If you were standing before God right now, and He asked you "Why should I let you into My heaven?", what would your answer be?

Responses by some people might be:

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• "Well, I'm basically a good person."

"I  have tried my best to live a good life and always do what is right."

• "I'm a devout member of the ___________________________ church" (fill in the blank with any religion or denomination).

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As good as these answers are, none of them are good enough reasons for you to enter heaven and live with God forever. But, God does love you. He has a plan for your life and He longs to have a personal relationship with you. But first, you need to recognize what it is that separates you from God: Sin.

 

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What is sin?

 

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Sin is simply disobeying God. It's choosing your own way, instead of God's way. Since the very first sin of Adam and Eve,

the first man and woman, every person is born with a sinful nature--a natural tendency toward sinning. Did you ever notice

that an infant does not have to be taught how to be selfish? From mankind's earliest beginnings, our lives center around

ourselves, instead of being centered on God our Creator.

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For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God . (Romans 3:23)

If we say, "We have no sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

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What is the result of sin?

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God cannot tolerate sin. God is perfect and His judgments are true. Your sinful nature separates you from God,

both in this world and in the next. God cannot allow sin to enter into heaven, so your sinful nature condemns you

to an eternity separated from God.

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:23)

Even if you try to be as good as you can, and do what you think is right, you can never measure up to the standard

of perfection God requires.

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Not from works, so no one can boast.  (Ephesians 2:9)
 

But, the story doesn't end there . . . What did God do for you? God loved you so much that He gave you the greatest gift.

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish,

but will have everlasting life. For God did not send  His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through

Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)





But God proves His love own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

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God sent His one and only Son into this world to be the sin sacrifice for you. Christ Jesus, the Son of God,

came to this earth and lived a perfect life that you could never live. 

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh,

and took up residence among us, and we observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father.  (John 1:1,14)

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Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for your sin and  for the sins of the whole world.

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But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him;​

and we are healed by His wounds. (Isaiah 53:5)

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Only the death of God could pay the debt caused by the sins of the whole world. Christ's death on the cross reconciled

mankind to God, bridging the gap  caused by sin.

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For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God.  (1 Peter 3:18​)

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me. (John 14:6)



But Jesus is not dead! The grave did not hold Him. Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion.

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Jesus was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

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What should you do?

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The only way Jesus can affect your life, save you from yours sins, and give you eternal life, is for you to receive HIm.  

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But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)
 

Repent of your sin.

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Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out. (Acts 3:19)
 

Repentance is more than just feeling sorry for your sin. It is a complete U-turn. It is turning away from your sin, and turning to God through Jesus. It is desiring God's will for your life, instead of desiring to sin.

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Place your faith in Jesus.

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For you are saved by grace through faith; and this is not from yourselves: it is  God's gift. (Ephesians 2:8)

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Faith is more that just a head knowledge about Jesus. Faith is a knowledge in your heart. It is placing your trust in Jesus. It is like taking a trip on an airplane. You will never make the trip until you trust the plane enough to board it. Faith is more than saying, "I believe." It is taking a step of faith and putting your trust in Jesus.

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Surrender to Jesus as Lord of your life.

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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. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10: 9-10)
 

Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is more than just saying the words.

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Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
 

To surrender is to give Jesus total control of your life. That means giving all you know of yourself to all you know of God. Failing to surrender to is like driving a car with God in the passenger seat. As long as you are driving, you are still in control. Surrendering to God is like letting God have the steering wheel of your life and trusting Him to take you where He chooses.

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Does this make sense to you? Would you be willing to receive God's gift of eternal life through Jesus?

You can pray right now and receive Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life.

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For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)
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Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if anyone hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will have dinner with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

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If you call to God in repentance, putting your faith in Him, and surrendering your life to Him, Jesus will become your Savior and Lord.

You can pray a prayer similar to this one:

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​Dear Lord, I know I am a sinner. I know that because of my sin, I deserve punishment. But you loved me so much, you gave Your son Jesus. He lived a perfect life on this earth, and died a cruel death to pay for my sins. Then, He rose from the dead and reigns with You eternally. Because of His death in my place, I can have forgiveness of my sins. Lord, I confess my sins, and I am willing to turn from my sins and receive Jesus as the Savior and Lord of my life. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus' name. Amen​
 

Did you pray a prayer like the one above? If you did, and you meant it, you can be sure that you are saved and have eternal life.

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Now that you have become a Christian, what should you do next?  

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 Email Carol and tell her of your decision to surrender your life to Jesus. She will help you  discover resources and direction for living the Christian life. 

Click this arrow to send Carol an email.