God wants you to be sure. His Word, the Bible, says in 1 John 5:13,"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life."

#1 - We are all sinners by nature and by choice. - "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

#2 - We cannot save ourselves. - "Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:9)

#3 - We deserve death and hell. - "The wages of sin is death" - (Romans 3:23)

Because God loves us He has provided forgiveness for our sin. He has given us a provision, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) 

Our provision is Jesus Christ

#1 - Jesus is God and became man. - " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." (John 1:1, 14)

#2 - Jesus died for us on the cross. - "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." (1 Peter 3:18)

#3 - Jesus was resurrected from the dead. - "(Jesus) was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

Jesus can affect our lives but first we must receive Him. The Bible Says, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1 : 12) The choice is ours.

Our response is to receive Jesus

To accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, one must REPENT, BELIEVE, CONFESS and SURRENDER to Jesus as Lord.

Why is repentance necessary?  The bible identifies a universal problem that makes change necessary for all of us.  This universal problem the Bible calls sin.  Sin Means "missing the mark."  You sin when you fail to meet God's standard for how you ought to live your life.

           "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The release of God's power results in change.  The Bible's word for change is repentance.  This means allowing God to change the direction of your life.

           "The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Romans 2:4).

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." (Acts 3:19)

"Repent and turn to God, and do works which give evidence of repentance." (Acts 26:20)

Repentance is turning to God through Jesus and away from our sin.  As we believe we place our faith in Jesus.

"By grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)

God is not pleased with us as we are because we are sinners.  Still God loves us and wants to help you.  

          "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ    died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Unfortunately, your sin carries the penalty of death, both physical and eternal.  God is willing to forgive you by accepting Jesus as your substitute.  His death on the cross paid the penalty for your sin.  His resurrection from the dead provides you eternal life.

          "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord"  (Romans 6:23)

Finally, to trust in Jesus means we must surrender to Jesus as Lord.

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For . . . with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father,which is in heaven." (Matthew 7 : 21)

Surrendering to Jesus as Lord means giving Jesus control of our lives. That is, we must give all we know of ourselves to all we know of God. To give Jesus control of our lives is to trust him with our eternal salvation our very soul.

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

All you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, place your faith in Him and surrender to Him as Lord of your life. If you would like to do this, read this prayer and see if it says what you want to say to God.

Dear God, I know that Jesus is Your Son and that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead.  Because I have sinned and need forgiveness, I ask Jesus to come into my heart.  I am willing to change the direction of my life by acknowledging Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and by turning away from my sins.  Thank you for giving me forgiveness, eternal life, and hope.  In Jesus' name, amen"

As evidence of giving Jesus control, you will want to identify with Him. The New Testament way of identification is to confess Jesus publicly (Matthew 10:32-33) and to follow Him in Baptism and church membership (Acts 2:31).

If you have accepted Jesus Christ, please contact us so that we may share in your joy. If you have more questions concerning your salvation or would like assistance in finding a Southern Baptist Church in your area, contact us here at Eternal Life.