Without the saving intervention of Christ you are guilty because of your sin and are counted an enemy of God, because God is a Holy God. Without holiness no one will be able to see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14 NIV). So what does God demand of you? We can answer that with two words - repentant faith.
Salvation is not a simple choice, nor is it merely a momentary decision one makes at a certain point of time - it is a life long response of submission of the whole person in obedience to Christ with our mind, heart, and will. It is God who empowers the sinner’s will to receive Him, to count the cost, and to make an across the board forsaking of everything that we trust in. It is a turning to Christ to make Him the Lord in all things and your Saviour. This involves that you confess to Christ that you are a sinner - ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and He will cleanse you from your guilt, and free you from the power of sin over you. You must humbly accept, understand, and be responsible for the gravity of your sin before Christ.
In faith (which Christ grants, Ephesians 2:8), you must respond to the gift of grace God has initiated through Jesus Christ His Son, and believe that He died on the cross for your sins, and was resurrected physically from the dead, to everlasting life defeating sin. Acts 17:30 tells us - Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent. God demands that you repent - which literally means - to change your mind - about your love of sin. We then agree with God about our sinful nature, rejecting anything that does not honour God - demonstrating that you have - turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
In coming to Christ you must adorn a righteous life, living according to the way that God commands you to live, in word, thought, and deed, as a new creation in Christ. This witness is a continued state of increasing obedience and submission to Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, through God’s Word - the Bible. Yes, you must - repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance (Acts 26:20).
Isaiah 55:6 states - Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Romans 10:9-11 says - if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." Because our life is brief, God’s initiation and message of salvation is important and urgent - "At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you;" behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
If this is what God has placed upon your heart to do, then talk with Him right now (pray). Ask Christ to forgive you of your sins - and that He be your Lord and Saviour and live the rest of your life for Him.
Are Christians perfect people? No, but daily as God changes you, you will please God by submitting and being obedient to Him in everything. Being in a right relationship with God brings peace and joy to your life. When God looks at you, after He saves you, He sees you as holy, because He sees Christ’s righteousness credited to your account. Having sincerely responded to God’s initiative, He is your Lord and King (Revelation 17:14). Because of God’s saving work in your life, He will give you His Holy Spirit to live and make changes in you (Rom.8:9). God grants His assurance of salvation the Holy Spirit who changes us so that we are now able to apply Biblical promises to our conscience and thereby effecting a changed life. Through God’s Spirit, He will help you to please Christ, by living a life of holiness. Thankfully Jesus set the example, and Jesus will enable us to meet the challenges.
If you have been saved unto eternal life, He is going to help you with living your life for His glory. This is the very purpose of our life, that we are made in the image of God and we are to reflect it in our life. With Christ as our Master, we are not going to see self denial and even death as the end, but in Christ we are going to see it as the beginning of unending glory and fellowship towards Christ.
This is the ‘Good News’ of Jesus .
If you have responded to God’s initiative by repenting of your sin, confessing your need
for forgiveness, and that Jesus be your Lord and Saviour please go to our main page's: "Other Good Resources - Church Finder" section and begin to faithfully attend a good Bible believing church. Let the church pastor know you have repented of your sins and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ for His salvation, so that you start on the road of discipleship and true living to the glory of God.
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