| Peace with God |
Step 1: God's Purpose: Peace and Life
God loves you and wants
you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal.
The Bible says ...
"We have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ." —Romans 5:1 (NIV)
"For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life." —John 3:16 (NIV)
"I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it more abundantly." —John 10:10 (NIV)
Why don't most people have
this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?
Step
2: The Problem: Our Separation
God
created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as
robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of
choice.
We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice
today. This results in separation from God
The Bible says ...
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." —Romans
3:23 (NIV)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord." —Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Our Attempts to Reach God
People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God
...
The Bible says ...
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to
death." —Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." —Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)
No bridge reaches God ... except one.
Step 3: God's
Bridge: The Cross
Jesus Christ died on the
Cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the
gap between God and people.
The Bible says ...
"For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ."
—1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
"For Christ died for sins once for
all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."
—1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
"But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
—Romans 5:8 (NIV)
God has provided the only
way. Each person must make a choice.
Step
4: Our Response: Receive Christ
We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal
invitation.
The Bible says ...
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me."
—Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave
the right to
become children of God."
—John 1:12 (NIV)
"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 (NIV)
Where
are you?
Will you receive Jesus Christ right now?
Here is how you can receive Christ:
1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through
the Holy Spirit.
(Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)