Hope and Peace for Life

God wants you to have a hope and peace that lasts forever. God loves you and wants you to accept this love and have this everlasting hope in his son, Jesus Christ. He wants a relationship with you and wants to help you in your life on Earth with him and to spend eternity with him in heaven. And it is a gift--absolutely free to us for the accepting.

Begin this relationship with Jesus Christ today! Sometimes this is called being saved, believing in Christ, being born again, or becoming a Christian. 

 Here are some QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS to help you understand more about this!

 Q:  What do I need to know about this from the Bible (God’s Word to us)?

A:  GOD LOVES YOU AND JESUS DIED FOR YOU

• John 3:16 God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. (The word “die” translated here comes from a Greek word that means to be separated from God forever.)

• 1 John 4:9-10 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (NLT)

Q:  So, if God loves us, why don’t we already have this eternal life in Jesus Christ when we are born? 

A:  THE ANSWER IS BECAUSE OF SIN.

Sin is disobeying God. It is doing wrong things or not doing right things.

• Romans 3:23 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory.

• 1 John 5:17a Every wrong thing we do is sin.

All of us have sinned. Sin causes a separation between us and God.

 
Anyone who has not asked Jesus to come into his/her life and to forgive him/her is separated from God.

• Colossians 1:21 At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God. (NCV)

We all deserve punishment for the sins we have committed.

• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God is very loving and also just (very fair). Our sin will forever separate us from God if we reject Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Q:  Who is Jesus?

A:  JESUS IS GOD’S PERFECT SON

Jesus lived a perfect life and never sinned. This is how he could be sacrificed to pay for the sins that all the people in the world had committed and would commit. He became the sacrifice for all of us when he bled and died (was crucified) on the cross for our sin.

• 1 Peter 2:22 He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. 

Jesus became our substitute and died in our place for us. But he didn’t stay dead. 

He rose again as our risen Savior. It is by God’s grace that we can be saved from being eternally separated from God. We can live a full life with Him now while on the earth and go to heaven one day to live with Him eternally.

• Ephesians 2:8-9 God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it.

• John 10:10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

• John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way. And I am the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.”

Q: So, what is grace?

A: THE WORD GRACE MEANS GETTING SOMETHING WE DON’T DESERVE. 

The gift of eternal life and heaven is through God’s grace by believing (faith) in Jesus Christ. We don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it by doing good things. Our separation from God is bridged by Jesus Christ through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Jesus is alive in heaven today preparing a place for those who put their faith in Him and ask Him into their lives to save them from eternal separation from Him.

When we decide to turn away from our sin and turn to Jesus by believing in Him for forgiveness and salvation from our sin and separation from God, we are repenting. We admit that we have sinned and ask for forgiveness.

• Ephesians 1:7 In Christ we are made free by his blood sacrifice. We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace.

• 1 John 1:9 God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, he will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.

• Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Q:  What must I do to receive this hope and eternal life?

A:  TO RECEIVE THIS HOPE AND ETERNAL LIFE, YOU MUST:

1. Believe that Jesus died for you.

2. Admit to God that you have sinned (done things that were wrong).

3. Be sorry for your wrong doings.

4. Repent: Give up your own way and turn to Jesus. Ask for forgiveness.

5. Choose to ask Jesus to come into your life.

If you would like to receive this eternal hope and ask Jesus to come into your life, you can pray a prayer similar to this:

“Dear God,

I admit that I have sinned and I need to be forgiven. I believe that your son, Jesus, took my punishment for the wrong things I have done. I choose to turn away from my sin and turn to you. I accept Jesus and his free gift of salvation into my life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Thank you for giving me this free gift. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Q:  So, what else do I need to know?

A:  THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES INTO YOUR LIFE.

Here’s some more good news—after you pray to invite Jesus into your life, not only do you receive the gift of eternal life and heaven, but you receive the Holy Spirit who is the helper that Jesus said he would send. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God and Jesus in our life who is always there and helps us know right and wrong. He also guides and comforts us. He gives us joy in the here and now even in the presence of the difficulties and struggles of daily life.

• Romans 5:3-5 This doesn’t mean, of course, that we have only a hope of future joys—we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us. Already we have some experience of the love of God flooding through our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us. (JBP)

• Romans 5:6-8 And we can see that it was while we were powerless to help ourselves that Christ died for sinful men. In human experience it is a rare thing for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man, though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it. Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us. (JBP)

Q:  What do I do next?

A:  THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO DO AFTER YOU ACCEPT THIS FREE GIFT OF JESUS AND ETERNAL LIFE.

1. Find a Bible-believing church to attend.

• Hebrews 10:25a Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope.

2. Be baptized.

• Acts 2:41a Those who accepted this message were baptized.

3. Grow in Your Knowledge of God

     a. Pray

• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying.

     b. Read the Bible

• 2 Timothy 3:17 By using Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing. (NIRV)

     c. Worship God

• Psalm 95:5a Come let us bow down and worship him.

     d. Tell others about Jesus.

• Matthew 29:10a So go and make followers of all people in the world. (ICB)

     e. Fellowship (spend time with other believers in Jesus)

• Hebrews 10:25b But you should meet together and encourage each other. (ICB)

Q:  How should I let you know about my decision?

A:  IF YOU PRAYED THE PRAYER TO ASK JESUS TO COME INTO YOUR LIFE, we would like to know so that we can encourage you in your growth in Jesus Christ and help you understand how to experience that life full of joy here and now.

Please contact us by clicking the link below. We can celebrate with you and help you know about other wonderful promises God has for you!