The Bible contains both bad news and good news. The bad news is something about YOU. The good news is something about GOD.
The Bad News
We are all sinners
Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
"Sinned" means that we have missed the mark. When we lie, hate, lust, or gossip, we have missed the standard that God has set.
Suppose you and I were each to throw a rock and try to hit the North Pole. You might throw farther than me, but neither of us would hit it. When the Bible ways "All have sinned and come short," it means that we have all come short of God's standard of perfection.
In thoughts, words, and deeds, we haven't been perfect.
But the bad news gets worse...
The penalty for sin is death
Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death"
Suppose you worked for me and I paid you $50. That $50 was your wage; that's what you earned. The Bible says that by sinning we have earned death. That means we deserve to die and be separated from God forever.
Since there was no way we could come to God, the Bible says that God came to us!
Good News
Christ died for you
Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Suppose you in are in a hospital dying of cancer. I come to you and say, "Let's take the cancer cells from your body and put them into my body." If that were possible, What would happen to me? What would happen to you?
I would die and you would live. I would die in your place.
The Bible says Christ took the penalty that we deserved for sin, placed upon Himself, and died in our place. Three days later Christ came back to life to prove that sin and death had been conquered and that His claims to be God were true.
Just as the bad news gets worse, the good news gets better!You can be saved through faith in Christ
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Faith means trust
Q. What must you trust Christ for?
A. You must depend on Him alone to forgive you and to give you eternal life
Just as you trust a chair to hold you through no effort of your own, so you must trust Jesus Christ to get you to heaven through no effort of your own.
But you may say
- "I'm religious."
- "I go to church."
- "I help the poor"
- "I don't do anything that's really bad."
These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor, or any other good thing you might do can't get you to heaven. You must trust in Jesus Christ alone, and God will give you eternal life as a gift.
There is nothing more important than your need to trust Christ. Would you like to tell God you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior? If you would, why not pray right now and tell God you are trusting His Son?
Those who place their trust in Jesus become God's children; and as heirs to heaven are promised the eternal pleasure of glorifying God. As our life here on earth progresses, God will continue to work in our hearts, daily changing and conforming us into the image of Christ, Himself. We will begin to live lives of righteousness. Obedience to God will not be a burden to us, but rather a joy.
The invitation to place your trust in Jesus Christ by faith is open to all. Friend, if you are not a child of God, we pray that today would be the day of salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 says, "That 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 heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Remember! It's not a prayer that saves you. It is trusting Jesus Christ that saves you. Prayer is simply how you tell God what you are doing.
What next?
Having trusted Christ as your only way to heaven, here's how to grow in your relationship with Him.
- Tell God what's on your mind through prayer (Philippians 4:6,7)
- Study the Bible to learn more about Him and learn from Him ( 2 Timothy 3:16,17)
- Locate a Bible-based church that soundly preaches and follows the Word and rejoice in the fellowship of other Christians (Hebrews 10:24,25)
- Tell others about Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:19)