God wants you to be sure.
The Bible says, "These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may
know ye have eternal life" (1 John 5:13)
Another question to consider is:
Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you,
"Why should I let you into My heaven?" What do you think you
would say?
You may not know what you would say. But...
You can know,
because God loves us and has a purpose for our
lives.
The Bible states it this way, "God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16)
GOD'S PURPOSE
IS THAT WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
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We receive eternal life as a free gift.
"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord" (Romans 6:23)
We can live a full and meaningful life right now.
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly" (John 10:10)
We will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.
"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also"
(John 14:3)
Eternal life gives meaning to life.
Yet...
Our sinful nature keeps us from fulfilling God's purpose for our lives.
Thus...
OUR NEED
IS TO UNDERSTAND OUR PROBLEM.
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We are all sinners by nature and by choice.
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:23)
We cannot save ourselves.
"Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:9)
We deserve death and hell.
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23)
It is true that:
God is holy and just and punishes sin, yet He loves us, and has provided
forgiveness for our sin. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6)
The Good News is that God has provided for the forgiveness of our
sins.
GOD'S PROVISION
IS JESUS CHRIST.
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Jesus is God and became man.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us"
(John 1:1,14)
Jesus died for us on the cross.
"Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18)
Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
"(Jesus) was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for
our justification" (Romans 4:25)
That is good news,... but the only way Jesus can affect our
lives is for us to receive Him. The Bible says,
"As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12)
The choice is ours. Thus...
OUR RESPONSE
IS TO RECEIVE JESUS.
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We must repent of our sin.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out" (Acts 3:19).
Repentance is not just feeling sorry for
our sin.
"Repent and turn to God, and do works meet for (which give
evidence of) repentance" (Acts 26:20).
Repentance is turning to God through Jesus
and turning away from our sin. It's like making a U-turn.
As we turn...
We must place our faith in Jesus.
"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)
Faith is not just believing facts about
Jesus. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19).
Faith is trusting in Jesus.
It's like taking a trip on an airplane. You will never make the trip
until you trust the plane enough to board it.
To trust totally in Jesus means...
We must surrender to Jesus as Lord.
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For ... with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation" (Romans 10:9-10)
Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is not just
saying we give our lives to Jesus. "Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21)
Surrendering to Jesus as Lord means giving
Jesus control of our lives.
To give Jesus control of our lives is like
driving down the highway with another person. As long as you are
driving, you are in control. If, at some point, you realize you don't
know the way, but the other person does, and you say, "You take the
wheel and drive," then the other person is in control and the two
of you take the route he chooses.
As evidence of giving Jesus control,
you will want to identify with Him. The
New Testament way is to confess Jesus publicly (Matthew 10:32-33) and to
follow Him in baptism and church membership (Acts 2:41).
THREE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
Does what you have been reading make sense to you?
Is there any reason why you would not be willing to receive God's
gift of eternal life?
Are you willing to place your faith in Jesus right now and turn from
your sin?
The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
You need to ask the Lord to save you.
Read this prayer and see if it says what you want to say to God.
Dear Lord, I believe You are the Son of God, and that You died on the
cross and were raised from the dead. I know I have sinned and need
forgiveness. I am willing to turn from my sins and receive You as my
Savior and Lord. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Call upon the Lord in repentance, faith, and surrender, using
these or similar words of your own; and Jesus will become your Savior
and Lord.
Welcome to the family of God. You have just made the most
important decision of your life. You can be sure you are saved and have
eternal life.
YOUR ASSURANCE... You know you have
eternal life because:
God keeps his promises.
You repented of your sin (Acts 3:19).
You placed your faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
You surrendered to Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).
God heard your prayer
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Romans 10:13).
God recorded your commitment.
"Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke
10:20)
You need to grow as a Christian
The Bible calls new Christians "babes in
Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:1). Without certain essentials, babies
will not develop normally.
The church is to a new Christian what the home
and family are to a new baby.
You identify with your new family by
confessing Jesus publicly and by experiencing believer's baptism.
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the
same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls"
(Acts 2:41).
Attend church Sunday and share with the pastor that you desire to
be baptized and become a member of the church.
Praying is to the spiritual life what breathing
is to the physical life.
Breathing must be regular and continuous. The Bible says,
"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Just as breathing cleanses the body of toxins, prayer should
include confession and spiritual cleansing. "If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
God's word is to a new Christian what good food is to a new
baby.
Good food is a daily requirement for proper growth. "As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may
grow." (1 Peter 2:2).
You may want to print this page and make some
notes:
This page is an adaptation of a tract entitled "Do you know that
you have ETERNAL LIFE and that you will go to heaven when you die?"
published by the Personal Evangelism Department of the North American Mission
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
