OK, here’s the deal. Nobody is good enough to be accepted by God, not you, not your friends, not nobody. There is nothing humanity can do on it’s own to be accepted by God. We are, in effect, without hope. God however loved us and desired that none of us should miss out on Heaven. So, He decided to let us into Heaven, not based on something we could do, but rather on something He could do.
But a holy God could not just ignore our actions. So, He devised a plan. He would send his only Son, Jesus, to earth as a person. He would live a perfect life and fulfill all the standards and requirements a holy God would have.
Then, He would take this perfect and holy Jesus and allow him to die a totally unjust and terrible death. The type of death we all deserve to die. God allowed Him to take our place, our punishment, so that we could take His place and His blessing. God Himself, through Jesus, paid the price for our coming back to Him. In this way, the holy God could still consider us all as we truly are, unacceptable, yet be able to freely accept us.
In this way, the holy God could still consider us all as we truly are, unacceptable, yet be able to freely accept us.
The only action we are required to make is to acknowledge our shortcomings and our inability to be accepted by God on our own and then to receive acceptance solely based on His gift. Jesus is the only way to God.
Any other way is a vain attempt to be accepted by God without having to humbly come to Him for forgiveness, and for the free gift of Jesus Christ. This fruitless path is the way of all earthly religions. We are incapable of changing ourselves; it must be done by God.
You see, when we accept the free gift of Jesus’ work, we not only receive His forgiveness, and acceptance, but God is able to work deep in our heart. He is able to change us back into His image. We, in effect, are re-created back to a place where we can relate to Him and live with Him.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is what the Bible refers to when it says that we must be “born again” or “saved.” It is a spiritual new-birth and it’s just as incredible as our first physical birth. When you accept Jesus, you become a new person inside and all things in your heart become totally new. You can even feel it!
For the Bible says:
…That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
…For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation…
…For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:9, 10, & 13
Pray the following prayer, loud enough so that you can hear it:
“Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that you are God, and I am not. I am tired of being my own god, please forgive me. I have been disobedient and I am now sorry for my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and paid for my evil deeds. Come now into my heart, live inside of me, and be my personal Lord and Savior. I turn away from evil and I choose your will and your life.
I believe with my heart and I say with my mouth that you, Jesus Christ, are now my Lord and my Savior. I believe you died on the cross for me, and when you were raised again, I was raised with you. I totally commit myself to obeying you everyday, for the rest of my life. Fill me with your Spirit and your power. In Jesus name, it is done! Thank you Jesus.”
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