Jesus said, “...Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. (John 3.3).
How is someone “born again”? Just what do we have to do to go to heaven? This is life’s most important question because we all will face death at some point, and then we all will live forever someplace, either heaven or hell. We need to know four things to find eternal life in Jesus Christ.
We need to be saved. Here’s why:
God is “holy.” He is absolutely pure and perfect (Revelation 4:8; 1 Peter 1.16).
We are all sinners, every single one of us (Romans 3:10 & 23).
Our sin causes a breach between God and us (Isaiah 59:1-2).
God won’t allow anything sinful to enter His Holy City (Revelation 21:2 & 27).
Our sin is the problem, and it must be resolved before we can enter heaven.
We cannot save ourselves. Here’s why:
God clearly says that our “works” cannot save us (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8 & 9).
Even our best efforts are tainted by our sin, oftentimes pride (Isaiah 64:6; James 4:6).
If we keep trying to establish our own “goodness” we aren’t trusting God’s righteousness (Romans 10:3 & 4).
Our morality, our money, our religion, our good works, our affiliations, etc., are all faulty ladders that are too short to reach from our sinfulness to God’s perfection (Romans 3:23).
Jesus Christ is our only hope. Here’s why:
The Bible says so. Read John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 for yourself. They are crystal clear.
Jesus Christ is God’s choice to be the Savior (Luke 2:10; 1 John 4:14).
Jesus Christ is the only one that died on the cross in our place, paying for our sins.(Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24 & 3:18; Hebrews 9:27-28) Think about that!
This is the only payment that God the Father will accept (1 Peter 1:18-19).
He alone was raised from the dead, proving His power over death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
We must personally receive God’s gift of eternal life. How do we do that?
We must be convinced that what the Bible says about salvation is true (Romans 10:17).
We must have faith in Christ alone. This means we have a heartfelt belief that He died and paid for our sins completely, was buried and rose again (Romans 5:1 & 10:9-10).
We must repent (Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19). This means to have a change of mind about our sin, having a desire to turn from it rather than to keep living sinfully.
We must receive Christ and His gift of eternal life (John 1:12; Romans 6:23 & 10:13). We do this by calling on Him in an honest prayer, asking for forgiveness and eternal life.
Are you ready to pray the “A-B-C prayer” from your heart right now? If so, pray!
A- Admit that you are a sinner, unable to save yourself, and ask God for forgiveness.
B- Believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior who died on the cross for you, and rose again.
C- Call upon Jesus Christ asking Him to be your Savior and Lord.
If you have honest questions, or need help understanding something, please contact us.
If you prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, please let us know.
Sincerely, Pastor Bret
Church office: 585-466-7644 Pastor’s email address: BretDLongwell.ABC@gmail.com
