God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

God's Love Is Revealed in the Bible
"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

God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and complete. And He wants to give you a life which will last forever, even after you experience physical death.

We Are Sinful
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." —Romans 3:23
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human—nobody's perfect." This Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things that we know are wrong. And that's why we feel estranged from God—because God is holy and good, and we are not.

Sin Has a Penalty
"For the wages of sin is death." —Romans 6:23

Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must pay the penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the penalty of spiritual death: You will not only die physically; you will also be separated from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches that those who choose to remain separated from God will spend eternity in a place called hell.

Christ Has Paid Our Penalty!
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." —Romans 5:8

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good life and do good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that Christ loved you enough to die for you, even when you were rebelling against Him.

Salvation Is a Free Gift
"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

The word grace means "undeserved favor." It means God is offering you something you could never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it, Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you!

Christ Is at Your Heart's Door
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." —Revelation 3:20

Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you. Picture, if you will, Jesus Christ standing at the door of your heart (the door of your emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in; He is waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and life.

You Must Receive Him
" 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

When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God, and have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. If you clearly understand what Christ accomplished on the cross and have considered carefully the demands He makes, there is nothing to stop you from becoming a Christian. Now you should go where you can be alone or in the presence of another Christian, get on your knees before God and pray a simple prayer such as this:

Lord Jesus Christ, I need You. I agree that I am a sinner and have sinned in my thinking and speaking and acting. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I have counted the cost of following You. I repent and turn away from my past sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, pray it right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.