"CHRIST JESUS

CAME INTO

THE WORLD

TO

SAVE SINNERS"

I Timothy 1:15

Dear Friend I am asking you the most important question.  If you were to die today do you know for sure that you will go to heaven?  Your answer to this question will determine where you spend eternality in heaven or in hell.  Jesus said to Nicodemus "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)  Jesus told him that all people need to be born again to enter into heaven.  Jesus said also to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again."  (John 3:7)  Jesus said that all men need to have a second birth but it is on an individual basis.  In the Bible God gives us a simple plan of how to be saved or born again.

1.  Admit that you are a sinner.  God says  "As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one." (Romans 3:10), "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)  Our sin separates us from the Holy God.  "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you..." (Isaiah 59:2)  You must realize that as a sinner you owe a penalty.  "For the wages (payment) of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a)  This death is described in the Bible as the second death or the lake of fire, which is eternal separation from God.  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:14,15)  If we pay what we owe as sinners, we would spend an eternity in the lake of fire.  No sinner can pay his own sin debt because God demands a perfect sacrifice for sin.  Only those who honestly admit in their hearts they are sinners, will be saved.  One must realize his sick condition before going to a physician, likewise you must realize that you are a sinner before you will truly desire a Savior.

2.  Believe the gospel.  The gospel is "that Christ died for your sins, according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."  The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)  God gave His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to pay your sin debt.  Jesus shed His blood and died on a cross 2,000 years ago to save you from your sin.  Jesus is the only way to heaven.  "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)  You can not earn your way to heaven.  We are saved by trusting in what Jesus has already done for us.  The Bible says "For by grace are we saved, through faith and that not of ourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."  (Ephesians 2:8,9)  Good deeds, water baptism, church membership, or nothing else can pay your sin debt.  You must put your faith in Jesus Christ and solely trust Him for salvation.

3.  Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God have raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteous; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  (Romans 10:9-10)

4.  Pray this prayer and mean it with all your heart: Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner.  I believe that you died, was buried, and rose again the third day for my sins.  I now receive you as my personal Lord and Savior in Jesus name.  Amen.  Saying the prayer does not save you.  What saves you is believing solely with all our your heart in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, please do so today.  God states, "NOW is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2), "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."  (Proverbs 21:1)  You are not promised another day to live.  Please receive him now.  The Bible proclaims, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"  (Mark 8:36)  If you trusted Christ as your Savior you now have eternal life and you will never perish. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hearth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)

Once you receive Christ as your Savior you should be baptize by immersion in obedience to Jesus as a public testimony of your salvation and publicly confess Christ as your Savior. (Matt. 28:19; 10:32; Rom. 6:4)  Then ask him to direct you to a Bible believing church that uses the Bible as its sole authority for their teaching and practice.  Good Christian fellowship and sound Biblical teaching of God's Holy Word will enable you to grow in grace as a new Christian.  This is a link to a directory of good Bible believing churches in the United States:  http://www.baptistinfo.com/directory.shtml