July 24,2001:
God's Plan of Salvation
God's plan provides the opportunity for us to spend eternity with him in Heaven. The Bible gives us clear directions on how to get there. There are only four requirements, and they are:
Recognize that you have sinned.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
Realize that somebody must pay for your sin.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Understand that Jesus has already paid for your sin so you would not have to.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"(Romans 5:8)
To receive this payment you must:
Confess your sins to God.
Believe that Jesus is alive and will forgive you.
"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."(Romans 10:9,10)
"For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."(Romans 10:13)
Perhaps you can sense Christ knocking at the door of your heart. You can invite him in by faith right now. God knows your heart so it doesn't matter exactly what words you use. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Jesus Christ will come into your life just as he has promised. Once you invite Christ into your life, he promises to never leave you.
Hebrews 13:5 "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"
1 John 6:37 "All that the father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never Drive away"
