...to salvation...
From the mouth fingers heart of my dear husband as he sent one his semi-daily-spurring-me-on-encouraging-me-in-the-faith-kind of texts... I love them. I love him... "I love you. Keep hoping, trusting and relying on the Lord. God tests us and refines us in the trying and unseen moments of our lives... I pray that we will come out as gold, refined by fire."
Life is tough. Daily mundane life is super tough! But God is sufficient. God is able. He is real. So very amazingly real. So is His power to move the unmovable. Lift the down-hearted. Heal the wounded and hurting. Guide the lost. Defeat the enemy and overcome this world... He has. He did. Once and for all. For all. He sent His perfect Son. To die. To take our sin and make it His own. Paying the price for our marred flesh. Giving us life. Eternal life. A beautiful gift. Given out of pure and untamed love. Easy to accept. Hard to dismiss. And your life fully depends it.
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin.
We were born under the power of sin's control.
Romans 6:23 "...The wages of sin is death..."
Sin has an ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will be in torment forever. It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will remain.
Romans 6:23 "...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Salvation is a free gift from God to you! You can't earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it.
Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
When Jesus died on the cross He paid sin's penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, He bought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we believe in Him and what He has done for us, understanding that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this because He loved us and gave Himself for us!
Romans 10:13 "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
Romans 10:9-10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
Jesus said,
Revelation 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..."
Believe in Him.
Ask Him to come in to your heart by faith, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Open the Bible to the Gospel of John and read what God says about Jesus, about you, and about being born again. God will help you. He loves you. You need to look for a local church where God's word is preached. The Bible says that we are to desire God's word like a newborn baby desires mother's milk. Aren't you hungry to know the
truth? Water baptism is one of the ways you first show that you have been joined to Jesus. This is an action, and actions will not save you. However, it is an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment. The symbolism is this:
When you go down in the water you show that
You have been crucified and buried with Him,
And when you come up out of the water you show that
You have been raised to walk with Him in newness of life. (See Romans chapter 6)
You have been born again. (See John chapter 3)
Your body has become God's temple.
Your heart is where He lives.
Forgiveness is yours in Jesus.
And you belong to Him.
You were sin's slave.
But now...
You are a child of GOD!
John 1:12, "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name!"
