God has a plan for your life.

Before you read the rest of this page, we want to take a moment to say God has a plan for you.  You have a purpose for living.  God, through the prophet Jeremiah says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you…” Jeremiah 1:5 (NASB).  King David in Psalm 139:13-16 (NASB) worships God by proclaiming,“…You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.  I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought within the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  Whenever you are feeling discouraged, you can encourage yourself by saying “God is God, He is Good, and He has a perfect plan for me.”  We hope you will come into a greater understanding of who God really is as you continue reading.

We are separated from God because of sin.

Generally, everyone will consider themself a “good person”.  You too consider yourself a good person, right?  Well, a person in God’s eyes is not naturally a good person; simply because mankind has had a corrupted and sinful nature since Adam and Eve first sinned in Genesis.  Have you ever lied?  If you answered “no”, you just did!  Lying is one of many sins which everyone struggles in daily.  However, sin is not perfection to God our creator.  In fact, sin disconnects us from the original relationship God intended for people to have with Him.  The Apostle Paul, in Romans 3:23 (NASB) explains, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Every person has sinned, and initially we have a spiritual separation from God inherited from birth.  Romans 6:23 (NASB) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Every single sin you have done earns you condemnation to not only a physical death, but an eternal spiritual death. In other words, an eternal separation from God.

The only way back into a relationship with God is through Jesus Christ.

Despite the fact every person, by default, is going to be eternally separated from God, God had a perfect solution to bring you back into a relationship with Him.  God sent His only perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life on Earth.  Because Jesus had a sinless life, he was able to become the perfect, holy, and sinless sacrifice God would use to save imperfect sinners like us.  God dumped all sin from every person onto Jesus.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so we would not have to receive our pay of death on judgment day.  Jesus, because he took on all the sin of the world, experienced a separation from His Father (Matthew 27:46).  Although Christ died, He resurrected, which means the death and separation from God has been defeated for everyone.  He overcame death, so anyone who believes in Him would not have to experience the eternal spiritual death and separation from God which we all deserve.  Looking in context, Romans 3:23-24 (NASB) expounds, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”  Although every person has sinned, Jesus when He died on the cross for our sins bought us the salvation he freely gives everyone who is willing to accept it.  There is no other way around spiritual death and eternal separation from God than believing in Jesus Christ and accepting His gift of salvation.  Jesus himself said to Thomas, His disciple, in John 14:6 (NASB), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Making Jesus Lord of your life brings you back into God’s purpose.

The forgiveness Jesus bought everyone through His death is not earned through good works; nobody is worthy of God’s forgiveness, because our sin earns death.  Jesus offers forgiveness to you because He loves and wants a relationship with you.  Jesus explains, as He prays to His Father in John 17, what eternal life is in essence.  “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  John 17:3 (NASB).  By making Jesus your Savior and Lord, you enter into a relationship with Him.  This relationship brings you into a relationship with God again.

How to receive God’s forgiveness.

1. Admit to God you have sinned against him.
   To be forgiven, we must ask God to forgive us of our sin.  Paul, the apostle said “To Jews and Gentiles alike I gave solemn warning that they should turn from their sins to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:21 (GNT).  Repenting of your sins is important in having a relationship with Jesus.  Every Christian still is a sinner who sins.  When you fall into sin, the best way to avoid it again is to repent to God, and then press forward.  Reading the Bible and memorizing scripture will help you in becoming more like Jesus Christ.
2. Believe Jesus is God’s Son who died on the cross and overcame death.
   We have through the death and resurrection of Jesus the only way to restore our relationship to God.  “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.” John 3:16 (NASB).
3. Confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord of your life.
   Romans 10:9 (NASB) says, “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Baptism is a good way of sharing what Jesus has done for you.

What Happens Next?

Once you have asked Jesus to become your personal Lord and Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit is within everyone who believes in Jesus Christ; it gives the believer the power to overcome the sin in the physical body and live a life more pleasing to God.  The Holy Spirit gives you a new birth in Christ, ending your spiritual separation from God, and freeing you from the power of sin.  In other words, when you become a Christion, you die to your sinful nature and become alive to God (Romans 6:10-11).  God’s general purpose for your life now is for you to glorify Him through everything you do (1 Cor. 10:31), and for you to share the grace Jesus has given you with others (Matthew 28:19-20).