The central theme of the Bible is God’s love for you and for all people. This love was revealed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Because Christ died your sins can be forgiven, and because He conquered death you can have eternal life. You can know for sure what will become of you after you die.
You have probably heard the story of God’s love referred to as “the Gospel.” The word Gospel simply means “Good News.” The Gospel is the Good News that, because of what Christ has done, we can be forgiven and can live forever.
But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot be yours unless you willingly accept it. God requires a personal response from you. The following verses from the Bible show God’s part and yours in this process.
God’s love is revealed in the bible
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and complete. And He wants to give you a life which will last forever, even after you experience physical death.
We are sinful
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
You may have heard someone say “I’m only human - nobody’s perfect.” This Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things that we know are wrong. And that’s why we feel estranged from God - because God is holy and good, and we are not.
Sin has a penalty
"For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must pay the penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the penalty of spiritual death. You will not only die physically, you will also be separated from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches that those who choose to remain separated from God will spend eternity in a place called hell.
Christ has paid our penalty!
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good life and do good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that Christ loved you enough to die for you even when you were rebelling against Him.
Salvation is a free gift
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The word grace means undeserved favor. It means God is offering you something you could never provide for yourself; forgiveness of sins and eternal life. God’s gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it. Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
Our Problem - Separation
God created humans in His own image and gave us the ability to have an abundant and enjoyable life. He did not create us as robots that would automatically love and obey Him. He gave us freedom of choice. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve, the first humans, chose to disobey God and go their own willful way. And all humans who have lived since then have made the same choice.
And that includes all of us. The Bible says:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Throughout all of human history, people have sensed their separation from God. They have tried to bridge the gap in many ways . . . without success.
There is only one remedy for this problem of separation:
God’s Remedy - The Cross
Jesus Christ is the only answer to the separation between sinful humans and their holy God. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins and bridged the gap between God and us.
The Bible says, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
God has provided the only way... you must decide whether or not to choose that way...
Our Response - receive Christ and be baptized
We must trust Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
When you trust Jesus Christ and are willing to turn away from sin, you are ready to be baptized. To be baptized means to be dipped or immersed in water.
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
Baptism is a commitment you make to God in becoming a Christian. You are “buried” in water, representing the fact that your sins and old way of life are put to death. Then you are “raised” from the water, just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so that you may live a new life for God.
“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
When you give your life to God, He washes your soul clean of sin and fills you with His Spirit, making you His child. You look the same on the outside, but you are new on the inside.
“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 TLB)
Is there any good reason why you cannot receive Jesus Christ right now?
What you must do:
- Believe - We are brought to faith by God’s Holy Inspired Word. We believe that Christ is the Son of the living God, and that He died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day. Christ’s blood covers our sins and allows us to be adopted into the family of God as His heirs and co-heirs with Him.
(John 3:36) Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (Romans 1:16) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first the Jew, then for the Gentile.
(Romans 10:17) (Hebrews 11:1-6) (John 3:16) (Matthew 16:13-16)
-
Confess - We openly declare our faith in Christ. We do this not only in speech but with our actions.
(Romans 10:9) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Matthew 10:32) (Mark 8:38) (Romans 10:9-10, 13)
- Repent - We sincerely desire to turn away from anything that displeases God, willingly choosing to live in accordance with His Word and His will. (2 Corinthians 7:10) Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
(Luke 13:3) I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
(Acts 2:37-38)
- Be Baptized - Through the obedience of our faith we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus by being immersed for the remission of sins. This act of obedience yields the gift of the Holy Spirit as it is the means by which we, having died to sin, are buried with Christ, and are raised with Him to walk in the newness of Life. (Acts 2:38) Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Mark 16:16) Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Romans 6:14) (Colossians 3:1-4) (Galatians 3:26-28)
- Live the New Life - As Christians we live a life that will give credibility to our witness and strength to the body of Christ as we labor to advance His Kingdom. We live a life that magnifies Christ and exhorts His body.
