|
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT JESUS Paul wrote in Romans 3:22-23... "...righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Jesus Himself said in John 14:6-7... "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." So, Jesus is our way of connecting to God and becoming righteous in His sight. God created us to have a relationship with Him, but we blew it when we sinned. Eve was the first person to mess things up, then Adam, and according to the Bible, we have all blown it - we have all sinned. And our sin separates us from God, who is sinless. But Jesus Christ alone has exercised the power to bring us back together again. Paul wrote in 1st Tiimothy 2:5-6... "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..." Paul called Jesus a mediator, because He is the one who reconciles us to God. He did this by dying in our place, even though we were the ones who deserved to die. He was crucified - hung on a cross, where He died a shameful and extremely painful death. Romans 5:8 says... "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ came to this earth in human form, lived a sinless life, and then died for us. He died on the cross, taking our sins upon him. Why did someone have to die? Romans 6:23 says... "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The result of sin is death. Obviously you've noticed that everyone dies, even people who believe in Jesus and commit their lives to him. But even though their physical body dies, the spirits of those who follow Jesus Christ live on eternally with Him in Heaven. Jesus rose to life three days after he was crucified and He lives still today! WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? According to the Bible, there are three things you must do to become a child of God and inherit eternal life (which some refer to as "being saved"): ADMIT, BELIEVE, and CONFESS Admit to God that you are a sinner, that you have done wrong things, and that you need His forgiveness. Believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God - that He died on the cross for you and rose to life three days later. Confess that Jesus is your Lord - commit your life and your ways to Him. You can follow these three steps in a simple prayer to God. If you haven't prayed much before, it's a lot like talking to a friend. God is listening, and He wants you to talk to Him. Whether you do it aloud or silently, God will hear you. So, if you're ready, go ahead. God wants to be reconciled to you today. That's why Jesus went to such great lengths for you! God loves you. Jesus said in John 3:16... "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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." SEARCH THE BIBLE ON YOUR OWN By the way, you won't find the A-B-C steps listed on a page of the Bible. We've just summarized God's plan for you as an introduction to knowing Him personally. We encourage you to search it out and discover what the Bible says about Jesus for yourself. Skeptical? Then don't take our word for it. Start reading the Bible yourself. If you're looking for a place to start, we suggest the book of John. It's all about Jesus.
|