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Do you know for sure if you died today that you would go to heaven? You can know this without a doubt.
The Bible tells us we are separated from God because of sin and there is nothing we can do to make up for it, nothing. In fact God is so holy (pure and perfect in every way) and just that He must punish sin. According to the scriptures the punishment for sin is hell (Matthew 10:28, Mark 9:43). Ephesians 2:1 tells us that we are spiritually dead and enemies of God if we do not know Christ.
We do not have the capability to get right with God, to make up for our sin against Him. Even our best effort falls very short of the holiness of God. Isaiah 64:6 states, All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. We would have to be perfect to save ourselves, not one evil or lustful thought, not one selfish act; we would have to be absolutely perfect. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:48
No matter how hard we try, we can't stop sinning. And even if we could stop sinning, there would still be sin in our past that we would need to atone for. Under God's law the only atonement for sin is the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11). Since we can't shed our own blood and still live, how can we be saved from our sin?
Because God loves us and is merciful, and created us to be in fellowship with Him (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), He sent His son Jesus Christ to be that punishment for us. John 3:16 says, 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. Jesus has taken our place for the punishment we deserve for transgressing a perfectly holy and just God. Jesus Christ died a horrible and painful death on a cross so we could be free from eternal damnation and separation from God. Through the shedding of Christ's blood for us, we are not only saved from an eternity of suffering in hell, but we are given access to God and a place with Him in heaven (Hebrews 9:28, 10:8-10).
Jesus Christ purchased our freedom and access to God as a gift for us and we have access to that gift by having faith in the one who paid our price. This is not merely believing Christ lived and died and rose again. Even the devil believes in Christ. We must be willing to step away from our sin and put our trust in Christ and Christ alone for our eternal salvation.
So how is one saved?
You can receive the gift of eternal life with God by asking Jesus to be the Lord of your life.
You can pray this prayer (or a similar one) right now:
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to earth to save me
Thank you for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin
I need you in my life more than anything
I'm tired of living my life the way I've been living
I want to turn over control of my life to you
I want you to be the Lord of my life, not me
I am sorry for my sin, the sin that sent you to the cross
I turn away from it and turn to you
I accept your free gift of eternal life
Amen
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of your life, you not only received the gift of eternal life, but you have also received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth through the Bible, which is the word of God (John 16:13).
If you are not already in a Bible believing and teaching church it is important that you find one. Part of God's plan for believers is for them to be united by the Holy Spirit in fellowship with one another in the church (1 Corinthians 12:27, Acts 2:42, Hebrews 10:25).
If you have through this ministry just received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please send us an e-mail so that we can rejoice with you and pray for you.
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