How to have eternal life

If you want to truly live with joy and you want to know what eternal life is, then continue reading, this is for YOU...

The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Because we have all sinned, we are separated from God. If you've lied, stolen, coveted, or had lustful thoughts then you have sinned; even if you've lost your temper a little. We all have personal weaknesses and personal guilt. People are naturally self-serving. Even though people do good things, we all have done our share of wrong.

The Bible says in Romans 6:26: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The consequences of our sin is death. This verse explains one of the most important concepts of the Bible in one sentence. God is Holy and perfect, without any wrong. He cannot be in the presence of sin. Because we have all sinned, we are all separated from Him. This is much like a limb being cut from a tree; it has been removed from its source of life! We cannot have spiritual life because we have been removed from God because of sin. So if we have all sinned and God cannot be in the presence of sin, how can we be saved from eternal spiritual death?

The Bible says in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ. Notice that this verse does not say "God loved us so much that He was really distressed that we were separated from Him by our sin." No! God demonstrated His love. He did something in history that proved His love; Jesus Christ died for us. Despite our sinful condition, Christ died for us. This is the wonderful message of the gospel: God loves us despite our sinful condition, so much that He became a man, Jesus Christ, the perfect, Holy, and sinless God in the form of man. He came to die in our stead, taking the penalty of our sins (death)on Himself so that we might live the way God intended for us to live: in total dependence on Him and in total obedience to Him.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9: "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." If we repent of our sinfulness, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives, we will be saved from the penalty of sin. The gospel offers us a promise, to save us from the penalty of sin; we must believe it. The gospel also offers us a person, Jesus Christ who paid our penalty and who deserves to be Lord of our lives; we must receive Him.

I would like to invite you right now to pray to God, telling Him you're ready to trust Jesus Christ to save you from the penalty of sin and to confess Him as the Lord over your life. There is a prayer you can pray right now, but let the words be your own; don't just repeat the words as if they were a spiritual chant, but speak them to the personal God who loves you enough to die for you.

Prayer: Lord, I admit that I have sinned and am unclean before You, the Holy God. I understand that I deserve death as the penalty for my sins, and I believe that Jesus Christ paid the price with His blood. I want to turn away from my life style of selfishness and sin; I repent. I confess Jesus Christ as my Savior and I ask that He take the steering wheel of my life; that He take control of my life as my Lord. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

If you've prayed this prayer and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior there are some very important, foundational steps you want to take immediately to begin building your relationship with God.

1. Read... the Bible Daily. If you don't have a Bible, then send me an email and I can send one to you, but if you do, then begin reading it. Many suggest you begin reading the gospel of John and the reason for this is so that you can read about Jesus Christ.
2. Pray... without ceasing. This doesn't mean that you have to do it with your eyes closed. It just means that you ask God for direction and guidance each step of your day. It's when you pray that you have communication with God and it's at those times that God can speak to you.
3. Church.. attend one that teaches from the Word of God: the Bible. It's very important to find a church that teaches only the Bible and doesn't add any other books to the teaching. I suggest you find a Calvary Chapel-affiliated church in your local area and attend every Sunday.
4. Share... the Good News. You've received an immeasurable gift and I'm sure you want others to have the same. So, tell others what you did to receive this gift and tell them what God has done for you.

May the Lord Bless you richly!