The Most Important Decision of Your Life
(What Does It Mean To Be Saved?)
God loves you and wants you to know Him and have a relationship with Him. The bible tells us that each and every created being has an inner curiosity that prompts them to ask questions like: What is life? Why am I here? What is my purpose? When I die, is that all there is or is there something beyond this life?
The concept of God is a "difficulty" every single individual has to deal with. Believing in something you cannot see touch or feel is difficult and often beyond most people's ability to accept. The bible tells us that when people are faced with questions regarding God and mortality, that they either seek answers or they will try to fill their lives with activity that will keep them busy enough that they can shut out questions of life, God, mortality and the purpose of their existence.
The bible contains many scriptural references to this condition and it also provides detailed descriptions of what it is that blocks the mind of the individual and interferes with their ability to perceive and to know God.
Our perception of our world is limited by our 5 physical senses. Many people, even those who don't have a relationship with God have the sense that there is something beyond what they can perceive. The bible makes it clear that life is more than what is perceived in the physical realm. The bible declares that the universe is governed by both physical and spiritual laws. Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.
God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life.
God's Love
"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 NIV).
God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?
Because...
Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.
Man Is Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
Man Is Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
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This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion - but he inevitably fails.
The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf. . . .
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.
He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6).
​This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough just to know these three laws...
We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)
We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).
When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth
(Read John 3:1-8)
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
These two circles represent two kinds of lives:
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Which circle best describes your life?
Which circle would you like to have represent your life?
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer
(Prayer is talking to God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The prayer which leads to salvation is not a specific recipe of words and ritual but rather, it is your opportunity to ask God to come into your life and save your soul.
The following is offered as an example of the kind of prayer many have used to welcome Christ into their lives.
"Dear Lord Jesus, I don't fully understand what it means to be saved or how it will change my life but I come in faith, asking You, the One our Father used to reveal His heart to mankind, to save me. I have been told that you died for the sin of all of mankind in order to redeem them and to make possible eternal life in heaven when our lives on earth are finished. I have been told that I am included among those you died for and I thank You for Your painful and costly sacrifice for me.
I am sorry for my sin. I have lived my life as if I am the God of my life and when I am truthful with myself, I have to admit that I haven't done a very good job. I don't have the skill or wisdom to know or to do what is best in my life and I don't understand spiritual things but I have been told that You will help me to grow in my understanding of these things. Please help me. I am sorry that I ignored those little hints and not so little hints that You gave me along the way that made me think about You. Thank you for the way You kept sending those hints. I'm glad You never gave up on trying to reach me.
Jesus, I need You. I open my heart to You and acknowledge You as my God and Savior. Help me to surrender my life to You and lead me into that which is best for the life You have given me."
I don't know if this prayer will be helpful to you. Many have prayed prayers with fewer words that have worked just as well. Remember, it isn't the words as much as it is the intent of the one praying the prayer. It's the speaking of the prayer to God as you repent of your sin, confessing to Him that you have lived as if you were God of your life, believe in the redemption that was accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and receive the Holy Spirit into your heart and you will be saved.
If this prayer doesn't express the desire of your heart, then use it as a general reference for the prayer you choose to pray.
Most important of all, don't put off the praying of this prayer. I encourage you to pray this prayer right now, and God the Father, as a result of the completed work of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, by means of the Holy Spirit, will come into your life and save your soul.
If you have prayed this prayer with faith and sincerity, you will begin to sense His presence in your life. Please obtain a bible and spend time reading. You will find that the words of the bible will have more meaning than you ever imagined. This occurs as a result of the Holy Spirit being present in your life and this all happens as a result of your choosing to believe in Jesus Christ, the one who died for you.
Please pray that others, throughout the world will stumble upon our website and pray this prayer themselves.
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