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Most
people look at the Bible as a book that
contains many interesting stories and
teachings. While this is true, the Bible is so
much more -- it's a history (His-story) book,
that contains God's revelation of Himself, and
His redemptive story plan of salvation for
mankind. Sadly generations of people have been
brought up to see the Bible as a
fairy tail book written by man. |
It
is looked upon as a book of teachings that is
not connected to a physical reality. When we
communicate with one another we rely heavily on
words. God also speaks to men through words -- the
words of the Bible. In no other literature we can
find scores of clear and detailed prophecies made by
men claiming to speak from God, and later fulfilled
to the letter. The odds of this happening by chance
are too vast to be taken seriously. Then there is
the Bible's impact on people's lives. No other book
has had such a life-changing power. After 2,000
years no expert in any field has ever disproved a
single statement in the Bible. The reason is this:
All Scripture is God-breathed. We should therefore
accept it not as the word of men, but as it actually
is, the word of God. As you read this article we
would strongly recommend getting out a Bible and
looking up the listed passages as your go through
this, or you can also click on the passage links to
read them.
Apart
from Christ we are helpless and sinful.
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You
see the Bible says that just over 6,000 years
ago God created the heavens and the earth (click
here for answers to a young earth creation)
and everything in them (including Adam &
Eve)...and He saw that what He created was
"very good" (Genesis
1:31). When the first two people were
created, they were perfect. It was a perfect
world. |
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a beautiful place, full of life, without
death, disease, pain or suffering. He created
all of this for His Glory (Isaiah
43:6-7), and even though God was in
control (sustaining) of everything, He gave
man free will. He created mankind in the image
(moral character) of Himself (Genesis
1:27), and put mankind in charge of the
world-- to rule it, to care for it, to be
responsible for it, (Genesis
1:28) and to enjoy all its beauty and
goodness. He appointed mankind to look after
the world, but always under His own authority,
glorifying Him (1
Corn. 10:31) and obeying His directions.
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God
warned Adam in Genesis
2:17 that if he ate of the "tree of
knowledge of good and evil" he would
"die." (Romans
6:23) Before this, man would live forever.
Now the word "die" means to
physically die and also means to spiritually
die (which is a separation from God). Adam and
Eve chose to disobey God and to eat of the
tree of life, and sin entered the world (Gen
3:6). |
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"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." (Romans
5:12) |
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God
cursed the world and that perfect creation began to
degenerate, that is suffer death and decay (Romans
8:22). Death and suffering on our earth is due
to sin entering into creation (Click
here to learn more about death and suffering).
The death penalty, which Adam received as judgment
for his sin of rebellion, has also been passed on to
all his descendants (Romans
6:23). So from this point on in creation every
human being on earth is born in sin (Ps.
51:5). By this vary nature we are now all dead
in sin and are objects of God's wrath (Eph.2:1-5)
Now
the crux of the matter is this: if
one accepts there is a God (the
God who has revealed Himself to mankind) who
created us, then that God also owns us. If
this God is the God of the Bible, He owns us and
thus has a right to set the rules by which we must
live. More important, He also tells us in the Bible
that we are in rebellion (sinners) against Him, our
Creator. Sin is a transgression of the Law
(1
John 3:4). In the Greek language of the Bible it
literally means to "miss the mark."
Because of this rebellion (called sin), our physical
bodies are sentenced to death; but we will live on
forever, either with God or without Him in a place
of judgment, called Hell.
But the good
news is that our Creator provided a means of
deliverance for our sin of rebellion, so that those
who come to Him in faith and repentance for their
sin can receive forgiveness of a holy God and spend
eternity with Him. (Click
here to learn the 7 C's of the Biblical History)
I
am a pretty Good Person.
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You
are probably thinking to yourself right now,
"Why am I reading this...I am going to
heaven...I am a pretty good person." Most
people believe that they are going to heaven.
They think they have lived a good life. In
fact, almost everyone thinks they are a good
person. But the question you should be asking
is, "Am I good enough to go to
Heaven?" |
How
good do you have to be to enter into heaven? You
have to be perfect in thought word and deed. You
would have to be perfect, and sinless throughout
your entire life. That is God's standard. And NO ONE
except Jesus Christ has lived up to that standard.
