God
loves you.
"For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life." John 3:16
God
is holy and just. He punishes all evil and expels it from
his presence.
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven
against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress
the truth by their wickedness..." Romans 1:18
God,
who created everything, made us to find our purpose in life
through a relationship with him.
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created
by him and for him." Colossians 1:16
But
we rebelled and turned away from God.
"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us
has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6
The
result is separation from God.
"But your iniquities have separated you from your
God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he
will not hear." Isaiah 59:2
The
penalty is eternal death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans
6:23
God
became human in the person of Jesus Christ in order to restore
the broken relationship with mankind.
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell
in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-20
Christ
lived a perfect life.
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in
his mouth." 1 Peter 2:22
Christ
died as a substitute for us by paying the death penalty
for our rebellion from God.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans
5:8
He
rose from the dead!
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures..." 1 Corinthians
15:3-4
He
is alive today and gives us a new life of fellowship with
God, both now and forever.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it
to the full." John 10:10
I
must repent (180 degree turn) of my sins and turn to God.
"From that time on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is near.'" Matthew 4:17
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance." Luke 5:32
I
must believe Christ died to provide forgiveness and a new
relationship with God.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."
John 1:12
I
must have faith and express my faith through baptism.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God." Romans 5:1-2
"When the people heard this, they were cut to the
heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers,
what shall we do?' Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for
all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will
call'." Acts 2:37-39
There
is no cost to you; salvation comes freely based on faith.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not
by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
But
it comes at a high cost to God.
"For you know that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty
way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but
with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish
or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19
Ultimately
your response is a life of discipleship which means Jesus
becomes Lord of your life.
"Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke
9:23-24
Jesus
as Lord means a new life.
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning
so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin;
how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that
all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? We were therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life." Romans 6:1-4
And
a new Spirit, a new nature and a new lifestyle.
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful
nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit
what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict
with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The
acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,
discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,
factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this
will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit." Gal. 5:16-25
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