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02.DOC
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1995-06-11
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CHAPTER 2
HOW TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD
1. GOD LOVES YOU. Realize that God loves you and desires a
life of joy and peace for you:
"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. (John
3:16, NIV).
Not only did God tell you that he loves you, but he
proved his love by sending his Son to die for you! His love
is also expressed by the full and high quality life he has
planned for you NOW--in this life as well as in the life to
come. Jesus said,
"The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill
and destroy; I have come that they [believers] may
have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10,
NIV).
Why is there so much evil in the world and why do many
people not experience a life of peace and joy?
2. SIN HAS SEPARATED YOU FROM GOD. Because people are sin-
ful, they are cut off from God and his blessings. The
Bible teaches and human experience confirms that we are sin-
ful:
for all have sinned
and fall short
of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23, NIV).
We were created for fellowship with God, but that
fellowship was broken when we rebelled against God. Sin
brought us spiritual death:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans
6:23, NIV).
We continually strive for the abundant life but always
fall short. Business success, wealth, education, religion,
fame, drugs, pleasure and all human substitutes cannot fill
the God-shaped void in the human heart. How do we become
reconciled with God and experience a life of peace and joy?
3. JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY ANSWER. Jesus Christ is God's
only provision to forgive our sin and give us abundant life.
Jesus died for us--he took our penalty of death:
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man someone might possibly dare
to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us
in this: WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED
FOR US [Italics Mine]. (Romans 5:7-8, NIV).
God demonstrated that Christ's death was accepted as a
sacrifice for us by raising Christ from the dead:
For what I received I passed on to you as of
first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to
the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and
then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to
more than five hundred of the brothers at the same
time, most of whom are still living, though some
have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles, and last of all he ap-
peared to me also. . . . (1 Corinthians 15:3-8,
NIV).
Christ is the only way to God:
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. (John 14:6, NIV).
It is not enough to know that God loves you, that sin
has cut you off from God and that Jesus Christ is the only
way to God.
4. YOU MUST RECEIVE CHRIST PERSONALLY. You must personally
receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. The Bible states
that,
Yet to all who received him, to those who be-
lieved in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God--children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband's
will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13, NIV).
You receive Christ by faith:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God--not by works, so that no one can
boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
If you choose to receive the truth about Jesus Christ,
then the Holy Spirit will give you faith to trust him as
your personal Savior. Then, when you receive Christ, the
Holy Spirit will give you a spiritual rebirth. Jesus called
this being born again:
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the
truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless
he is born again." (John 3:3, NIV).
You should not be surprised at my saying, `You
must be born again.' (John 3:7, NIV).
This is the most important experience that you will
ever have. God will bring new life into your being. This
new life will make you more like the Lord Jesus.
The Prophet Isaiah painted this beautiful word picture
concerning the ministry of Christ:
The Spirit of the Sovereign
Lord is on me
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the
captives
and release from darkness for the
prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor
and the day of vengeance of our
God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve
in Zion--
to bestow on them a crown of
beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of
righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
(Isaiah 61:1-3, NIV)
Isaiah speaks of the joy of deliverance from past guilt
and bondage of sin. However, it does not happen auto-
matically.
Christ stands at your heart's door, but you must open
the door:
Look! I have been standing at the door and I
am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling
him and opens the door, I will come in and fellow-
ship with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20,
The Living Bible).
You can receive Christ in your heart right now. Pray
this prayer from your heart:
Almighty God, I confess that I have sinned
against you. I ask you to forgive me. I receive
Christ as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for
forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Tell someone that you have accepted Christ as your
Savior. Please write me and tell me the good news also.
(This presentation of the plan of salvation was adapted from
Dr. Bill Bright's "Four Spiritual Laws.")
END
