Exactly how does Jesus come into my life? What’s the process of becoming a Christian? Four brief passages of Scripture in the Book of Romans explain how to turn your life around through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Because of our sin, we are separated from God—All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Few people dispute this, because we’re too aware of our weaknesses and moral failure. We all have regrets, and most of us deal with guilt at various times and in various ways. We know something is “broken” within us.
Someone sat down beside Will Rogers at a dinner and asked the comedian, “What's wrong with the world, anyway?” Rogers replied in his famous drawl, “Well, I dunno, I guess it’s people.”
In response to an article in The Times of London entitled, “What’s Wrong with the World?” the writer, Chesterton, replied, “I am. Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton.” All of us are sinners, and we need to find some way for dealing with this problem.
2. The penalty for our sin is death—For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). This verse encapsulates the whole Bible in a nutshell. God is life and light, He is pure and perfect. His presence cannot abide sin and wickedness; and because we have sinned, we’re separated from Him. As a result, we’re as dead as a tree limb when sawed from the main trunk. The word death is used in the Bible in the sense of separation. Physical death occurs when the soul is separated from the body. James said, “The body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26). Spiritual death occurs when the spirit and body are eternally separated from God by sin. But this verse goes on to offer hope: God wants to give us a gift—eternal life through Jesus our Lord.
3. The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ—But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). The verb “demonstrates” is a good, solid, active verb. It means that God didn’t just love us in a sentimental way. He did something in human history that proved His great love. It was the death of Jesus Christ. Though we are sinners, Christ died for us. The great message of the Gospel is this: God loved us despite our sinfulness, and He chose to become a man Himself—Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless God-Man—and to die in our place, taking the penalty of our sins upon Himself that we might have the promise of His life for ourselves. He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
4. If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins—If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. . . . For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:9, 10, 13). There's a promise we believe and a Person we receive. You can pray right now, telling God you’re ready to trust Christ as your Savior and confess Him as Lord. By the time you get to the final “Amen” you’ll be a new person in Christ. Why not pray right now:
Dear God, I admit I’ve sinned and fallen short of your glory. I realize the penalty for my sin is death, and I believe it was paid by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I’m willing to repent of my sins, and I now confess Christ as my Savior and make Him the Lord of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
5. Can you be sure that if you ask Christ to save you, He will? Yes! He has done it. Take this promise with you: Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:1, 13).
God bless you, and congratulations! Welcome to His family!
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Dr. Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of
Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California.
For more information about Turning Point, visit our website at www.DavidJeremiah.org.
