THE
GREATEST
NEWS
THE BAD NEWS
There is plenty of bad news these days. Scandals. Lawsuits. Political turmoil. Twitter wars. Real wars. Bad news strikes on a personal level, too. Depression. Stress. Divorce. Debt. Yet, even those things are temporary. The real bad news is that no human is perfect. We have all sinned, and the penalty we owe for sinning is eternal separation from God in hell. Worse still -- there is nothing we can do to work our way out of that death sentence. We can never, in our own power, be "good enough" to be found acceptable by a holy God.
The Bible says that every man and woman has sinned. Sin separates us from a perfect, sinless God.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
The penalty for sin is death -- eternal separation from God spent in hell.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
THE GOOD NEWS
The good news is, there is hope to be had. Joy to be found. Peace to be grasped. There is a cure for heartache. There are answers to questions. There is relief and true rest, and Jesus Christ, who died on a cross and rose from the dead, is alive and well today and extends His hand to you to offer that hope. Because of the free gift He makes available to us, we can have eternal life in heaven and abundant life on earth. While being a Christ follower does not mean you will never have problems or heartache again in this life, it does mean you will have peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6) in the midst of whatever you face. It means even when you face deep grief and sadness, you will still have the joy that comes from the Lord.
The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior,
we will be saved from our sins.
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9,10)
There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. It is a free gift of grace.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)
THREE STEPS TO SALVATION
There is nothing you can do to earn salvation and forgiveness from sin. The Bible, God's written Word to mankind, says forgiveness is by grace through faith alone, so that no one can brag about their salvation. It is a free gift. Still, like any gift, it must be received. Here are the simple steps to receiving God's free gift of salvation.
A - Admit that you are a sinner.
B - Believe and place your trust in Christ.
C - Confess Christ as your Lord and Savior.
"...at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11
FOLLOW JESUS TODAY
Are you ready to admit that you are a sinner, believe on Jesus for salvation and confess Him as your Lord? If you truly mean that in your heart, tell Jesus now, calling upon Him to save you.
Pray something like this:
Jesus,
I realize that I, like everyone else on earth, am a sinner. I’m imperfect and prone to sin. I understand that there is nothing I can do to take away my sin or earn an eternity in heaven with You. I also understand that You loved me so much that You came to earth as a man to die on the cross and rise from the dead to defeat death and pay the penalty for my sin and that You offer everyone on earth the free gift of Your salvation. Thank You for making a way and offering this gift of grace. I accept Your gift today and will spend the rest of my life serving You and telling others about Your love and gift that rescued me. Please teach me to live for You and to serve You as King all of my days. Thank You, Lord, for saving me.
"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die."
JOHN 11:25
Did you place your trust in Christ? If so, congratulations! This is the best and most important decision of your life. Now, it's important to share your decision with someone else and to find a Bible-believing church where you can grow in your faith and become part of a church family. You can find one here. If you did trust Christ today, we'd love to hear from you! Send us a note here.
QUESTIONS?
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