ou have
broken God’s holy Law. You don’t think so? “I’m not so bad,” you tell
yourself.
Really? Ask yourself some questions. Have
you ever lied? Yes, you have. Have you ever stolen anything? Yes, you
have.
Have you ever committed adultery? Yes, you
have, because Jesus says that to even lust after a woman is the same as
committing adultery. My friend, you have broken three out of ten. And by
desiring her in the first place, you are coveting someone’s wife or
daughter. That’s four.
Shall we try for five out of ten? Jesus
says to hate someone is to commit the sin of murder in your heart. And
that’s where sin starts. Let’s check the balance sheet. You have
admitted that you are a lying, thieving, covetous, murdering,
adulterer—and we’ve only looked at five of the ten.
Shall we go for six? By doing all these
things, you have dishonored your father and mother. My friend, you’ve
broken six out of ten. If you will be honest with yourself, you have
broken all the others, too. And these are just a summary of God’s holy
Law.
You’ve got a problem, my friend. And it’s
a serious problem, because the penalty for breaking God’s Law is severe
indeed. But it’s not just your problem. It’s my problem, too. In fact,
it’s everybody’s problem. The penalty is death, and not just physical
death. The penalty is eternal death, separation from God in a place that
you really don’t want to go to.
But there’s some good news. In fact, it’s
great news. That eternal penalty has already been paid. God Himself paid
it and paved the road for our salvation through Jesus Christ.
The road to salvation through Jesus Christ
is clearly presented in the New Testament. These Seven Principles of
Salvation are set forth in Paul’s letter to the Romans.
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All people are born sinners. We are all unrighteous people.
As it is written, “Not even one person is righteous.
No one understands. No one searches for God. All have turned away.
Together they have become worthless.” —Romans 3:10-12
This means that
no one is righteous before God and, in fact, no one is even searching
for Him.
Ø
All people sin. Our best efforts will never measure up.
… since all have sinned and continue to fall short
of God’s glory. —Romans 3:23
This means that you have sinned.
You have not earned, and do not deserve, eternal life. There are two
things you need to know to be saved: First, you need to know that you
are a sinner who has violated God’s laws. Second, you need to know that
there is a terrible and eternal price for sin.
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The price of sin is death.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one
man, and death through sin, so death spread to everyone, because all
have sinned. —Romans 5:12
Adam sinned and
gave Satan a foothold in the world. By nature, we are all separated from
God. We are all born in sin. We deserve death and hell.
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Jesus paid your debt by dying in your place.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23
You have earned
death, not eternal life. So Jesus, in effect, went to the “Bank of
Heaven” and paid your debt for you. Jesus paid the price for you to
obtain salvation and eternal life. You cannot earn this payment. Eternal
life must be accepted as a gift from God.
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Christ died in your place, paying your price, and suffering so
that you would not have to suffer eternally.
But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact
that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
— Romans 5:8
Due to
unconditional love, Christ died in your place, paying a debt He did not
owe. We all have an unpaid debt of sin that Christ is willing to pay for
us. How do we get our debts paid by Christ? If you accept His payment of
your debt by receiving Him as your Lord and Savior, He will make you His
child and take you to heaven when you die.
Ø
His invitation is open to anyone… even you.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.” — Romans 10:13
The word
“everyone” includes you. How do you “call on the name of the Lord” to be
saved?
Ø
You must confess your sin, declare His Lordship, and believe in
your heart that God raised Christ from the dead.
…if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. For a person believes with his heart and is justified, and a
person declares with his mouth and is saved. — Romans 10:9-10
The Bible promises
us that God forgives our sin when we accept the work that Christ did for
us when He died on Calvary. You can do this by praying this short,
simple prayer:
“Lord, Jesus, I know that
I am a sinner and I need you. I know that you paid the price for my sins
by dying on the cross. I ask that you forgive my sins; and I receive you
as my Savior and Lord. I thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me
eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of
person you want me to be. Amen.”
Look to God’s Word for encouragement as you begin your new life in
Christ. Remember these simple truths from God’s Word:
If we make it our habit to
confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us those sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9
The Spirit himself testifies
with our spirit that we are God’s children. —Romans 8:16
For by such grace you have
been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of
God and not the result of works, lest anyone boast. —Ephesians 2:8
For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory
that will be revealed to us. —Romans 8:18
I have written these things
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know
that you have eternal life. —1 John 5:13
Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all
things have become new! All of this comes from God, who has reconciled
us to himself through Christ… —2 Corinthians 5:17-18a
