God Loves You!

God’s love for you personally is shown by His provision for your need: "But God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Salvation requires repentance, which means a "turning." Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). The New Testament emphasizes the necessity of repentance and salvation: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).

Every one of us has sinned, and the Bible says that our sins must be dealt with. We have a two-fold sin problem. We are sinners by birth, and we are sinners by choice. Some one once spoke with the great evangelist Dr. Vance Havner, "This thing about man’s sin nature, I find that hard to swallow!" Dr. Havner said, "You don’t have to swallow it- you’re born with it, it’s already in you."

The world classifies sin, viewing some things as worse than others. But the Bible teaches that all sin is an offense against God, and even one sin is serious enough to keep some one out of heaven. You may not have robbed a bank, or maybe you have. God doesn’t grade on a curve; humanity is a tainted race, and sin is the problem.

Oftentimes in life, we know what is right, but we do what is wrong. You may have even looked back at yourself and wondered, "What was I thinking? Why did I do that? How could I have said that?" Jesus said that man needs to repent, and make a change. Repentance means turning from your sins, and to Christ. By faith, trust who Jesus is (God's Son; mankind’s Savior), and what Jesus did (died in your place, and rose from the dead).God's forgiveness is received by faith. We are to confess our faith before others, not ashamed to let the world know that we believe in Jesus: "That 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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).

What is faith? Faith is trust. It is simple, honest, child-like trust. God says that you have a sin problem, but that He loves you, and will forgive you. God says that through Jesus Christ, He has made a way for anyone to be saved who will come to Him. Do you trust what God has said, and what God has done? If you come to Christ in belief and faith, God promises to save you: "For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). Jesus promises: "...the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).

If you desire to have a relationship to the Lord, that can be accomplished right where you are, right now. Make your journey to the cross today, through this basic prayer of commitment:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned, and I cannot save myself. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died and rose again for me, to forgive my sins, and to be my Savior. I turn from my sins, and I ask you to forgive me. I receive you into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Jesus, thank you for saving me now. Help me to live the rest of my life for you. Amen."