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We are separated apart from God. (Isaiah 59:2- But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ). Everyone is in this condition, REGARDLESS of whether or not they are "good people". (Romans 3:9-10- What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one)
Nothing we can do ourselves can get us to God. Our nature is fallen, and since God is Holy, He cannot have a personal relationship with us.
THIS IS NOT GOD'S PLAN FOR OUR LIVES!!!!! (John 10:10; 17:3- The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ; Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. )
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Bad as it is, and as final as it can be, the result of our separation from God is plain and simple- Death (Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. )
Our death as a result of sin and our separation from God is not a physical death though, it's more than that. It is a spiritual death, a permanent separation from God. Matthew 25:46 looks at it this way: " "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (see also Romans 8:6-8)
This is NOT God's wish for us though. (John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.)
Nothing WE do on our own (good works, being good, tithing more than we have before, giving to the church at all, trying to witness to others, etc.) can or will get us to God.
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God provided us with a solution- He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus was sent to die for us, and forever bridge the gap between us and God. (John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life)
Jesus Christ died in our place as a "substitutionary atonement" for our sins (He died so that we wouldn't have to). (Romans 5:8- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. )
Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the bridge that crosses over the separation, reuniting us with God. (1 Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, )
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As a result of Christ dying for us, we can all be "saved" and have everlasting life (John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life). This is a free gift of God's grace. It's not that we need to do anything (complete certain works, etc.) to earn our salvation- we can't "earn" our salvation in that way. Salvation is the gift of God through His grace (Ephesians, 2:8-9- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith &emdash; and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God &emdash; not by works, so that no one can boast. ) It is not by OUR WORKS at all that we are forgiven
We must receive God's gift in Jesus Christ, ask him to come into our lives, and live in our hearts (John 1:12- Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God) (Revelation 3:20- Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.)
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If you would like to become a Christian and receive God's free gift of eternal life, you can. It's simple. It's easy. ALL you have to do is to talk to God. Admit that you are a sinner, and are separated from him. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and live in it, and live in your life. Thank God for sending his Son to die on the cross for you. It's that easy. It's that simple......
You can even follow along with the simple prayer below. Do you have to pray this way, or pray exactly as this prayer does in order to be saved? no you don't.
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"God, thank you for dying for me. I know that I'm a sinner, lost and separated from you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I pray, God,that you will come into my heart now and live in my life. All that I am is yours. In Jesus' matchless and precious name, Amen"
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If you prayed that prayer (or another similar one, the exact format is not important) then welcome to the family. You are now washed clean in God's eyes, and have been reunited with Him. You are "born again." There is no promise that this road you are now on is easy or will become any easier than before, but there is a promise. There is a promise of this road's final destination, in heaven with Jesus Christ. As the contemporary Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman says in his song "No Better Place", "There's no better place on earth, than the road that leads to heaven."
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God Bless you- email the Prayer group and let us know that you're now in the family of Christ.
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- Scott
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"
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