God created the world and made us to be in loving relationship with Him. But we have all sinned - rebelled against God - and as a result we stand guilty before a holy and perfect God. We are separated from Him and headed for Hell, eternal separation from God. The good news is that God loves us so much that He sent His eternal Son, Jesus, into our world to live the perfect life we could not live, to die a sacrificial death on the cross in our place, and to rise bodily from the grave, conquering sin and death. Because of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, a way has been made for sinful humans to be restored to a right relationship with God, to have the presence and power of God in our life by His Holy Spirit, and to enjoy eternal life.
So how do you gain this right relationship with God? Entering into a right relationship with God involves repenting from sin and self-centeredness and trusting that by Jesus' life and death, you are forgiven. Repentance involves not only confessing your sins, but turning from them and submitting to Jesus as your Lord. And trusting in Jesus means believing that you are right with God not because you are a good person or because you do good works, but only because on the cross, Jesus took the penalty for your sins and gave you His perfect record.
A good way to take this step is to pray something like this:
God, I confess that I have sinned against you (confess specific sins that you need to repent of). I am truly sorry and humbly repent. Thank you for forgiving my sins through the death of your son, Jesus. I turn to you and give you my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I might love you and follow Jesus for the rest of my life. Amen.
If you have made the decision to trust in Jesus, a great next step is to tell a Christian friend, or to contact the pastor of NewLife, so that they can pray for you and encourage you. Get involved in a Bible-believing church that can help you to know God and what it means to follow Him. And ask the pastor about getting baptized, which is a way of publicly delcaring your faith in Jesus.
Trusting in Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make. If you have made this decision, rejoice that you belong to God and have eternal life!
So how do you gain this right relationship with God? Entering into a right relationship with God involves repenting from sin and self-centeredness and trusting that by Jesus' life and death, you are forgiven. Repentance involves not only confessing your sins, but turning from them and submitting to Jesus as your Lord. And trusting in Jesus means believing that you are right with God not because you are a good person or because you do good works, but only because on the cross, Jesus took the penalty for your sins and gave you His perfect record.
A good way to take this step is to pray something like this:
God, I confess that I have sinned against you (confess specific sins that you need to repent of). I am truly sorry and humbly repent. Thank you for forgiving my sins through the death of your son, Jesus. I turn to you and give you my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I might love you and follow Jesus for the rest of my life. Amen.
If you have made the decision to trust in Jesus, a great next step is to tell a Christian friend, or to contact the pastor of NewLife, so that they can pray for you and encourage you. Get involved in a Bible-believing church that can help you to know God and what it means to follow Him. And ask the pastor about getting baptized, which is a way of publicly delcaring your faith in Jesus.
Trusting in Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make. If you have made this decision, rejoice that you belong to God and have eternal life!