Who is He?

Prophet? Teacher? Son of God? Does it matter? Ignorance is probably our greatest enemy. Hundreds of people reject Christianity without any clear understanding of what it is. Others would become Christians if they only knew how.

Christianity claims to be God’s solution to man’s greatest problem. But, it’s impossible to understand the solution unless we are clear about the problem.

  • First we have to admit that we are all sinners. (Whether or not we’ll admit it out loud - we each know we are!) Sin isn’t a very pleasant subject, but the Bible declares it and experience confirms it.
  • God, on the other hand is absolutely pure and spotless. He is described as "Light," while sin is described as darkness. Light and darkness can’t exist together. Therefore, we as sinful people can’t exist with a sinless God. So, how do we as sinners find a way to get rid of our sin so that we can be reconciled to a Holy God - Who put us on this earth because He wanted fellowship with us?
  • The Bible tells us that Jesus, God’s Son, was sent to earth to solve this fundamental problem.  He came to be the "Savior."  Because God’s punishment for sin is death, and because of our sin we each deserved to die, God chose to have Jesus come and live among us - becoming one of us and experiencing all the same troubles and trials that we do - and then receive the death sentence for all of us, even though He never sinned.
  • When He was crucified on the cross, He was taking our death sentence on Himself. Our death sentence - or eternal separation from God - was wiped out — with one little string attached:
  • That forgiveness of sin is not automatic. God does not force it on us. He gave us free will to sin - and free will to choose salvation. And while we can’t earn it - we can refuse it!

If I am to benefit from the death of Jesus for me, I must take a few simple steps...
1. I must acknowledge myself to be a sinner in God’s sight. While I may see differences in the degree to which people may have sinned - God does not see it that way - He sees only the FACT that each of us has sinned. There is nothing I can do to win God’s favor. On my own I am helpless. I need a "Savior" to rescue me from my sin.
2. I must believe that Jesus Christ is God’s only Son, and that even though He was sinless, He died on the cross to be the very Savior I have just admitted I need. He voluntarily endured the penalty I deserved. He functions as the bridge for me to cross from "darkness" to ‘Light", from sin to forgiveness, from separation from God to a relationship with Him.
But wait! I must not decide too easily! If I am going to accept His salvation - I am committing my life to following Him and living by His teachings. He makes it very clear that this isn’t easy. It’s hard!! Worthwhile — but hard! Here’s what he expects of me:
1. I must repent of my sin. Repentance doesn’t mean simply being sorry for my past. It means I resolutely turn my back on my past life, and be willing for Jesus to take the old ways out of my life forever. It may mean I must make restitution where my sin has affected someone else.
2. I must surrender to Christ - and let Him be "Lord" of my life as well as my Savior. I must let Him take possession of my life, and agree to obey His Word, the Bible. I will do that by reading the Bible so I know what it says, and praying constantly about my actions and decisions.
3. I must tell others that I believe in Jesus. I must not be ashamed of belonging to Him, but accept His commandment to tell others. I can expect to suffer for doing this, but I will receive His reward for my faithfulness. He may make exacting demands, but He also gives wonderful rewards. Nothing can compare with the the joy of really "knowing" Him.
4. I must call out to God Himself.  If I am willing to accept the gift - as well as the obligations - there is nothing to stop me from becoming a Christian right now. To do this I can pray a simple prayer such as this:
  • Lord Jesus, I humbly acknowledge that I have sinned in my thinking and speaking and acting, and that my sins have separated me from You and Your Father, and I am helpless to change this myself.
  • I firmly believe that You died on the cross for my sins.
  • I have carefully thought about what it means to accept You as my Savior, and I sincerely repent, turning away from my past sins. I surrender myself to You as my Lord. Help me not to ever be ashamed of following You, but to love You with all my heart.
  • I believe You have been waiting for me to allow You into my life, and I ask you now, Lord Jesus, come into my life, take away my sin, and make me a new creation.
  • I thank You and praise You that you always keep Your word. 

Amen

If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, please
let us know so that we can pray for you and send you some materials to help you get started in this wonderful new life in Christ. Welcome to the family of God!!