The Bible says no one is good...not even one (Romans
3:10-12 / Matthew
19:17). "All have sinned and fall short of
the Glory of God." Romans
3:23. Even our best efforts at being good
and righteous before God are looked at by God as
filthy rags (Isaiah
64:6). If you claim to be without sin the Bible
says you deceive yourself and even make God out to
be a liar (1
John 1:8-10)
God
in His justice punishes sinners.
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The
Bible also says that it is appointed once for
you to die and then to be judged, (Hebrews
9:27) and on that day of judgment you will
have to give an account of every word you have
spoken (Matthew
12:36-37). Erwin W. Lutzer (Pastor
at Moody Church in Chicago) once said,
"One minute after you die you will be
either elated or terrified, and it will be too
late to reroute your travel plans... |
While
relatives and friends plan your funeral, deciding on
a casket, a burial plot, and who the pallbearers
shall be, you will be more alive than you have ever
been. You will wither see God on his throne
surrounded by angels and redeemed humanity, or you
will feel an indescribable weight of guilt and
abandonment. There is no destination midway between
these two extremes; just gladness or gloom."
Our
God is slow to anger and does not want you to perish
but He being a just God must punish liars, thieves,
adulterers, blasphemers, murders, and all sinners.
Would an earthly judge let a murder go because he
has been a "good person." No, that would
make him a corrupt judge! Our God is a just God and
must punish sinners, but He is slow in anger, and
abounds in love. He urgently calls sinners to turn
from their evils ways (Ezek.
18:30-32 / Ezek
18:21-22 / Isa.
55:6-7).
Knowledge
of sin comes by the law of God.
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One
thing you must be aware of is God's standard
of judgment is different from mans standard.
Man's standard compares himself against other
men. We say I am not as bad as Hitler or as
bad as so and so. But God's standard is found
in Himself; in His Holy righteousness, and
that is found in the 10 Commandments. |
Please
note: The Law of the 10 Commandments was NOT
given to save men (Galatians
2:16), but to measure them! We want you to
understand this clearly, because we believe many
stumble at this point. They are trying to save
themselves by doing good and by trying to keep the
Law; but it was never meant for men to save
themselves by. It is to stop the self-righteous (2
Thess.2:3-4) mouth from justify ourselves by
what we do. "Now we know that what things so
ever the Law says, it says to them who are under the
Law; that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL the
world may become guilty before God."
(Romans
3:19/ Mark
7:21) It is impossible for us to keep the
Law. The Law is meant to show us that we HAVE sinned
against a Holy God. (Romans
7:7), and then to point us to the answer...
which is ONLY found in Christ Jesus (Gal
3:24 / Mark
1:3 / Luke
3:4).
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So,
if you were to die today, and had to appear
before the judgment seat of Christ (2
Corn 5:10) ...realizing that everyone is
going to die someday. In fact, 150,000 people (that
is how many people die in an average day)
will die today, and I assure you the
people who will die today didn't think they
were going to die. In fact, that is 2 people
facing God every second. Again, if you
were to die today...would you be innocent or
guilty before God? Where would you
stand before a Holy, and Just God?
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Let's
take a look at the 10 Commandments (God's standard
of goodness and holiness) and see how you personally
measure up in God's eyes. Read this list with an
open mind and heart and genuinely ask yourself if
you have kept any of these commandments.
1)
You shall have no other God's before me. Have
you always put God first in your life? Jesus said to
love God with all your heart, mind, soul and
strength --so much, that your love for your parents,
brothers and sisters, friends, and even your own
life is like hatred compared to your love and
devotion for God. Have you ever failed to put Him
first in your life?
2)
You shall not make for yourself any idol. Who is
God to you? Is He only a God of love and mercy who
would never judge anyone and never cast anyone into
Hell? If that's your god, then you're right. Your
god couldn't cast anyone into Hell because he
doesn't exist. He's a figment of your imagination.
