Sunday, February 24, 2013

So You Have Become a Christian



CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DECISION!

Your decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior will bring positive changes in your life.
This brief study will help you understand your new commitment and show you how to grow spiritually. 

LESSON ONE: SIN

Man's greatest problem is sin: In Romans 3:23 we read, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." The Bible says all people are sinners and sin separates them from God.

The end results of sin"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).  The end result of sin is spiritual deathBseparation from God.

God loves you and has provided forgiveness for your sins: The Bible says, "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world ... as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). God loves you so much that He has provided a way for your sins to be forgiven so that you do not have to reap the wages of sinBspiritual death through separation from God.  

The answer to your sin problem: Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me@ ( John 14:6).  Acts 4:12 confirms, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  Jesus Christ is the answer to your sin problem.  He is the only way to God and the only way to be forgiven.

You must accept Jesus as your personal Savior: Romans 10:9 declares, "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."   If you prayed the prayer accepting Christ as Savior,  this is what you did.  You acknowledged your sin, asked forgiveness, and accepted Jesus as Savior.

Your past sins:  When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, He forgave the sins you confessed, but He also cleansed you from all unrighteousnessBeven those sins you did not remember and acts you did not realize were sin.  You do not need to confess these past sins repeatedly.  They are forgiven and God has forgotten them.  God says, A... for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more@ (Jeremiah 31:34).

Sins committed after you accept Christ: Part of the daily prayer pattern in Matthew 6:9-13 includes asking forgiveness for sins you commit after receiving Christ.
original source is Harvest Time International