(John 14:23) Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
(Hebrews 12:12-15) (Hebrews 3:12-14) (1st Peter 1:13-16)
You have eternal life
“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.” (1 John 5:12-13)
The central theme of the Bible is God’s love for you and for all people. This love was revealed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Because Christ died your sins can be forgiven, and because He conquered death you can have eternal life. You can know for sure what will become of you after you die.
You have probably heard the story of God’s love referred to as “the Gospel.” The word Gospel simply means “Good News.” The Gospel is the Good News that, because of what Christ has done, we can be forgiven and can live forever.
But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot be yours unless you willingly accept it. God requires a personal response from you. The following verses from the Bible show God’s part and yours in this process.
God’s love is revealed in the bible
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and complete. And He wants to give you a life which will last forever, even after you experience physical death.
We are sinful
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
You may have heard someone say “I’m only human - nobody’s perfect.” This Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things that we know are wrong. And that’s why we feel estranged from God - because God is holy and good, and we are not.
Sin has a penalty
"For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must pay the penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the penalty of spiritual death. You will not only die physically, you will also be separated from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches that those who choose to remain separated from God will spend eternity in a place called hell.
Christ has paid our penalty!
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good life and do good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that Christ loved you enough to die for you even when you were rebelling against Him.
Salvation is a free gift
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The word grace means undeserved favor. It means God is offering you something you could never provide for yourself; forgiveness of sins and eternal life. God’s gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it. Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
Our Problem - Separation
God created humans in His own image and gave us the ability to have an abundant and enjoyable life. He did not create us as robots that would automatically love and obey Him. He gave us freedom of choice. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve, the first humans, chose to disobey God and go their own willful way. And all humans who have lived since then have made the same choice.
And that includes all of us. The Bible says:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Throughout all of human history, people have sensed their separation from God. They have tried to bridge the gap in many ways . . . without success.
There is only one remedy for this problem of separation:
God’s Remedy - The Cross
Jesus Christ is the only answer to the separation between sinful humans and their holy God. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins and bridged the gap between God and us.
The Bible says, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
God has provided the only way... you must decide whether or not to choose that way...
Our Response - receive Christ and be baptized
We must trust Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
When you trust Jesus Christ and are willing to turn away from sin, you are ready to be baptized. To be baptized means to be dipped or immersed in water.
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
Baptism is a commitment you make to God in becoming a Christian. You are “buried” in water, representing the fact that your sins and old way of life are put to death. Then you are “raised” from the water, just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so that you may live a new life for God.
“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
When you give your life to God, He washes your soul clean of sin and fills you with His Spirit, making you His child. You look the same on the outside, but you are new on the inside.
“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 TLB)
Is there any good reason why you cannot receive Jesus Christ right now?
What you must do:
- Believe - We are brought to faith by God’s Holy Inspired Word. We believe that Christ is the Son of the living God, and that He died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day. Christ’s blood covers our sins and allows us to be adopted into the family of God as His heirs and co-heirs with Him.
(John 3:36) Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (Romans 1:16) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first the Jew, then for the Gentile.
(Romans 10:17) (Hebrews 11:1-6) (John 3:16) (Matthew 16:13-16)
-
Confess - We openly declare our faith in Christ. We do this not only in speech but with our actions.
(Romans 10:9) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Matthew 10:32) (Mark 8:38) (Romans 10:9-10, 13)
- Repent - We sincerely desire to turn away from anything that displeases God, willingly choosing to live in accordance with His Word and His will. (2 Corinthians 7:10) Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
(Luke 13:3) I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
(Acts 2:37-38)
- Be Baptized - Through the obedience of our faith we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus by being immersed for the remission of sins. This act of obedience yields the gift of the Holy Spirit as it is the means by which we, having died to sin, are buried with Christ, and are raised with Him to walk in the newness of Life. (Acts 2:38) Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Mark 16:16) Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Romans 6:14) (Colossians 3:1-4) (Galatians 3:26-28)
- Live the New Life - As Christians we live a life that will give credibility to our witness and strength to the body of Christ as we labor to advance His Kingdom. We live a life that magnifies Christ and exhorts His body.
(John 14:23) Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
(Hebrews 12:12-15) (Hebrews 3:12-14) (1st Peter 1:13-16)
You have eternal life
“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.” (1 John 5:12-13)