Nearly 2,000 years ago, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to suffer and die for the sins of humanity. If God hadn't done this, we would all have to be punished for our own sins. The punishment for sin--even just one sin--is death. The Bible states in Romans 6:23 that
"the wages of sin is death..."
Because Jesus Christ suffered and died for your sins and for mine, He now offers each and every one of us a free gift of eternal life. God wants us to accept this free gift, so that when we die, we can leave this earth to go and live in Heaven with Him forever. John 3:17-18 says, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
How do you accept, the free gift that Jesus Christ offers?
- Understand that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7: 20: "For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not." Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
- Understand that there is punishment for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death..."
- Understand that without Jesus Christ, when you die, you will end up in hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The Bible says in Revelation 21:8: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
- Understand that you cannot do anything to save yourself! Good works, attending church, living a clean life will not work. The Bible states in Ephesians 2: 8, 9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
- Understand that God loves you more than you love yourself, and that He wants to save you from hell. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (Jesus Christ, John 3:16).
