Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Later He told his disciples, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). God's word assures us of heaven, but it also warns us of a place of torment. Revelation 20:15 says, "...whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." God doesn't want anyone to spend eternity in hell. We are told that He is "...not willing that any should perish..." (II Peter 3:9).
The Apostle John writes, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye may know that ye have eternal life..." (I John 5:13). God has provided everything we need to spend eternity in heaven with Him!
The Bible tells us the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch as he was reading about Jesus from the book of Isaiah, "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understand thou what thou readest?" And he said, "How can I, except some man should guide me?..." (Acts 8:30-31).
This booklet is designed to "...guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13). Our hope is that you will choose to be born again, so that you will see the kingdom of God.
God is Holy
God cannot tolerate sin because of His holiness - He is completely without any wrong. Many people only think of sin as a type of crime-something done against society. Sin is more than a crime, it is transgression against God. Even though you may be a very moral person, the Bible says that you are still a sinner. "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one..." (Romans 3:10). "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Is it enough to try to keep the commandments? No. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).
What is the end result of sin? Spiritual death. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
God is Just
The Bible tells us that hell will be a terrible place. It will be filled with anguish and pain beyond any human's comprehension. Jesus told his disciples that "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42).
What happens to a person without Christ after death? They will go to hell. "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath powet to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him" (Luke 12:5)
What cleanses us from all sin? The shed blood of Jesus Christ. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus he proclaimed, "...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus Christ was the final and ultimate sacrifice. The blood from His sacrifice doesn't cover our sin, it totally cleanses us of our sin. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).
Is there any other payment for sin? No. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood there is not remission" (Hebrews 9:22).
Is there anything a person can do to pay for sin? No. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Why did Jesus give His life? Because of His love for people. "For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).
God is Love
Is Jesus the only way to salvation? Yes. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
Is God's love for everyone? Yes. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
What are God's conditions for having everlasting life? Believing in His Son. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Joh 3:36).
Will Jesus ever turn someone away? No. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
The Bible tells us, "Therefore if any many be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passew away; behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17). When a person accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior he is born again. Spiritually, he is born from above and becomes a member of God's family. The Bible states, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on the his name" (John 1:12).
God's Path
What must a person need to do in order to be born again? Simply repent, believe, ask, and receive.
1) You must repent
To repent is to see your condition as God sees it and to express sorrow. In this case, you repent of your sin. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation..." (II Corinthians 7:10). You must admit to God that you are a sinner deserving of hell because of your sin.
Repentance is also a sincere turning away from sin to God. The Bible states "...that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:20).
2) You must believe
Believing is more than just acknowledging that Jesus Christ exists. The Bible says "...the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). True believing is placing your complete confidence in Him and His ability to save you. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). You must believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross to save you. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness..." (Romans 10:9-10).
3) You must ask
Believing is more than just acknowledging that Jesus Christ exists. The Bible says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). To call upon the Lord is to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and save you from an eternity in hell. You must pray and ask for "...with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10).
4) You must receive
To receive something you must take it. Salvation is offered as a free gift from God. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
The Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved... it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Like any gift, it is not yours until you receive it. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). You must pray and tell the Lord that you wish to receive His wonderful gift of eternal life!
The Time is Now!
You have come to the place in your life where you must make a decision. If you choose to accept the payment made by the Lord Jesus Christ for your sin, then you simply need to bow your head and pray. Tell Jesus, in your own words, that you are sorry for your sin and ask Him to forgive you and save you from hell. Tell Him you are willing to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Let Him know you want to accept His gift of eternal life. Remember, Jesus Christ never turns anyone away!
"The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9)
Taken from the Little Red Book - www.littleredbook.org
We can know, if you have read thus far, let me give you an example. An analogy if you will. My pastor gave this one to Casey and he told me it as well.
Take a chair that you are sitting on right now reading this, you knew that sitting down it was going to hold you and not collapse. Right? You did not have to think about it. You had faith that it would hold you up. So why not have the same faith in God and His word?
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