You've created a god in your own mind that you're
more comfortable with. You may call it your
"personal belief," but God calls it
idolatry. It's the oldest sin in the Book, and the
Bible warns that idolaters will not inherit the
kingdom on heaven (1Corn
6:9-10).
3)
You shall not take the name of God in vain. Have
you ever used God's name as a curse word? if you
have, you've taken the holy name of God -- who gave
you your life, your family, and everything precious
to you -- and used it as a filthy, four-letter word.
Hitler's name wasn't even despised enough to be used
as a curse word! If you have used God's holy name in
that manner, you are a blasphemer and the Bible say,
"God will not hold him guiltless who takes the
name of the Lord in vain." (Exodus
20:7)
4)
Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. God
commands that we set aside one day in seven. Have
you ever been guilty of breaking this Commandment?
(Exodus
20:8-10)
5)
Honor your father and your mother. Have you
always honored your parents in a way that's pleasing
in the sight of God? Ask Him to remind you of the
sins of your youth. You may have forgotten them, but
God hasn't. (Exodus
20:12)
6)
You shall not murder. Most people believe they
haven't broken this one. Jesus warned, "Whoever
is angry with his brother without cause, is in
danger of judgment."
(Matt
5:22) and the Bible says, "He who hates his
brother is a murderer," (1John
3:15). God sees hatred in the heart to be as
wicked as a murderer. We can violate His Law by
attitude and intent. Because God's judgment is by
the heart, and the outward action.
7)
You shall not commit adultery. Yet, another
commandment that most people say they have not
committed is adultery. Jesus again warned, "You
have heard...'You shall not commit adultery.' But I
say to you that whoever looks at a woman to
lust for her has already committed adultery with her
in his heart." (Matthew
5:27-28) Have you ever looked at another person
with lust? The Bible says that adulterers and
fornicators (those who have sex
before marriage) will not enter the kingdom
of heaven.(1Corn
6:9-10).
8)
You shall not steal. Have you ever stolen
anything (even if it was something small)? The value
of the thing stolen doesn't matter; petty theft is
still theft. Have you ever taken anything that
belonged to someone else? If you have, that makes
you a thief.
9)
You shall not lie. Have you ever told a lie?
Then you are a liar. How many murders do you have to
commit to be a murderer? Just one. If you have told
even one lie, that makes you a liar. The Bible warns
that all liars will have their part in the Lake
of fire (Rev.
21:8). You may not think deceitfulness is a
serious sin, but God does.
10)
You shall not covet. This means we should never
desire anything that belongs to another person. Not
their house, nor their car, nor their money, nor
their spouse, nor their lifestyle, nor anything that
belongs to our neighbor. (Exodus
20:17)
We
cannot save ourselves in any way.
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To
top it all off, the Bible says that if you
have broken even just one of these Laws
it is like breaking them all. (James
2:10) So again, where would you
stand before God when you die? Like the
rest of us...GUILTY... a SINNER before a
Just and Holy God!! |
The
punishment for crimes against God is an eternity in
separation from God in Hell.
The Bible also makes it clear that Hell
is not a place to party, it is a place of torment.
Click Here.
Realize that God does not want you to perish. He is
rich in mercy and compassion, and has provided a way
for you to be forgiven. He has invited you to come
to Him for a full pardon and receive the free gift
of Eternal life. You cannot earn it (by
doing good things, or
by attending church), and you do not deserve it,
but God is offering it to you as proof of His love
for you. "For by grace
you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast." -Ephesians
2:8-9 This is called "Grace." Imagine
you are standing in front of a judge, guilty of
multiple serious crimes. All apologies and good
works cannot erase your crimes; therefore you must
be punished. The fine for your crime is one million
dollars or imprisonment, but you don't have two
pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass
sentence when someone you don't even know steps in
and pays the fine for you! The court accepts the
money and declares that you are free to go. The law
has been satisfied, your debt has been paid in full,
and the stranger's sacrifice was a demonstration of
his love for you.
Can
religion help?
