God created you because He wanted relationship with you. He loves you. He wants you to know Him personally and intimately, not just know about Him. Through God's written Word (the Bible), and through His only Son (Jesus Christ), God reveals that He wants you to enjoy a life that's in line with His purpose and destiny for you. He wants to be a nurturing and powerful presence in your life, not just an idea in your head. Knowing Him means receiving His love. Following Him means following His leadership. And let's tell it like it is: Accepting that leadership will affect your lifestyle. As you come to know God, He no longer is a concept simply to be believed or disbelieved; He is a living reality who is known and followed along a pathway that leads to freedom.
According to the Bible, until you come to terms with Jesus, you haven't dealt with the issue that's most important in getting to know God. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Through Him, countless millions have come to know the Father, transforming their individual lives as well as the entire course of human history. And Jesus continues to change history - one person at a time. He wants to change your life too, transforming it from death to life. But He will not do so unless you invite Him. How have you responded to Jesus? It's not enough simply to agree intellectually with Jesus' claims. If you read through this New Testatment and recognize Jesus as the true Son of God, a man who walked this earth, lived a perfect life, died and rose again from the dead, you must cross the line of faith and received Him.
Choosing to received Jesus is a once-for-all decision. A "process" of getting to know God will follow, but you have to begin by inviting Hin into your life. This seemingly simple decision has huge eternal consequences. You may not recognize it, but your wrong moral choices (called sin) have condemned you to spiritual death (eternal separtion from our Holy God). Jesus, who had no sin, chose to die to pay for your sins. When you recognize your sinful condition and accept by faith Jesus' death as payment, you receive his life, which is eternal. Receiving this free gift of salvation is as simple as saying, "Jesus, I acknowledge my sin and your payment for it on the cross. I now ask you to forgive me and I willingly give my life to you." At that very moment, He will come into your innermost being and start you on a wonderful journey toward intimacy with God.
Another way to explain this is through a step-by-step "path of salvation" approach. Many people find this sort of process helpful as they consider the important decision to give their life to Jesus. Here is a brief four step system explaining why we all need the Lord, and how we can go about making that decision. It includes key Scripture passages supporting each statement; using the reference, you can look up these verses if you'd like to read more of the context.
First:
Realize that everyone needs to be saved. No one is righteous; we are all guilty of breaking God's law in some way, and therefore already condemned and sentenced.
Romans 3:19-20 "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
Second:
Understand that there is hope in Christ. Salvation does not come by keeping laws or being good, but only through faith in Christ. All have sinned, but anyone who receives Christ can be forgiven and accepted by God as righteous.
Romans 3:21-25 "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to wich the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished...."
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Third:
Know that God forgives and accepts unconditionally anyone who believes in Christ
Romans 8:1,2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."
Finally:
Trust Christ in your heart and confess Him as Lord with your mouth.
Romans 10:9,10 "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raise 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."
Repeat aloud this prayer (or something similar-what you mean is what matters, not the exact words you use):
"I thank you, heavenly Father, for sending your own Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and pay the penalty for sin. I now believe in Him and accept Him as my Lord. Thank you that I am saved in Him.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
"
Some other helpful passages relating to the topic of salvation:
Luke 18:9-14 "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." "'But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
"'I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'"
John 1:12 "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
John 20:31 "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name."
Acts 10:43 "All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His Name."
2 Corinthians 6:2 "For He says, 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of Salvation."
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 5:13 "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
Revelation 3:20 "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."
You may be wondering what kinds of practical steps you might take to guide you as you discover your personal path toward knowing God. Consider some of these ideas:
Ask God to reveal himself to you if you're not sure He's there.
Talk to people who display a genuine relationship with God - those who obviously love Him and who live by a different set of principles.
Spend time enjoying God's creation.
Listen to the stories of older people who have walked with God for a long time.
Be a lover of truth, and don't hesitate to raise questions about things many others seem to take for granted.
Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. You can trust God's "gentle whisper" to give you direction. If you lack understanding, ask Him for it.
Read what other believers have said about Christianity. Ask your Christian friends for a list of authors who have inspired them in their walk with God.
Write down your questions, including those that arise as you read the Bible, and take them to a seasoned believer who will respect your search for the truth.
Be aware that moments of doubts and questions are normal and legitimate as you discover your personal path.
Be alert to your presuppositions- the things you already believe- and your personal roadblocks, and try not to let them stand in the way of your discovery process.
Keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings during your search.
Determine to spend a specified time each day walking the pathway toward faith, and keep evaluating your progress.
