Being a True Christian
God created the world, and the entire universe. As the all powerful, all knowing God, He gets to choose what is right – as He lays out in His word, the bible.
1. The bad news:
Since Adam and Eve, every person has sinned against God. Sin is doing something that God does not want you to do, or not doing something that God wants you to do. God is holy (totally pure), and sin is an offense to the holiness of God. His response is wrath and judgement of that sin – and separation from the sinner. The bible tells us that the payment that sin deserves is death (Romans 3:23). Because of sin, we cannot have a relationship with God (Psalm 24: 3-4). Our sins have made our hands and hearts impure. We deserve judgement – and spending all eternity in hell – a debt that is never paid. We can do nothing to cleanse ourselves from sin. We can never be good enough to be holy.
2. The Good News:
God solved our sin problem. He sent His Son Jesus – God in human flesh – to earth. He came to die for us. The Lord Jesus never sinned – though Hs tempted in every way as we are. When He died, He had no need to pay for His sins, so His death was a sacrifice to pay for our sins.
God offers us forgiveness, a relationship with Himself, victory over sin in our lives, and a home in heaven with Him for all eternity. Forgiveness and a relationship with God – Salvation – cannot be earned or deserved. It is a gift from God.
3. How to respond to God’s offer:
Believe that Jesus death purchased forgiveness for you. Trust in Him to make you right with God as His child. Admit (confess) to Him that you have sinned. Ask Him to come to come into your life as your Savior and forgive your sin. Turning to God in faith will involve turning your back to sin in your life. This is a process of life-long, ongoing turning away from sin. We are unfortunately not always successful, but our heart’s desire should be to want to keep away from sin. That is one of the evidences that one is a true Christian – the desire for righteous living.
4. The guarantee:
Jesus promises that at the point when you begin putting your faith (belief) and trust in Him as your Savior – He gives you eternal life. Eternal means that it will never end and never be taken away. You cannot loose your salvation once you have it. You never need to be saved again. You did not do anything to merit your salvation, and you cannot do anything to loose it. God saved you and you belong to Him. He will never leave you or forsake you (John 5:24, John 6:47, I John 5:10-12).