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This
is VERY important... Religion can never
satisfy God. Religion is man's attempt to
make himself right with God, but any such
attempt is futile because even man's best
efforts are flawed and so are unacceptable to
God. The Bible could not be clearer: all
our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
God demands perfection; religion fails to meet
the demand. Religion can never remove sin.
Your virtues can never cancel out your vices.
Good deeds can nver remove bad ones. If a
person gets right with God it is not by works,
so that no one can boast. No religious efforts
or experiences - christening, confirmation,
baptism, holy communion, churchgoing,
prayers, gifts, sacrifices of time and effort,
Bible reading or anything else- can cancel out
a single sin. |
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Religion
can never change man's sinful nature. A
person's behavior is not the problem, only the
symptom. The heart of man's problem is the
problem of a man's heart, and by nature man's
heart is corrupt and depraved. Going to church
and taking part in religious ceremonies may
make you feel good, but they cannot make you
good. Some of the the religious activities
mentioned above are obviously 'good' in
themselves. For example, it is right to go the
church, read the Bible and pray, because God
tells us to do these things. But you dare not
rely on them to make you right with God. Not
only are they powerless to do so; trusting in
them actually adds to your sin and to your
condemnation.
So
then...Is there an answer? Yes there is! - and
God has provided it. The central message of
the Bible is summed up in these words: 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).
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Jesus
is the only atonement that is acceptable before God.
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That's
what God did for you 2000 years ago by dying
on the cross in your place. We saw earlier
that a just and holy God must punish sin. But
the Bible also tells us that God is love.
While God hates sin He loves sinners and longs
to forgive them. But how can a sinner be
justly pardoned when God's law demands his
spiritual and physical death? Only God could
solve that problem, and He did so in the
person of Jesus Christ. God the Son became man
by taking upon himself human nature. Although
Jesus became fully man, He remained fully God. |
He
remained as completely God as if he had not become
man; he became as completely man as if He were not
God. Jesus Christ is therefore unique and the Bible
confirms that in many ways. The Bible says that the
God of the Universe became a man (Jesus Christ) born
of a virgin (he had no human father but was
conceived in a virgin's womb by the Holy Spirit) to
fulfill prophecy, and suffered and died on the cross
for your sins and mine so that we could be set free.
Then He rose again from the dead and defeated death (1
Corn 15:20-26) showing that He has power over
ALL things including death which is the "last
enemy" (1
Corinthians 15:26) of God. His dying on the
cross finally produced the effectual blood atonement
that had been shrouded in mystery for all the ages,
and His resurrection was the proof that God accepted
it. Jesus' death therefore provided for us what
the blood of bulls and goats could never accomplish:
a full and acceptable atonement for sin. And His
perfect righteousness gives us precisely what we
need for our redemption: a complete covering of
perfect righteousness equal to God's own divine
perfection. So when you stand in judgment before
God, He seeing the paying sacrifice of His son!!!
It's as simple as this -- we broke the Law (sinned
against God), and Jesus (who was perfect and
sinless) was the only one who could and did
pay our fine.(1
Peter 3:18)
"God
demonstrated His own love for us in that while we
were still sinners,
Christ
died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the Law,
being
made a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13)
Some
say, "God will forgive", as if He can just
wave a wand and forgive everyone. That doesn't
satisfy God's Holiness, Righteousness and Justice.
"The wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men." (Rom.
1:18) Sin had to be condemned, or else God would
be a corrupt judge. Jesus paid the price in our
place. God "made Him who knew no sin to become
sin for us, so that in Him we might become the
righteousness of God." (2
Cor. 5:21).
Jesus
calls sinners to repentance.
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Do
you see God's great love for you? Do you see
your need for His forgiveness? Do what He
commands and "Repent
(confess and turn from, forsaking your sins.)
Some people insist "repentance" is
an old fashioned word that the world cannot
understand. The Greek word for repentance throughout the
New Testament is "metanoia," and
it's literal meaning speaks of a change of
mind __a reversal in one's thinking)...that
your sins may be wiped out and times of
refreshing may come from the Lord." (Act
3:19). |
To
repent means to confess sin and forsake it --to
agree with God that it is wrong and to turn and go
in the opposite direction. An old soldier once
summed up repentance this way: "God said,
Attention! About turn! Quick March!"
