Jesus is

THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE

The glorious reality of Christianity is that Jesus offers more than a philosophy, a set of rituals, or a nice organization with a nice building that does nice things. He came to forgive us, and to give us the power to live right. He came to give us peace with God and our fellow men. And because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he has the power to do everything he promises.

This is what you need to know about having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We Need A Savior

WE ARE SINNERS

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit our lives are far short of perfect. We’ve all done things we regret, things we knew were wrong. Even worse, we all know the frustration of trying to do right and still falling back into the old way of thinking and acting. The Bible calls this “sin” - this word means missing the mark. God’s standard is perfection, but we’re not even close. Forget missing the bulls-eye, we don’t even hit the target.

OUR SIN HAS HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)

Our sins - our actions, habits, and attitudes that are wrong - are damaging our lives. Sin is the cause of all kinds of problems - broken homes, broken laws, and broken hearts. That’s already bad enough, but what’s even worse is that the consequences of our sin go past this life. The Bible tells us we will all stand before God to be judged, and that he is a righteous and holy judge. There’s no argument that we can make to pretend we are innocent, or to justify ourselves. Our sin must be paid for, and the cost is eternal death - separation from God and torment forever.

JESUS CAME TO SAVE US

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Knowing our desperate state, and unwilling to leave us to our sin and its consequences, Jesus Christ entered into humanity. He was fully God and fully man. He experienced all the temptations that we face, but never sinned. When he gave his life on the cross, he took upon himself all sin and received God’s full judgment. When he rose again, this demonstrated that God had accepted his sacrifice. Because he has paid the price for our sin, we can receive his righteousness credited to our account. Not only can we be justified, but we can be born again. The Christian life is a brand new life, empowered by God’s Spirit within us, so that we can now live right.

SALVATION IS AVAILABLE TO US BY FAITH!

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

The good news is that God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ is open to all! But it requires a transformation in our lives. The word “confess” means more saying the words; it means agreeing with God and making it a reality. If Jesus is Lord in our lives, we must turn away from our sins and seek a new life. We must commit to follow and obey him. But this is all done by faith - we can’t earn it by good works or good thoughts. Instead, we just believe what the Bible reveals to us about Jesus, and we put our faith in him to save and change us.

If you would like to do this, the best place to start is with a prayer of faith. Say this:

God be merciful to me, a sinner. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for me, and that your death paid the full price for my sins. I believe that you have risen from the dead, and that you are God. I turn away from my old life and all my sins, and I ask you to forgive me. I make you the Lord of my life. From this day forward I give you my life; help me to live for you and do what you want me to do. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.