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Dear Reader:
What would be your answer to the above question? This
message was written to give you encouragement and hope
for a better life now, and how you can have assurance
of eternal life to come. God says that you do not have
to be doomed to separation from Him in Hell because
He has provided a way for you to enjoy the blessings
of Heaven and eternal life! In other words, you can
know where
you will spend eternity. In the next few paragraphs,
I would like to explain to you how you can have eternal
life and enjoy the blessings of Heaven forever! God
has given to us a salvation plan: a way in which we
can be delivered from future judgement and condemnation.
This plan is referred to as "The Gospel of Jesus Christ."
We
Are All In This Together!
It is important to understand
that you, as well as everyone who has ever been born,
are a sinner. In other words, we all do things that
offend God or that break His commandments. That is,
of course, with the exception of Jesus Christ. More
on this later. We humans are sinners by nature. We are
also sinners by choice (i.e. we choose to sin
and do wrong things). God did not intend for people
to ever have to be separated from Him. People were given
a choice between obeying God (eternal life) or disobeying
Him (death). People chose to ignore God and sinned.
From Adam, the original man, the choice to sin was made.
Now the sinful nature of Adam has been passed on to
all mankind.
"For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
""Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned." (Roman 5:12)
Yes, man has a problem with sin. You and I have
a problem with sin because we are Adam's offspring.
Unless sin is dealt with, it will eventually separate
us from God forever! Man owes a sin-debt, and that debt
must be paid! Sin must be paid for, but sinful man cannot
pay for this debt through his own efforts. One sinful
man cannot die for another sinful man. We are all sinners
and therefore, have no hope within ourselves.
"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." (Ephesians
2:8-9)
God Loves You!
God loves the sinner. It doesn't matter
where you are in life; You are loved! It doesn't matter
where you have been or what you have done; You are loved!
I would like to introduce you to this One who loves you.
His name is Jesus. Jesus is the One:
- That the Jewish prophets foretold
would come as Messiah or Savior.
- That Holidays such as Easter and
Christmas and even the Jewish Passover are meant to
reveal.
- Who has changed millions and millions
of lives in such miraculous ways that even the skeptics
marvel.
- Who loves you so much that He was
willing to take upon Himself human form, come to this
earth, and give Himself as a sacrifice by dying upon
a cross.
"And we have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love: and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (Ezekiel
18:4)
God Hates Sin!
God not only is perfect and cannot
sin, but He hates sin! He knows what sin can do and has
done to mankind. Sin is responsible for the pain, the
ugly, and the bad in this world. Sin originated with Satan
and was passed to each of us through our first parents,
Adam and Eve. God has said in His Word that sin must be
punished. His requirement for sin is death.
"The soul that sinneth, it
shall die..." (Ezekiel 18:4)
God's Solution to our problem!
Whether one tries to do better,
turn over a new leaf, become religious, etc., man already
has sin to his record. The only way this sin can be paid
for is through the right type of payment. What is that
payment? God ordained that a sinless offering must be
sacrificed to remove mankind's sin debt.
"For He (God the Father) hath
made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us (mankind) who (Jesus)
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God (be saved) in Him (Jesus)." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
This is where Jesus comes in. This is why Jesus
came to this earth and took upon Himself a human's body.
This is why He died on the cross. That's right! God is
the only one who can do anything about man's sin problem.
No human being, other than Jesus, lived a sinless life.
Just as in the Old Testament day when God required an
innocent animal to be sacrificed for the guilty person,
in like manner, God required an innocent, sinless, perfect
sacrifice for mankind's sin. That sacrifice was God's
own Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus is God in the flesh,
which means that He simply took upon Himself an earthly
body in order to identify with man and to die in our place.
"For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
"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. For the scripture saith; Whosoever
beliveth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved." (Romans 10:9-13)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ was given
to mankind in order that they might be saved and that
their lives would be changed forever. The hope it offers
is yours not through religious deeds, not through ceremonies
or rituals, and not through any human deed. It is yours
only through faith. That's right! It is through your faith
in Jesus and the work He did on the cross when He died
for you that will make you right with God.
Man's Dilemma!
- All of us, all mankind, have sinned.
- God loves the sinner, but He hates
sin.
- God cannot allow sin to go unpunished.
God has no choice. He also cannot allow any sin in
His presence. One person cannot die for or save another
because we are all sinners.
- If we were to die in this state
of sin, we would die forever, separated from God and
our eternal destiny would be Hell!
- God sent His Son (Jesus Christ)
to be the perfect sacrifice and die on a cross for
our sin.
Your
Choice!
Right now, you can choose to
accept or reject God's plan of salvation. Salvation isn't
about being good enough or religious enough. Salvation
is about faith; yes, faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
If you choose to reject God's plan of salvation, you need
to do nothing. However, if you choose to accept God's
plan of salvation, you can do so by saying a prayer to
Him like the following:
"Lord Jesus, I admit to you that
I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But,
I believe that You died on the cross to pay the debt
for my sin. Lord Jesus, please into my heart and life,
take control of my life, and forgive me for all of
my sins. I repent of my sins and am placing my trust
in You for my salvation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
Remember that it is not the
prayer that saves you, but the blood of Jesus that
saves the soul . By the prayer to God, you are simply
letting Him know that you receive for yourself what
Jesus did for you!
My friend, what I have shared with you is the most
wonderful story of all. It is a story of hope, of
love, and of eternal life! It is the story of Jesus
Christ, of who He is, and what He has done in order
to provide a better life for you now and a future
life in the world to come. The message is simple and
God has done all that is necessary to provide for
your eternal salvation. All you have to do is believe
and accept it for yourself!
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