It
is true that numerous Bible verses speak of the
promise of salvation with no mention of repentance.
These verses merely tell us to "believe"
on Jesus Christ and we shall be saved (Acts
16:31; Romans
10:9). However, the Bible makes it clear that
God is holy and man is sinful, and that sin makes a
separation between the two (Isaiah
59:1,2). Without repentance from sin, wicked men
cannot have fellowship with a holy God. We are dead
in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians
2:1) and until we forsake them through
repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ. The
Scriptures speak of "repentance unto life"
(Acts
11:18). We must turn from sin to the Savior.
This is why Paul preached "repentance toward
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts.
20:21). Jesus said that He came to call
"sinners to repentance" (Matthew
9:13). The first public word he preached was
"repent" (Matthew
4:17). John the Baptist began his ministry the
same way (Matthew
3:2). Jesus told His hearers twice that without
repentance, they would perish (Luke
13:3,5). If belief is all that is necessary for
salvation, than the logical conclusion is that one
need never to repent. However, the Bible tells us
that a false convert "believes" and yet is
not saved (Luke
8:13); he remains a "worker of
iniquity."
As
Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he commanded
his hearers to repent "for the remission of
sins" (Acts
2:38). Without repentance there is no remission
of sins; we are still under God's wrath. Peter
further said, "Repent...and be converted, that
you sins may be blotted out" (Acts
3:19). We cannot be converted, or have our sins
blotted out, unless we repent. God Himself
"commands all men everywhere [leaving no
exceptions] to repent" (Acts
17:30). Scripture says that the Lord is
"not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance" (2
Peter 3:9). Clearly, those who do not repent
will perish.
Jesus
said that there
is a great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
(Luke
15:7). If there is no repentance, there is no
joy because there is no salvation. You must turn away from sin and turn
towards God. Desire to have NOTHING to do with sin,
and surrender
your life to the One who can save you.
Jesus died to set you free, and then he rose from
death to be your Lord. Jesus said, "I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. NO ONE comes to the
Father except through me." (John
14:6) If you will confess and forsake your
sins (repent) and trust (in faith) in Jesus Christ
as your Savior and Lord, God will forgive you and
you'll pass from death to life. (Ezek.18:21-22
/ 2
Chron.7:14 / Luke
5:31-32 / Matt
4:17 )
Jesus
saves us by grace, through repentance & faith.
What
does it mean to "put your faith in Jesus
Christ?" Well it is more than
"belief." In today's world we are told to
just believe. The Bible says that even the demons
believe. (James
2:19) To put your faith in Jesus Christ is to
personally trust in Jesus in the same way you'd
trust in a parachute to save you if you had to jump
25,000 feet out of an airplane. You wouldn't just
"believe" in the parachute; you would put
it on!!!! In the same way, the Bible says, "Put
on the Lord Jesus Christ..." (Romans
13:14) and you will be saved. There are millions
of people who "believe" Jesus exists and
that He is God...but they have not put on the
Savior...they have not tasted and trusted in His
living water...there is a BIG difference. And the
difference will be obvious when you "jump"
through the door of death.
What
will you do? Where do you stand before God?
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Today,
with all of your heart - turn away from sin, and
surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Please don't
put it off till later. You may die today and then it
will be too late. The Bible warns, "In
accordance with your hardness and your unrepentant
heart you are storing up for yourself wrath in the
day wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment
of God."
(Rom.
2:5) You may not yet have all the answers to
your questions, but better to put on the parachute
first and then ask questions, then to pass through
the door unprepared, grasping for the parachute when
its too late. Before your head hits your pillow
tonight get right with the Lord.
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Cry out to Him and
ask for forgiveness of your sins and repent of them,
and put your faith in Him (Jesus Christ) ALONE.
