The Bible says that we can...

"these things have I written...that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 Jo 5:13)

#1 God...  

The Bible tells us that God is holy:

"...holy, holy, holy is the Lord..." (Is 6:3)

#2 Why we were created...

God created man to honor, serve, and fellowship with Him.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deut 6:5)

"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Rev 4:11)

"Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31)

#3 Our Problem...

Man chose to sin against God rather than to serve Him.

"...all have sinned..." (Romans 3:23)

What does it mean to sin against God?  Sin is breaking God’s law...

"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." (1 Jo 3:4)

We sin by going against God's law - doing what God has commanded us not to do, or by not doing what God has told us to do.

#4 Sin's Penalty...

The Bible says...

"the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23)

When man chose to disobey God the result was death (defined as a separation). The Bible teaches that there are two deaths:

1. The first death is the one with which we are all familiar: when we physically die and leave this earth.

"...it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..." (Heb 9:27)

We will all die physically. At this point our souls are separated from our bodies. But after death is a time of judgment before God which no one will escape. God will then cast all sinners into the lake of fire. This is referred to as the second death and involves a complete separation of the person from God.

"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev 21:8)

2. The second death is physical as well as spiritual. Sinners' souls and bodies will be reunited and cast into hell to be separated from God finally and eternally. Hell will be a place of total torment, both spiritually and physically.

"...you...were dead in trespasses and sins..." (Ephesians 2:1)

The writer said that they once were dead. This is a reference to spiritual death. At one point they had been spiritually dead even though they were physically alive. This spiritual death (separation from God) occurred because of sin.

"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)

Sin causes spiritual death and spiritual death causes a person to be separated from God.

The reality is that all men are already separated from God (spiritually) and do not have a relationship with Him. In addition, after man's physical death he will never be able to establish a relationship with God, because after death comes judgment.

#5 God's Love...

The Bible tells us:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

This verse refers to Jesus as God's "Son." The fact that Jesus is referred to as God's Son does not mean He is less than God. We are the sons (and daughters) of our earthly fathers and that makes us just as human as our fathers. Jesus' Sonship means that He is equal to God. Jesus is God!

Again, we read in the Bible that Jesus is the:

"radiance of His [God the Father's] glory and the exact representation of His nature..." (Heb 1:3)

Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God because He and God the Father share the same nature. Jesus was uniquely suited to reveal to mankind what God is like because "No man has seen God at any time" but Jesus, God's Son "has declared [God]." (Jo 1:18)

God sent Jesus to the earth so that we could understand who God is and have a relationship with Him. Therefore, we can come to know God through Jesus Christ.

The fact that God sent Jesus Christ to the earth illustrates two more characteristics about God:

"God so loved the world, that he gave his only... Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Because of our sin we deserve everlasting punishment in Hell. But Jesus came and died so that we could have eternal life. Because Jesus is God He is holy. The Bible tells us that He is sinless and that He did not sin even while he was on this earth (Jesus "knew no sin" according to 2 Corinthians 5:21). Since Jesus was not a sinner, and because He is God, He should have lived forever in His human body. But the Bible records for us the awful account of Jesus' death. Men took Christ and hung Him on a cross. On the cross He died as any other human.

However, after three days Jesus rose from the dead and is living right now.

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and...He was buried, and...He rose again the third day..." (1 Cor 15:3–4)

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8)

Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection prove that God loves us and has provided a way that His holy and just nature can be satisfied. God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to come down to this earth, specifically to die! You see, God tells us:

"Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God..." (1 Peter 3:18)

In both of these verses it says that "Christ did for our sins" and "Christ...suffered for sins."

But the last verse explains why. Christ died: "the just for (in the place of) the unjust." Jesus Christ did not die because He had to, but rather He died in our place so that He might"bring us to God." You and I deserved the punishment for our sins and the death. Yet the Bible tells us that Christ took our place and He died even though He did not deserve to die.

Just like our national laws have punishments attached for those who break them, so God's Law demands that a penalty is paid. The Bible says, "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23). The penalty which we deserve because of our sin is death and Hell. Jesus paid that penalty–He died in our place so that God's Law could be satisfied. Holiness is the standard that was broken. Justice seeks proper punishment when the Law is broken. But God's love provided an alternative. Jesus, in His love for you, took your penalty upon Himself so that you would not need to suffer for your own sins. The Bible tells us:

"But he [Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions [sins], he was bruised for our iniquities [sins]...and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

This payment which Christ made on your behalf is complete. The Bible says:

"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7)

This verse tells us all our sins were paid for by Christ. To think that you need to earn your salvation by good deeds (impossible) or keep your salvation by good deeds impossible) is to distrust what God said in this verse.

God is loving and has provided a way that you can have a relationship with Him and live with Him forever in Heaven. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to the earth so that He would take the penalty of your sin upon Himself.

So then, can we do anything to earn this salvation?...

not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us... (Titus 3:5)

God will not save us because of our good works. We cannot do enough good things to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift which He offers you and me.

"For by grace (God’s goodness) are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast" (Eph 2:8–9)

If eternal life could be earned by doing good deeds, then we would have something about which to be proud. But God says eternal life comes by faith in His grace and if we are counting on our good deeds, or on being a good person, we are not trusting in His goodness. Nor are we to trust in His goodness plus our good works. We must see that salvation comes only by God’s grace. We cannot earn eternal life.

Then how can we be saved from our sins and have eternal life?

#6 Our Response...

If eternal life is a gift which God offers to us freely, based upon Christ’s work on the cross, how are we to obtain this life? The Bible tells us that we must receive it. Just like you would reach out and accept a gift given to you by someone else, so we receive eternal life from God by faith. The Bible tells us:

"But as many as received Him [Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name..." (John 1:12)

We receive this gift by believing that what God said is right. Notice the passage speaks of believing and receiving. God gives us eternal life when we receive Christ as our Savioiur. Receiving Christ means that we believe that God's payment for our sins was completely paid by Jesus Christ on the cross. That means we are to believe God’s word in what He said about Christ and Christ’s death and make it personal.

In order to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, you must repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone as the only hope of eternal life. The Bible says...

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away..." (Acts 3:19)

Repentance is remorse for your sin, recognizing that it is sin which condemns you. The Bible makes it clear that all people are going their own way...doing their own thing in defiance to God. Repentance is a change of mind toward God and a willingness to do what pleases Him.

In order to have a relationship with God and to know that you are going to heaven when you die, you must: 1) believe you are a sinner deserving of hell, 2) repent of this condition, 3) believe that Christ died to take your penalty of sin upon Himself and is willing to forgive you, and 4) in faith, call upon Him as your Master and Saviour.

#7 God's Promise...

Jesus Christ said…

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5:24)

This verse has one promise with three parts. The person who believes: Has eternal life,...does not come into judgment,...has passed from death into life.

Won't you receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Master today?

Why not pray right now and ask God to save you by receiving Christ as your Saviour?

A prayer  in itself does not save anyone - people can easily say words and not mean them in their hearts. It is faith in the Person of Christ which saves us. However, if you really believe in Christ and what He has done for you, you can express your faith in the form of a prayer like this:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner and that I deserve Hell. I believe that Christ died and rose again to provide a place for me in heaven with you. I confess my sins to you and ask that you would forgive me for my sins and give me eternal life through Jesus Christ, my Saviour and my Master.

Why not pray something similar right now! If you receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour, He will give you New LIfe!

Contact Us...

If you trusted Christ as your Saviour and Master today we would like to hear from you, and rejoice with you, and help you to grow in your New Life!...

Or, if you would like further counsel about how to be saved...Please feel free to contact: Pastor Darren Hammermeister.

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