 of this article in print
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