| My
Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life.
Your joy or your sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer.
The question is: Are you saved? It is not a question
of how good you are, nor if you are a church member, but are you
saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die? God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John 3:7,
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born
again." In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which
means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved
today. How? First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death.
"For the wages [payment] of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). This includes
eternal separation from God in Hell. "...it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus,
to bear your sin and die in your place. "...He
hath made Him [Jesus, Who knew no sin] to be sin for us...that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to shed His blood and die. "For the life of the flesh is in
the blood" (Lev. 17:11). "...without
shedding of blood is no remission [pardon]" (Hebrews
9:22). "...God commendeth His love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans 5:8). Although we cannot understand how, God said my sins and your
sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place.
He became our substitute. It is true. God cannot lie.
My friend, "God...commandeth all men everywhere
to repent" (Acts 17:30). This repentance
is a change of mind that agrees with God that one is a sinner, and also
agrees with what Jesus did for us on the Cross. In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: "...'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
And they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved... .' " Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your
place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection
powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life
when Jesus is received as Savior. "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). "For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
(Romans 10:13). Whosoever includes you. Shall be saved
means not maybe, nor can, but shall be saved.
Surely, you realize you are a sinner. Right now, wherever you are, repenting,
lift your heart to God in prayer. In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: "God be
merciful to me a sinner." Just pray: "Oh God,
I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus was my substitute when He died on
the Cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection were
for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness
of my sins, the gift of salvation and everlasting life, because of Your
merciful grace. Amen." Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by
faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no
lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving.
All of it! God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner.
Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will
spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried,
and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His
gift of eternal salvation by faith. You say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple." Yes, that simple!
It is scriptural. It is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus
and receive Him as Savior today. If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this tract over and
over, without laying it down, until you understand it. Your soul
is worth more than all the world. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" (Mark
8:36). Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose
all. Please! Let God save you this very moment. God's power will save you, keep you saved, and enable you
to live a victorious Christian life. "There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is
faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be
able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Do not trust your feelings. They change. Stand on God's promises.
They never change. After you are saved, there are three
things to practice daily for spiritual growth:
You should be baptized
in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as a public testimony of
your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church
without delay. "Be not thou therefore
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord...." (2 Timothy
1:8) "Whosoever
therefore shall confess [testify of] Me
before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 10:32). |