The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Do you know Jesus? I’m sure you may have heard the name spoken of before, and while this is the case, it is important that I make sure you understand who He is and what He did during His time here on earth. Some refer to Christ as a prophet. Others believed Him to be a wisdom teacher. Still others believe He was a mystic who used magic and mysticism to heal the sick, and even raise the dead. However, none of these denoted who He is in His fullness.
In fact, Jesus is God. He is the second person of the triune God of all creation. One God – three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Philippians 2:7-8 says, “Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
See, we humans have been in quite the predicament, we have been separated from God due to sin. When God created the world, everything was in harmony, and it was “good (Genesis 1)”. However, a deception occurred, and sin entered the world. This severed our relationship with God. It also separated us from being able to live in eternal glory with Him once we pass on from this life to the next. Those who live in sin will be sentenced to eternity in hell. Those who have had their sin forgiven will live in heaven for eternity.
I’m sure you’re wondering how to have your sins forgiven if you’ve been separated from God due to your sin. I’ve got good news! That’s what Jesus came for! He lived a perfect, sinless life, but was still crucified for our sin. He did so willingly so that we would have a way of being reconciled to God. The Bible says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).”
We can’t get into heaven by being a good person. The determining factor for whether we go to heaven or hell is whether we believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins. If we believe this and confess such, we will be saved. When we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins, He does so. The Bible says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9).”
The belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the forgiveness of sin allows us to be reconciled to the God of all creation, and rather than wait until heaven, allows us the opportunity to grow closer to Him now. This is important! I’m sure you know who Lebron James is, most people do. However, if you knocked on his door and asked to come in, he probably wouldn’t allow you to do so because he doesn’t know you. The same is so for God. The Bible says, “‘Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter (Matthew 7:21).”
What is God’s will? Jesus says, “‘For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. (John 6:40a).” God wants to be reconciled to you. He wants to be the guiding light in your life. He wants to spend eternity with you. He created you for this moment—to come into relationship with Him. Do you believe? It’s time to make that confession of faith!
You will be saved if you say the following prayer and mean it from the bottom of your heart.