The Free Gift
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
What great news! God loves you! He loves you so much that He provided a way for you to have a personal relationship with Him and to have eternal life. Unfortunately, there is no way you can accomplish this on your own.
The Bible says that you are a sinner - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Because of your sin, and because of God's holiness, you are separated from God, and unless your sin is atoned for, you will remain that way eternally - "For the wages of sin is death..."(Romans 6:23, first half). There is no way you can earn forgiveness for your sins nor can you earn eternal life; nothing you can do or have done can get you into heaven. Our good deeds just won't get us there - "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..."(Isaiah 64:6).
Thankfully, God, though perfectly righteous and just, is also wonderfully gracious and merciful. Out of His love for you, He sent His only Son, Jesus, the Lord, to pay the penalty for your sins. Jesus Christ is God, and He came as a man to die on a cross for you, so that you may be forgiven - "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23, second half), "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God..." (1 Peter 3:18). He was raised from the dead and He lives and reigns forever in heaven, at God's right hand.
How do you receive this wonderful gift? "...'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...'" (Acts 16:31), "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). You need to receive Jesus! This is the ONLY way! - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6). Believe that Jesus is God. Put your faith in Him. Pray for Him to forgive all your sins and for Him to make you new.
Once you receive Jesus, you can know for sure you have eternal life based on 1 John 5:13 - "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
I pray that this message has made you think about your eternal destination, and God opens your heart to receive His Son. If this message has touched you in any way, or for more information, please fill out our contact form.