God’s gift of Salvation

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”

Romans 3:23-24 (NLT)

God loves all of us and wants for everyone to share eternity with Him in Heaven. Nothing brings Him more joy than when a person decides to follow Jesus. Heaven rejoices.

 

In order to become a child of God; however, you must make a choice. You must decide that you want to accept Jesus as your Savior.

 

The Bible says that there is only one way to get to Heaven:

 

“Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.”

John 14:6 (AMP)

Good works can’t save you.

 

“You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (CEV)

You have to personally make the decision to follow Jesus on your own. Once you have decided to follow Jesus, you must admit that you are a sinner and repent (turn away from) of your sins and invite Jesus to come into your life as your personal Savior.

 

“I tell you, No; but unless you repent (change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally.”

Luke 13:5 (AMP)

“God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others. The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. All who call out to the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:10-13 (CEV)

Then, pray. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should come from your heart. I have included a prayer below that you can use if you don’t have the words to say.

 

Father in Heaven, I know that I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Your Son, Jesus, died in my place to pay the ultimate penalty for my sins and I give You glory that He rose again for my salvation. Father, I need You in my life. Help me to turn completely away from my sinful ways and live a life that is pleasing to You. I want to have a relationship with You. So, now I ask You, Father, to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Cleanse me, heal me and forgive me, I pray. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, I pray, Amen.

 

Once you have done that, get into a Bible-based church. If you are looking for a church home, we welcome you here at Asbury United Methodist. We have Sunday service at 10:00 a.m. and throughout the week we have Prayer Fellowship every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and TGIF Bible Study every Friday at 7:00 p.m.

 

Read your Bible daily. God’s Word is your manual for life. As Christians when we read and study God’s Word, we find strength and direction for life and as you grow in your walk with Him you will learn to possess the many great promises contained in His Word for your own.

 

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.”

Psalm 119:105 (CEV)

Surround yourselves with believers. It is important to be around like-minded people, believing people. Fellowshipping with other Christians is vital, especially when you are a new believer.

Get involved in ministry. Here at Asbury, we have many ministries to get involved in and we welcome your involvement.

 

If you have decided to accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior, let me be the first to say “welcome to the family” and I rejoice with you. You have made the best decision in life because there is nothing greater than saying “YES” to God’s free gift of salvation. Know that this is an exciting new journey of a brand new life through Jesus Christ. Equip yourself with the Word of God, get into a believing bible-based church and surround yourself around other Christian believers.

 

When thoughts of your own life start to creep up (and they will), know that God has forgiven you of your sin and has wiped that memory clean, so don’t live in condemnation. Set your mind on Christ.

 

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

Romans 8:1-17 (NLT)

We, at Asbury, are here to aid you in your journey. Do not hesitate to contact us; however, you are led because, truly, we are here for you. Again, welcome into the family of Christ. We love you.

Nina Fortson