We
have all sinned (or we have done things that are disobedient toward God). Because of the curse of sin, we are separated
from God. The GREAT news is that God has
made a way for us to reconnect with Him.
He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place and Reverse the Curse
so that we could live forever with Him in Heaven someday. Salvation is God’s
FREE gift to us. We can’t do anything to
earn it and we can’t be good enough to deserve it. But in order to enjoy the FREE gift, we must
accept it. Below, you’ll see what the
Bible says we must do to accept God’s gift of Salvation.
1. HEAR GOD’S WORD (The Bible)
ROMANS 10:17:
“…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through
the word about Christ.”
If we
are going to accept God’s gift of Salvation, we have to HEAR about what He has done.
If you’ve been to church, you’ve probably heard about how Jesus came to
save us from our sins. Today, you’ve
heard the good news during the “REVERSE the CURSE” event. Reading a Bible is also a great place to hear
of what God has done for you!
- 2. BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS GOD’S SON
HEBREWS 11:6:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who
earnestly seek Him.”
It’s not enough to just hear about God and
Jesus. We must believe that He is who He
says He is and that everything God says in His Word (the Bible) is true.
- 3.
REPENT (Turn Away) FROM OUR SINS
LUKE 13:3b “… unless you repent, you too will
all perish.”
To repent means to turn away from our sin and
turn to God and what is right and good.
We can’t get where we want to go if we’re headed down the wrong
road. Repentance means turning toward
God and turning away from our disobedience.
- 4.
CONFESS OUR SINS
TO GOD
I JOHN 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.”
We must confess to God that we know we have
sinned and that we are sorry for it before He will forgive us of those sins and
make us clean.
MARK 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Being baptized (going under the water of baptism) shows that we want to be
finished with our sinful life and that we want a new life in Christ – one that
is washed clean. There’s nothing magical
in the water, but our obedience to God’s command is necessary. Just as Jesus arose from the grave, we too
can rise to live a new life in Him.
II PETER 3:18a “But grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Once we reach this step, we’re not
finished. In fact, we’re only getting
started! We will want to do things that
will help us grow closer to God and Jesus.
When we pray, read the Bible, worship, serve others, etc…we are growing
as Christians. No matter how old we are
or how young we are, we must keep growing in Christ.
The decision to become a
Christian is the most important decision you can ever make –because giving your
heart and life to Jesus Christ is something that will last even when your life
is over. It means you will spend forever
with God in Heaven. If you have questions or need help understanding what
you’ve read, we’d love to talk with you about it.