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What does it really mean to be a Christian?
That’s a question a lot of people might answer differently. Some people might say, “It means being a good person.” Others might tell you, “It means believing in God.” And still others might say, “It means going to church.” But the truth is, to answer that question, you have to be able to answer another one:
Who is Jesus Christ?
That is the most important question of all, and the one that will determine where you will spend eternity.
I know it can seem like you have all the time in the world to find an answer, but the truth is, you might not. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You could get hit by a car, you could die of a heart attack, or you could go to sleep and never wake up. Anything could happen. You don’t know when your time here on Earth is going to run out. But you do know that whether it’s tomorrow, or years from now, you are going to die. The Bible says that, “...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...” - Hebrews 9:27
When that day comes for you, and you have stand before God, what will happen? Will you go to Heaven? Or Hell?
I’m sure there’s someone reading this who’s saying, “I don’t believe in Hell.” But the truth is still the truth whether we believe it or not. Hell is there, and it’s very real, and more horrible than you can imagine. The Bible calls it “A lake a fire,” (Revelation 20:14-15) and “a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12) You might have also heard it said that “Hell is eternal separation from God.” But was does that really mean? One way to think of it is this: God is everything good, and because Hell means eternal separation from God, Hell is the absence of everything good. No love, no peace, no comfort, no rest, only hate, pain, torment and suffering, for eternity. Forever.
You might say, “God is supposed to be a loving God, isn’t He? If He’s a loving God, He’d never send anyone to a place like that.”
Yes, God is a loving God, but the truth is, God loves us so much that He gives us a choice. God could have forced us to love Him, could have made us worship Him forever. But He wanted us to love Him of our own free will, to make the choice to follow Him. And because He is such a loving God, He won’t force anyone to be with Him who doesn’t want to be. But, God is also perfect, completely and utterly Holy, and He can’t accept sin. So, to choose to be away from God is to choose to be separated from Him forever. And the only place that can be is Hell.
Now maybe you’re asking, “If God is perfect, and He can’t accept sin, how can anybody go to Heaven? Everybody, even the best people, have sinned at least once. Does that mean everybody will go to Hell?”
No, it doesn’t. Because God loved us so much that He has made a way for us to be with Him forever. You probably have heard the verse, “For God So loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16
Have you ever wondered what that means?
That verse is the answer to the question of who Jesus Christ is. God loved us so much, that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us on the cross, and take our punishment on Himself, paying the price for our sins so we wouldn’t have to. And then three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead.
When you accept Jesus Christ as your savior, and turn your life over to Him, you’re accepting what Christ did on the cross, accepting the free gift of salvation. You can know with complete certainty that when you die, you will spend eternity in Heaven with God.
The Bible says, “In Christ we are set free by the blood of His death and so we have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace.” - Ephesians 1:7
But, if we choose not to accept what God has done, we still have to pay that penalty ourselves, and that means spending an eternity separated from God in Hell.
You might being saying now, “I’m a good person. Sure, I sometimes make mistakes, but I try to be good and I’ve never done anything really bad. God will understand.”
But you can never be good enough, you can’t earn your own salvation. It’s impossible. Even people such as Mother Teresa can't be saved by something they have personally done. How many of us can say we’ve been able to help as many people as Mother Teresa did with her ministry? But even Mother Teresa, without Jesus Christ, would be lost, because as the Bible says, “All have sinned and all have fallen short of the glory of God.” - Romans 3:23
Here’s another way to think of it: Imagine that you had to go before a judge because you had broken a law, and you said to the Judge, “Your Honor, I know I’ve broken the law, but I’m really sorry and to make up for it I waxed your car, and walked your dog, and mowed your lawn.” Would that make up for what you had done? Would it change the fact that you had broken the law? No, it wouldn’t. You would still have to pay the penalty for breaking the law.
But, imagine that a man walks into the court room and says to the judge, “I will pay the penalty so they don’t have to. Let them go.” That is what Jesus did for you.
Jesus loves you so much that He died for you. Even if you had been the only person ever born, He still would have died for you. He doesn’t want you to go to Hell. He wants you to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. He’s just waiting for you to make your decision.
If you want to choose Jesus Christ, if you want to make Him your Lord and Savior, and accept the free gift of salvation, please pray this simple prayer from your heart:
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God in Heaven, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I confess that I have not lived my life for You.
Lord, I have decided to accept that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross and rose again from the dead so that I might have eternal life.
Jesus, come into my heart, be my Savior and be my Lord.
From this day forward, and to the best of my ability, I will live my life for You.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
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If you have asked Jesus into your heart, then you can know that your sins are forgiven and you will go to Heaven, because as the Bible says, “If you use your mouth to say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from death, you will be saved.” - Romans 10:9
But, this is also just the first step. There is so much that God can do with your life here on earth, and your walk with Him is just beginning. :) Please don't let your journey end here. Keep going, and keep growing in faith.
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| Here are some simple steps you can take to continue your walk with Christ: |
First, declare to someone what that you've made Jesus your Lord and Savior. The Bible says, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." - Matthew 10:32-33
Next, please pray about finding a Bible-believing church. Being with others who've also made the choice to follow Christ can have an incredible impact on you. It gives you people to talk to who have the same struggles, to answer your questions, and to encourage you. The Bible says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day [of Judgment] approaching." - Hebrews 10:25
Seek water baptism. Being baptized is symbolic of joining Christ in His death and resurrection. The Bible says, "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
Read the Bible. Have you ever wished that life came with instructions? The Bible is God's instruction book for you. It has the answers your searching for. :) The Bible says, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:18-19
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| Here are some links you might also find helpful: |
Church Angel: This is a very large directory of churches all across the United States. Churches are listed by state and city. There are also links to a number of other Christian websites and organizations.
BibleGateway.com: This is a wonderful site that allows you to read the Bible online or look up scripture. There are over 100 versions (King James, New International Version) and 50 languages to choose from.
Questions And Answers About Christ: Do you have questions about Christ that haven't been answered here? This is a short article with answers to some of the most common questions people have.
What's Significant About Being A Christian: This is a short article describing what it really means to become a Christian, and what it means for your life.
Prayer and Counseling:
Would you like to talk to someone, or have something you need prayer for? This is a link to CBN Ministries Prayer and Counseling webpage. There are links listed to several different ministries' counseling programs, or CBN's own councilors are available 24/7 by phone. You can also email prayer requests to them. It is absolutely free with no obligation, and you can remain anonymous.
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