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'Seeking & Saving the Lost and Equipping Disciples to do the Same' |
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God's Promises
Salvation A spiritual birth "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom
of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his
mother's womb and be born, can he?' "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and
the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, "You must be born again." "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him." "You were dead in your trespasses and sins." "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth." "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for
ours only, but also for those of the whole world." "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with
Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions." "It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we
have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers." "But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much
more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many." "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of
deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing
by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior." "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have
come." Why is Jesus' death on the cross necessary for my salvation? Freely Forgiven“How could God ever forgive me? You don’t know what I’ve done.” “How could I have done such an awful thing? I can never forgive myself.” As a pastor, these are similar to questions I hear from people who have never fully understood God’s forgiveness. When we do not realize how the Lord’s mercy applies to our daily lives, the result is bondage, which stifles our ability to love and accept others. It also chokes the abundant life that Christ promised to those of us who believe. Forgiveness is “the act of setting someone free from an obligation resulting from a wrong done against you.” For example, a debt is forgiven when you free the offender of his responsibility to pay back what he owes you. True forgiveness, then, involves three elements, all of which are necessary: an injury, a debt resulting from the injury, and a cancellation of the debt. In God’s economy, sin creates a deficit; that is, something is taken or demanded from the sinner. What He ultimately requires of the transgressor is death: The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). The result of their sin was that death came into the world—not only physical death but also eternal separation from God (Rev. 20:15). Why did God not immediately snuff out the lives of Adam and Eve? Why does He not do the same for all sinners? The answer is simple yet life-changing in its profundity: There is something God desires more than retribution for the disrespect shown Him—He wants fellowship with us. He cared enough about Adam and Eve to slay an animal and make garments of skin to cover their nakedness and hide their shame (Gen. 3:17). This was the beginning of the sacrificial system that restored the fellowship between God and His people. God was willing to move quickly to reinstate fellowship with Adam and Eve, and He will do the same for us today. In light of His mercy, shouldn’t we likewise extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us? God doesn’t look at sins on a case-by-case basis to determine whether He will grant forgiveness. During Old Testament times, any person could receive atonement for transgressions simply by following prescribed steps. Similarly, to anyone desiring forgiveness today, it is freely available through Christ’s death on the cross: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Eph. 1:7-8). Notice that forgiveness is “according to the riches of His grace.” Scripture is clear that forgiveness is a gift, available for the asking (1 John 1:9).The details of what we have done, why we did it, and how many times we did it are irrelevant. Are there sins from your past that continue to hang over you like a cloud? Do you doubt that God hears you because of sinful choices you’ve made? Do you feel that your potential for the kingdom of God has been destroyed? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have not yet come to grips with God’s solution to your sin. You are still holding on to a way of thinking that can keep you in bondage for the rest of your days on earth. You have set yourself up for a defeated life in which you will never reach your potential in the kingdom of God. God wants you to be free. And because He does, He sacrificed what was dearest to Him. I encourage you to meditate on the concepts in this article. Ask God to sink them deep into your heart so they become the grid through which you interpret the experiences of life. When you can see yourself as a forgiven child, you will be able to enjoy fellowship with the Father, which was made possible by the death of His Son. Then you can begin to fulfill His marvelous calling on your life. How do I accept Jesus as my Saviour? Do you want to know God? Do you yearn to experience the Lord’s comforting presence, power, and wisdom? That’s good, because God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you forever. The problem is . . . . . . one thing separates you from a relationship with God—sin. You and I sin whenever we fail to live by the Lord’s holy standard. In fact, Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Furthermore, Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death—separation from God in hell forever. No matter how hard we try, we cannot save ourselves or get rid of our sins. We can’t earn our way to heaven by being good, going to church, or being baptized (Eph. 2:8-9). Understanding how helpless we are because of our sins, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Rom. 5:8). Three days later, He rose from the dead—showing that He had triumphed over sin and death once and for all. So how can you know God? It all starts with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ provides a relationship with the Father and eternal life through His death on the cross and resurrection (Rom. 5:10). Romans 10:9 promises, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you have not yet begun your personal relationship with God, understand that the One who created you and loves you no matter who you are or what you’ve done. He wants you to experience the profound depth of His care. Therefore, tell God that you are willing to trust Him for salvation. You can tell Him in your own words or use this simple prayer below: Two Steps to Salvation. (Two sides of the same coin) 1. Repentance: (Have a change of direction in heart and mind towards sin and
God) 2. Believe (Trust or Faith) If you believe this is true, all you need to do now is tell God... and it's done! Romans 10:9-13 What you must do to be saved? If you understand and believe what you have just read is true...then... (Remember: you must believe in your heart and confess with your mouth) Step 1 - Your confession to God... Repent: Lord Jesus I confess I have sinned and broken your commandments. I am a sinner and I don't want to stay separated from God in Hell for all eternity. Please have mercy upon me and forgive me. I am willing to turn away from all that I know is wrong and... Step 2 - Turn to God and Believe in your heart... Believe = Faith/Trust: I turn to You Lord Jesus and believe in my heart and put my trust in what You did when You took the punishment that was due to come on me. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross for the forgiveness of ALL my sins and for my healing, and then rose again on the third day conquering death so that I can receive the free gift of everlasting life and have an eternal relationship with God the Father. Sample Prayer of Thanks. (In your own words) Lord Jesus, thank you for your forgiveness of all my sins and saving me from eternal separation from God. Thank You for providing the way for me to know You and to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. Through faith in You, I have eternal life. Thank You also for hearing my prayers and loving me unconditionally. Please give me the strength, wisdom, and determination to walk in the center of Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen. If you have just prayed this prayer with sincerity—congratulations! You have received Christ as your Savior and have made the best decision you will ever make—one that will change your life forever! You are born again and God's Holy Spirit has entered your life and made you a new creation. You have received a new nature, one that is able to know God and obey what He tells you. Please let us know by emailing us at so we can rejoice with you. We know you will have questions about your new relationship with Jesus, and we want to help. So begin your new journey with God by reading the gospel of John then the book of Romans. Ask God to reveal Himself to you as you read His word, the Bible. Note: Salvation is a free gift, not a reward. Rewards are earned by the works that we do. "Men will say, 'Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on
earth!'" "Loving-kindness is Yours, O Lord, for You recompense a man according to his work." "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward." "Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with
Him and His recompense before Him." "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to
the results of his deeds." "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you." "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with
your Father who is in heaven. "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and
your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." "Whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I
say to you, he shall not lose his reward." "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay
every man according to his deeds." "Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be
great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." "Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
Each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed
with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's
work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward." "Knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord,
whether slave or free." "Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord
Christ whom you serve." "Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that
He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full
reward." All Things Are New |
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