WE’RE GLAD YOU ASKED!

You didn’t come upon this page by accident. Inside each of us is a desire to answer a basic question: How can I know God?

God created a perfect universe and two perfect people in His own image, Adam and Eve. But it wasn’t long until they sinned, and sin became a part of every human since then. Sin separates us from our Creator and makes us unable to spend eternity with Him in the heaven He made for us. So the question we all must answer is this: How do I have my sins forgiven and come back to God?

The bad news is that there is no way in and of ourselves that we can deserve heaven, that we can earn heaven or that we can do any amount of works, religious works or philanthropic works, that will allow us to come back to God. (Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you are saved, through faith. And it is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.”) The good news is that we don’t have to earn forgiveness. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” You are part of that "world" God loves, and you are one of the “whosoevers” that can believe in that love and have your sins forgiven. And it’s nothing you can do because God did it all. So coming to God, through His Son Jesus Christ is as easy as A – B – C.

A - ADMIT you’re a sinner.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Sin is anything we say, think or do that displeases God or breaks one of His commandments. And we’ve all done that. Think of the worst person in history: he/she is a sinner. Think of the very best, moral person of history: he/she is a sinner. You and I are sinners. We’re born that way. We’re not sinners because we sin; we sin because we’re sinners.

We all know that. But we don’t like to admit it. We want to judge ourselves by other people: “I’m not as bad as he/she is.” But God doesn’t judge us according to others; His standard is Himself and absolute perfection.

Are you ready to admit you’re a sinner? Good! Now where does that leave us? Romans 6:23 says (the first part of the verse), “For the wages of sin is death…” That’s right. We’ve earned death, not just physical death but eternal death, apart from God in a place we call hell. But there is so much good news once you realize you’re a sinner.

B – BELIEVE

Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved.” That’s much more than just a head belief that Jesus existed in history. Everyone knows that. It goes deep into your heart and soul. You must believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and God Himself. He has always existed, came into the world as a baby in Bethlehem, born of a virgin, and lived a perfect life. He proved He was God in His miracles, His love and teaching, and His resurrection, 3 days after He was crucified.

In His death, He paid the full price for all sins, yours, mine, everyone's. He literally went through the eternal punishment of hell for us. He died and was buried, and three days later He rose again, bodily, to show that His work was accepted by God for the payment of our sins.

But you must believe that with all your heart, not just believing that Jesus died for the sins of the world, but personally, for your sins. And in believing He died for you, you acknowledge that He is the only way to salvation and sins forgiven.

C – COMMIT

You commit yourself wholly to Christ by confessing to Him your sinfulness and your belief in His finished work for you. There are no “magic words” to say, no certain prayer. You just open up your heart to God and throw yourself completely on His grace and mercy to save you. This opens up your heart to repentance and turning away from sin to follow Him.

Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

If you admit, believe and commit yourself to God, He says you will be saved … for all eternity. The end of Romans 6:23 shares this in a wonderful way:

“…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.”

Salvation is a gift. It was paid for by Christ; it is offered to you, and all you have to do is accept it!

So there you have it. Christ died so that all could be saved. God wants you to become one of His children through faith in Christ, and He brought you to this web page today. Do you believe? Do you want the gift? Have you received the gift today?

If so, please tell us. Through a phone call or e-mail, let us know you’ve accepted Christ as Savior and we’ll share some material with you as you begin your new walk with Christ.

Some steps to take as you begin your walk:

Spend time in God’s Word (the Bible) and prayer each day. Share your heart with your heavenly Father. There's nothing too big He can’t do, and there is nothing so small that He’s not interested in it. And let Him share His heart with you as you read His Word. Start with the book of John or Mark; pray and ask God to open your mind and heart to what He has to say to you; read a few verses; think about them, what’s there for you today! Then thank God for speaking to you.

Find a good church that teaches the Bible faithfully and become a part of that church family. Attend regularly. Listen well. Get involved in “family life”. And share your life with your new brothers and sisters in Christ. If you don't have a church in mind or aren't sure what church to attend, we welcome you to Bethany Bible Chapel.

If you don’t have a Bible, contact us, and we’ll get one for you. If you have questions about the Christian life, please contact us. And if you read about getting saved and still aren’t sure about it, PLEASE contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.