|
|
|
|
JESUS THE ONLY WAY
Some people think it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. But without a valid object your faith is useless. For example, if you take poison thinking it's medicine, all the faith in the world won't restore your life. In the same way, if Jesus is the only source of salvation, and you are trusting in anyone or anything else for your salvation, then your faith is useless.
Many people assume that there are many paths to God and that all religions represent an aspect of truth. But Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6). Notice! He didn't claim to be one of many equally legitimate ways to God, or the way to God for His day only. He clamed to be the only way to God; then and forever.
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. The Bible says we were created by a personal God. The Bible also says that we are to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. May I say, the New Testament reveals that it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore He owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). He has authority over our lives, and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
In Romans 10:9 we read, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Confessing Jesus as Lord means surrendering to His authority (Philippians 2:10-11), and believing that God raised Him from the dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection.
Who does the Bible say Jesus is? The living and true God, the Holy One, the Savior, the only valid object of saving faith, the Sovereign Lord, the righteous Judge.
Dear friend, the important question is who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question you must answer. He alone can redeem you, free you from the power and penalty of your sins. He alone can transform you, restore you to fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose. Will you trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and repent of your sins? I pray that you will. If you have already placed your faith in Christ, then give Him reign over ever area of your life. Then watch God's grace and power transform you into Christ likeness.
THE ROMAN ROAD
You won't find it on a map, but a highway to heaven does exist. "The Roman Road" is explained in the book of Romans in the Bible, and it tells how to go to heaven.
The road begins at Romans 1:16. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." God is the source for our journey to heaven. He gives power for salvation to all who believe.
We need God's power because we have a problem with sin. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "Sin" means missing the mark or missing God's intended destination for us. None of us can reach that destination on our own because everyone is a sinner.
When we work, we earn money. Sin earns wages as well-- wages of death. Because God loves all sinners, He has provided another route: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
The highway to heaven is found in Romans 10:9. "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." We need to confess our sin and ask God for forgiveness. To confess Jesus as Lord involves agreeing with God about your sin and your need for salvation. You must repent of your sin, turning away from the direction in life in which you are going. To "believe in your heart" is to place your faith in Jesus alone, trusting that He died on the cross to pay for your sins. "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
If you would like to have salvation in Jesus Christ, sincerely pray a prayer like this one; Dear God, I confess to You my sin and need of salvation. I turn away from my sin and place my faith in Jesus and Him alone as my Savior and Lord. Amen.
Share your faith in Jesus with a Christian friend or pastor. Becoming a Christian is your first step on the lifelong road of spiritual growth and service God desires for you. Follow Christ in believer's baptism and join a local Christ centered Bible believing church.THE ABC's OF SALVATION
God’s plan of salvation is simple enough for everyone to understand. Here are the ABC’s of salvation.
Ø ADMIT to God that you are a sinner. Each of us has a problem the Bible calls sin. Sin is a refusal to acknowledge God’s authority over our lives. Everyone who does not live a life of perfect obedience to the Lord is guilty of sin. Since none of us is perfect, all of us are sinners. [For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God] (Romans 3:23). We all need salvation.
Ø The result of sin is spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death means eternal separation from God. By God’s perfect standard we are guilty of sin and therefore subject to the punishment for sin, which is separation from God and a devil’s hell. Admitting that you are a sinner and separated from God is the first step of repentance, which is turning from sin and self and turning toward God.
Ø BELIEVE in Jesus Christ alone as God’s Son and receive Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness from sin. Although we have done nothing to deserve His love and salvation. God wants to save us. In the death of Jesus on the cross, God provided salvation for all who would repent of their sins and believe in Jesus. [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).
Ø CONFESS your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10). After you have received Jesus Christ into your life, share your commitment to Christ with other Christians. Join a Bible believing Church, and ask for baptism as a public expression of your faithCROSSROADS
Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” [Matthew 7:13-14]. In that statement, Jesus was calling people to put their faith in Him for eternal salvation and to follow Him as Lord.
Jesus Himself stands at the crossroads of man’s destiny and demands a deliberate choice of life or death, heaven or hell. The Lord requires that each person choose between following the world on the easy, well-traveled road or following Him on the difficult, less traveled road. The choices are clear-cut.
Each individual must choose which way he or she will go. Have you repented of your sins and committed you life to Christ? If you have, rejoice--- He will be faithful to complete the work that He has begun in your life, no matter what your present difficulties may be [Philippians 1:6]. If you’re still standing outside the gate, traveling the broad road, don’t delay any longer. Come to Christ and enter into eternal life.THE NEW BIRTH
Jesus said, “you must be born again” (John 3:7). It is not a suggestion; it is a commandment. It is not an ideal that we can toy with; it is absolutely urgent and necessary—we must be born again. The new birth is instantaneous; it is not a process. There may be a process of preparation; you may have a desire to know God or a concern about getting rid of sin. But the birth itself is instantaneous, supernatural and permanent.
Once you are born, you can’t be unborn. You may be disobedient; you may not grow as you should, but you cannot be unborn. Our spiritual birth is a permanent, supernatural birth, and there is urgency to it. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3). May I say the god of this world blinds those who believe not. You must be born again not only to see the kingdom of God, but to enter the kingdom of God as well. “Except a man be born of water [physical birth] and of the Spirit [spiritual birth] he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (v. 5).
When you were born the first time, you entered into the kingdom of sin and Satan. You now live according to the course of this world, and follow the dictates of Satan. But when you enter into the kingdom of God through regeneration, then you become a part of that kingdom which is eternal and glorious. The Bible says the only way to escape eternal judgment is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. “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” (v. 16).
Have you been thinking about this? Has God been talking to you? The reality of the new birth is that you can change; God will change you when you trust Christ. The simplicity of the new birth is that it is not through religion or good works, but through trusting the Savior. The urgency of the new birth is that you must be born again. If the Spirit of God has been talking to you about this, then open your heart now to Jesus Christ. The Bible says, for today is the day of salvation. Take note; there is no promise that we will have a tomorrow.Jesus is the Judge
All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day face Him as their Judge. "God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31).
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
The Bible also says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Dear friend are you in Christ Jesus? Have you been truly born again? Have you repented of your sins? Only you know the answer to these questions. May I say, if you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you face an eternity separated from God. In a place the Bible says, "was prepared for the devil and his angels." A place described as a lake of everlasting fire, "where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Note! God's perfect Word concerning salvation; "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation....For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-10,13)How can a person have God’s forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Savior and Lord? By trusting in Christ alone, and asking Him for forgiveness. Take the step of faith [Forsaking All I Trust Him]. Receive Christ NOW for the Bible says today is the day of salvation (you have no promise of a tomorrow). Tell someone, join a Bible believing Church, where the gospel is preached and the Bible is taught. Grow in your faith and enjoy the freedom that only Christ can give.
bravenet.com