If
you are someone who is still estranged from God,
Christ urges you to acknowledge your guilt, repent,
admit your own spiritual poverty, embrace your
heavenly Father, and be reconciled to Him through
faith.(2
Corinthians 5:20) Then God will transform you
from the inside out. You will think and feel
differently as you learn to trust and obey Him. God
will give you new strength to live right and love
Him above all else. If you do this the Bible
says God will grant you the gift of everlasting
life, and you will pass from life to death.
Today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your
heart. The Lord will never turn a sinner away....cry
out to Him in repentance for forgiveness of your
sins!!! Confess your sins before God and cffer
yourself as a living sacrifice unto HIm...ask Christ
to save you from these sins and forever strive to
turn from them and follow Christ in faith...If
you are not sure how to pray, read 
and make it your own personal prayer to God.
Now
what?
Once
you have received the gift of eternal life and have
been made a new creation, you will want to grow in
your knowledge of Jesus and your obedience to Him.
Jesus' teaching about how to live for God can be
summed up in three simple instructions.
#1
Read the Bible.
Jesus said, "Whoever has my commandments and
keeps them, he it is who loves me." (John
14:21). One way to show your love for God is to
read the Bible and to live out your new life on the
basis of its teaching. Reach the Bible daily to
learn how to live a life that honors God and gives
testimony to others that Jesus has made a difference
in your life.
#2
Pray.
Communication with God through prayer keeps your
focus on eternal things. If you are truly following
Jesus, your desires will be for God's glory and for
His kingdom, the church, Jesus promised, "If
you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you"
(John15:7).
#3
Seek Christian Fellowship.
Meeting regularly with Christian brothers and sister
allows you to follow Jesus' example of love and to
fulfill His command to "love one another...just
as I have loved you" (John
13:34). Just as Jesus surrounded Himself daily
with His disciples and followers, find a Bible
believing church where you can meet with other
Christians. There you will find joy, community of
worship, and encouragement in the fellowship of
God's people.
If
you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you may be
wondering, What
happens if I sin after I'm saved?
All Christians sin from time to time. But the good
news is that Jesus' death paid for all of your sins,
both past and future. If you humbly admit your sin
to God, and repent (turn away from sin), the Bible
promises that God will forgive you and cleanse you
from all your sin. Pray for God's help to keep you
from falling into sin again. Jesus assures us that
"whoever come to me I will never cast out"
(John
6:37). Your salvation is sure because Christ's
sacrifice of Himself on the cross is greater than
any sin.
You
might also wonder, What
happens when I don't feel close to God? Am I still
saved? When a
person has accepted the gift of salvation. Jesus
describes His relationship with them as being like
the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep:
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they
will never perish, and no one will snatch them out
of my hand." (John
10:27-28). Salvation is not based on your
feelings or works, but on the fact that God has
welcomed you into His family through repentance and
faith in Jesus. Nothing on earth or in heaven can
break that bond--nothing.
If
you feel far away from God, examine your life to see
if there is unconfessed, unrepentant sin standing
between you and God. Continue to read the Bible and
pray regularly, filling your mind with God's truth
and goodness. Talk with other Christian's and learn
from their experiences. You will grow closer to God
as your knowledge and experience of Him grows. Rest
assured in the promise that on one can separate you
from His love (Romans
8:35-39)
From
now on seek to live in such a way that in every part
of your life you declare
the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into His wonderful light!
You
may also Click
here to learn more about the Next Step in your walk
with Jesus Christ.
Welcome
to the Family of Christian Believers!
....
or ...
Click
Here if you still have any questions
about the material that was written
in the above article ?
(or
watch the 2 videos at the bottom of this screen)
Please
let us know of your new found faith or
if you have any questions?
Click
Here to Contact Us.
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EXAMINE
YOURSELF (a strong warning for those who
reject) :
If
you've decided to reject
the gift of forgiveness and you die
in your sins,
there is no hope for you. There is no
purgatory. The wrath of God (Romans
4:15)
abides on you
and you will spend eternity in Hell
(1Corn
6:9-10).
What will if profit you if you gain the whole
world and then forfeit your soul? (Matthew
16:26)
Please take the time to read
according to the Bible. Please consider
what you have read today.
It
is the most important decision you will EVER
make
in
life and it has eternal consequences.
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