I. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT ALL OF US ARE SINNERS
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23
A. The Bible word for sin, hamartia, means to "miss the mark."
1. ALL of us miss the mark, and when we do, the Bible calls that sin.
"There is no one righteous, not even one."
Romans 3:10
2. If someone says they haven’t sinned, the Bible says they’re deceived.
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8
B. The Bible teaches that God holds us accountable for our sins.
"In the past God overlooked such ignorance,
but now he commands all people everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30
II. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR SINS
"For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
If we don’t deal with our sins, God will. Romans 6:23
"But unless you repent you too will all perish." Luke 13:3
III. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT WE NEED A SAVIOR TO DEAL WITH OUR SINS
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him,
we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21
A. Jesus is the only One who can help us with our sins.
"Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.’" John 14:6
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son
will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him." John 3:36
B. God offers us forgiveness for our sins and eternal life in Christ Jesus.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Romans 6:23
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
IV. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT WE HAVE TO DO TWO THINGS TO BE SAVED: CONFESS AND SURRENDER
"That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Romans 10:9-10
"Then He said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’" Luke 9:23
1. The Bible word for confess, homologeo, means "to say the same thing." God wants us to "say the same thing" about Jesus that He says. Jesus is God’s Son.
2. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and three days later rose from the grave to save us from our sins. Jesus is not the best way to get to Heaven; He’s the only way to get to Heaven.
C. God wants us to completely surrender to Jesus as Lord.
D. There are four things involved in surrender:
1. Repentance. This means to have a change of life. It’s a complete turnaround. Instead of living for yourself and following the ways of the world, you want to repent of your sins, follow the Lord and live for Him; and it includes every area of your life.
2. Baptism. Baptism is the outward declaration of an inward reality because we have confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead … because we believe Jesus is Who the Bible says He is and that He did what the Bible says He did … we want to publicly declare our identification with Him. There is no other physical act we can do that identifies us more with Jesus than water baptism.
3. Church. We need to get involved in a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. This is important for at least three reasons:
a. It helps develop our faith. (Romans 10:17)
b. It helps us develop quality, life-long friendships.
c. It gives us purpose for the future.
4. Obedience. This means we do what God tells us to do on a daily basis.
"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." I John 1:7
V. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT ONCE A PERSON IS READY TO CONFESS CHRIST AS LORD AND SURRENDER COMPLETELY TO HIM, THEY CAN BE SAVED
"That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13
1. You should pray and ask God to forgive you for your sins and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.
2. You should schedule a time to be baptized.
3. You should get involved in a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church and start living a life of obedience to God and His Word.
VI. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH A PASTOR CONCERNING THIS IMPORTANT DECISION, PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE AT (505) 877-5500.
