The central theme of the Bible is God’s love for you and for all people. This love was revealed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Because Christ died, your sins can be forgiven, and because He conquered death you can have eternal life. You can know for sure what will become of you after you die.
You have probably heard the story of God’s love referred to as the “Gospel.” The word Gospel simply means “Good News.” The Gospel is the Good News that, because of what Christ has done; we can be forgiven and can live forever.
But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot be yours unless you willingly accept it. God requires an individual response from you. The following verses from the Bible show God’s part and yours in this process:
God’s Love Is Revealed in the Bible
“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 (NIV)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and complete. And
He wants to give you a life which will last forever, even after you experience
physical death.
We
Are Sinful
“For all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23 (NIV)
You may have heard someone say, “I’m only human—nobody’s perfect.”
This Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things that
we know are wrong. And that’s why we feel estranged from God—because God is
holy and good, and we are not.
Sin
Has a Penalty
“For the wages of sin is death.”
—Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must pay the
penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the penalty of
spiritual death: You will not only die physically; you will also be separated
from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches that those who choose to
remain separated from God will spend eternity in a place called hell.
Christ
Has Paid Our Penalty!
“But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8
(NIV)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the
penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good life and do
good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that Christ loved you
enough to die for you, even when you were rebelling against Him.
Salvation
Is a Free Gift
“For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works,
so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The word grace means “undeserved favor.” It means God is offering you
something you could never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and eternal
life, God’s gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a gift. All you
have to do is joyfully receive it, Believe with all your heart that Jesus
Christ died for you!
Christ
Is at Your Heart’s Door
“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 (NIV)
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you. Picture, if you
will, Jesus Christ standing at the door of your heart (the door of your
emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in; He is waiting for you to receive
Him into your heart and life.
You
Must Receive Him
“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 (NIV)
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God, and have the
privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian
life is a personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. And best of all,
it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.
If you are making this commitment to Christ today, please let us know. We would
like to send you Bible study materials to help you grow in your faith.