The Gospel Message
There are big questions that haunt all of us. What happens when I die? Where will I spend eternity? The single most important question that you will ever answer is this: “If I were to die today, would I spend eternity in Heaven with God?” Your relationship to Jesus Christ is central to the answer to that question.
The Bible tells us in I John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” The simple truth is God wants you to know where you’re going! So, here it is in a nutshell:
1. Recognise your condition
In order to find the way to eternal life with God, I must admit I am lost in sin. Romans 5:12 teaches us that since Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on earth, a sin nature has been present in all people. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Sin is any act contrary to God’s laws and commandments, and those sins that I have committed separate me from God. Just like there is some type of penalty when we break the law, sin also has a penalty. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The “wage” or payment for our sin is spiritual death, and eternal separation from God.
2. Religion and good works are not the answer
Religions try to create their own ways to God. Their systems may seem logical, but they cannot bridge the gap created by our sin. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” In other words, our thoughts and ways are not what matter. God’s Word, the Bible, provides true answers of grace and forgiveness. In Ephesians 2:8–9 the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
3. The good news – Jesus Christ provides the way!
Even though we were lost and separated from God, He loved us, and because He is love, God sent His Son to die on the Cross and raise from the dead three days later. John 3:16 explains “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He became the payment for our sin. Now, we do not have to pay for our sin ourselves. By His grace, salvation is provided. In Romans 5:8, the Bible says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
4. Believe and receive Christ
In order to have a relationship with God and an eternal home in Heaven, we must stop trusting ourselves, our works, and our religions, and place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sin and eternal life. In Roman 10:13 the Bible says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him alone to be your Saviour; He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. You can make that decision today by praying from your heart, something like this:
Dear God, I know that I am separated from you because of sin. I confess that in my sin, I cannot save myself. Right now, I turn to you alone to be my Saviour. I ask you to save me from the penalty of my sin, and I trust you to provide eternal life to me.
—Amen
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