Accepting Jesus Christ As Your Lord & Savior

The Bible says in I John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." John 3:3 says "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you, "Why should I let you into my kingdom?" What do you think you would say? You may not know what you would say. But you can know, because God loves you and has a purpose for your life. The Bible states it this way, "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's purpose is that we have eternal life. We receive eternal life as a free gift. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) We can live a full and meaningful life right now. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

We will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. John 14:3 says "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." Eternal life gives meaning to life. Yet our sinful nature keeps us from fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. Therefore, we must understand our problem.

We are all sinners by nature and by choice. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). We cannot save ourselves. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God is holy and just and must punish sin, yet He loves us and has provided forgiveness for our sin. John 14:6 says "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Jesus died for us on the cross. He also was resurrected from the dead. "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures." (I Corinthians 15:3-4)

To accept Christ as our Savior, we must acknowledge we are sinners and need Christ in our lives. We need to repent and ask Him to forgive us. Acts 3:19 says "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Repentance is not just feeling sorry for our sin. Repentance is turning to God through Jesus and away from our sin.

We must place our faith in Jesus. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19) Faith is trusting in Jesus.

To trust in Jesus means we must surrender to Jesus as Lord. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)

Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is not just saying we give our lives to Jesus. Matthew 7:21 says "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Surrendering to Jesus as Lord means giving Jesus control of our lives. That is, we must give all we know of ourselves to all we know of God.

As evidence of giving Jesus control, you will want to identify with him. The New Testament way of identification is to confess Jesus publicly. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33) We are also to follow Him in baptism and church membership. "Then they that gladly received His word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (Acts 2:41)

Does what you have been reading make sense to you? Is there any reason you would not be willing to receive God's gift of eternal life? Are you willing to place your faith in Jesus right now and turn from your sin? If so, read the following prayer and see if it says what you want to say to God.

Dear God, I know that Jesus is your Son, and that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead. I know I have sinned and need forgiveness. I am willing to turn from my sins and receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Call on the Lord in repentance, faith, and surrender, using these or similar words of your own; and Jesus will become your Lord and Savior. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you have just made the most important decision of your life. You can be sure you are saved and have eternal life.

Please attend the church of your choice and share with the pastor that you have accepted Christ into your life and want to be baptized.

John 3:15
"That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

John 6:47
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

John 11:25-26
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, Believest thou this?"

Acts 16:31
"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Romans 10:13
"For whosover shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."