Are You Saved?

God does have a plan for your life and He has provided a way for your salvation.

"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]

The problem is: Man is sinful and separated from God. Thus he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [Romans 3:23]

The result of this sin, if not dealt with, is eternal damnation.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23]

However, this is not God's perfect plan for you because He loves you and does not want you eternally separated from Him.

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9]

Man however is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy or religion. But, all man's efforts do not bridge the gulf that separates a holy God and sinful man.

Jesus Christ is the Answer!
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 5:8]

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

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]

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins in not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. [Revelation 3:20]

Do you hear Him knocking at your door right now?

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than receiving eternal life through faith in Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By thanking God, you demonstrate your faith. If the following suggested prayer express the desire of your heart, Christ will come into your life, as He promised. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

So, What's Next?
The moment that you received Christ by faith, as an act of the will, many things happened, including the following:

	Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
	Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
	You became a child of God (John 1:12).
	You received eternal life (John 5:24).
	You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

You are not alone!
If you asked Christ into your life, I'd love to hear from you. Or maybe you still have questions or would like to share a prayer request. In any case, you can contact me and I'll respond as soon as I can.