July 02, 2018 by Nonie Sables
First, you have to realize that God created you (Acts 17:24-27). See verse 26
26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
and therefore, loves you. John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Second, you need to know that sin separated man from God. See Romans 3:10-12
10 As it is written, “There is none righteous—not even one.
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become useless.
There is no one who does good, there is not even one.” And
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned; and fall short of the glory of God.
It’s clear that all man falls short to reach God’s standard.
Third, you need to know that there’s a consequence for being separated from God or falling short of God’s standard. Romans 6:23 (see the first part in bold).
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Death here means separation from God. It means that in life after death the person will be separated from God for eternity. Read Revelations 21:8;
8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Since these verses above are telling us that all man has sinned and no one is righteous, not even one, therefore all man is separated from God and in danger of going to their fate-fiery lake of burning sulfur. The verse conveys a sort of warning!
But there is good news in the second part of Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, BUT the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
There’s a free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The fourth thing that you need to know. Since God created and loved you, He did not forsake you in that separated condition. God provided the Way for His fallen creation. See John 14: 6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
And Romans 5:8;
8 But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God provided Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins that separates us from God. But Jesus Christ’s death on the cross will not automatically save us from the wages of sin.
The fifth thing that you need to know is that you need to make the most critical decision in your life. What is that decision? We will go back to John 3:16.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
The second part of the verse is crucial for all of us.
The phrase “that whoever” is the invitation. I am a “whoever.” You are a “whoever.” Everybody is a “whoever.”
The phrase “believes in Him” is an important action. The word “believes” here is a verb-an action word. To “believe” here means to trust or to have faith. To trust what or who? To trust, believe, and to have faith that Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to die on the cross to bring people back from being separated from God. We need to believe that Jesus is indeed the Way to the Father.
The next phrase is “shall not perish.” It means that the person who believed trusted Jesus would not go to their fate- fiery lake of burning sulfur which is the second death.
The last phrase, “but have eternal life” is the result – To spend eternity with God. Never to be disconnected from God.
Sixth thing that you need to know is you need to do this with sincerity in your heart. You need to come to God alone and express to Him that you acknowledge that you have sinned against Him and therefore separated from Him. You need to tell God that you are asking for forgiveness. You need to say to God, that you believe, and trust that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father in heaven except through Him. You need to tell God that you believe that there is forgiveness of sin because of the Blood that Jesus Shed on the Cross. You do these things by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
After you came to God and prayed with sincerity, the next thing that I can say is that you are “In Christ” and GOD’S GOT YOU for eternity!
(This lesson can also have the title, “How can one be saved?”)
