The great historical tragedy of the past two millennia is that billions have declined the free gift of eternal life and entered a Christ-less eternity.
God went to a lot of trouble to provide a sure-fire way of escape from judgment for any willing person IF only they would listen.
Don’t fall for the lie that there are many ways to Heaven. Scripture, specifically Acts 4:12, is unambiguous on the matter:
“And there is salvation in no one else (but Jesus); for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”
Yours for the Asking
So, how can you make salvation yours? By reaching out by faith and accepting the free gift of eternal life that Jesus purchased for you by His death on the cross. It’s up to you.
Do you accept Christ’s gift of eternal life, without making any attempts to “pay for it” through efforts of your own? Do you believe Christ’s death satisfied all God’s claims against your sins for all time?
Saving faith accepts the fact of mankind’s bankrupt spiritual condition before a holy God. It recognizes the divine diagnosis for all humanity, which is this, from Romans 3:22-23: “For there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This admission can be difficult for those who believe that their clean lifestyle and good behavior should count for something.
Salvation is a free gift extended without conditions to a guilty sinner. And like accepting a birthday present, we simply reach out and receive it gratefully.
From John 1:12-13:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
While the gift of eternal life is without cost to us, it came at the expense of God by the sacrificial death of His Son.
So, is this done casually, thoughtlessly like some kind of government handout? May it never be.
Hold Nothing Back from God
God’s gift of eternal life is just the beginning. We are gaining “entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Are you sincere and do you want to join God’s eternal family?
Do you “mean business” with God, holding nothing back from Him? Do you have a sincere desire to join God’s family? Are you open to God developing in you a spiritual “family resemblance” through the Holy Spirit’s lifelong influence?
Consider this penetrating question posed by the late Christian philosopher Dallas Willard: “One should seriously inquire if to live in a world permeated with God and the knowledge of God is something you truly desire.”
If you do, God promises to create a whole new spiritual you, not only fashioning you into a greatly improved citizen of earth but also making you into a fully qualified citizen of heaven.
As explained in Romans 10:8-13:
“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
What Is Eternal Life?
The biblical definition in scripture is deceptively simple, as noted in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
It is coming into vital spiritual relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ.
To know Him is to love Him, trust Him, and desire to be with Him forever. It is a relationship that is initiated and sustained by the Holy Spirit and cannot be broken.
From Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
How About You?
As written in John 5:23-25, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Do you believe this?
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