Know Jesus?
The only source for hope and forgiveness!There are alot of questions in this life which can lead to uncertainty. Do you long for purpose and significance in this challenging life? Do you feel as though you are all alone? Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour? The Word of God has an answer for each of these questions, and God has a purpose for your life. The answer to all of these questions begins by recognizing our need for salvation which only comes through Jesus Christ.
The Word of God tells us that “…As by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12). The writer of this book also stated, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). When Adam sinned, man’s peaceful relationship with God was disrupted and broken, and every soul that has been born into the world since then has needed to be reconciled to God. God, in His infinite love and mercy, provided a way – His only begotten Son – that all humanity might be restored.
God’s Word reveals to us that, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Death comes to those who are guilty of sin; however, freedom from the judgment of death is available through Jesus Christ. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3, 4). God is a merciful God who “…is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour is not a difficult process and is the most important decision you will ever make in your life. “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The first step to being restored to God is to believe the Gospel which you have heard. The Gospel is God’s good news that He has given us a Saviour to save us from our sins. When we hear this good news, we must believe it and accept it as truth by faith. Perhaps you have heard the Gospel and are feeling a godly sorrow for having sinned against God. This is the Spirit of God convicting you of your sins and drawing you unto Him.
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:…” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Conviction and godly sorrow will prompt you to repent of your sins and forsake your sins and sinful way of living. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken [convicted] heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite [repentant] spirit” (Psalms 34:18).
Once you have repented you can accept God’s forgiveness. His Word assures us that once we believe and repent that we are “Therefore…justified [acquitted of our sins and guilt] by faith [simply believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”(Romans 5:1). We stand before God forgiven and accepted just as if we had never sinned! God promises, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). Immediately upon being justified by faith, God begins His work of regeneration in the innermost parts of your heart. This is a renewing in which you pass from spiritual death unto spiritual life. You are born again into the Kingdom of God – a new creature in Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Now that you have accepted the salvation which God provided for you through Jesus Christ, the Word of God admonishes that you should profess Christ boldly.“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).
If you have accepted Christ and asked for His forgiveness, you have experienced the greatest joy that anyone can have in this life. No longer are you bound by sin, and you are free to begin your new life of living for God. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, we encourage you to share your testimony with us! You are beginning a new life with Christ, and we would like to help you as you begin that journey with Him.