Are you saved?
The central theme of the Bible is God's love for you and for all people.
This love was revealed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the
world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose
from the dead. Because Christ died, your sins can be forgiven, and because
He conquered death you can have eternal life. You can know for sure what
will become of you after you die.
You have probably heard the story of God's love referred to as the
"Gospel." The word Gospel simply means "Good News." The Gospel is the Good
News that, because of what Christ has done, we can be forgiven and can
live forever. But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot be
yours unless you willingly accept it. God requires an individual response
from you. The following verses from the Bible show God's part and yours in
this process:
God's love is revealed in the Bible
“For 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
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and complete.
And He wants to give you a life, which will last forever, even after you
experience physical death.
We are sinful
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human--nobody's perfect." This
Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things that
we know are wrong. And that's why we feel estranged from God -- because
God is holy and good, and we are not.
Sin has a penalty
“For the wages of sin is death.” —Romans 6:23
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must pay
the penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the
penalty of spiritual death: You will not only die physically; you will
also be separated from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches
that those who choose to remain separated from God will spend eternity in
a place called hell.
Christ has paid our penalty!
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the
penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good life and
do good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that Christ
loved you enough to die for you, even when you were rebelling against Him.
Salvation is a free gift
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one
can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9
The word grace means "undeserved favor." It means God is offering you
something you could never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and
eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a
gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it, believe with all your
heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
You must receive Him
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God.” —John 1:12
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God, and
have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything.
The Christian life is a personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ.
And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.
Taken from "Your Christian Life" 1965, 1968, as "Aids to Christian
Living," 1986 as "Practical Steps in Christian Living," 1995 as "Beginning
Your Christian Life," 1997 as "Your Christian Life," Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association.
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