I was brought up in a loving home that included going to church as part of life. As a child I was lead to believe that being a Christian meant that one had to go to church regularly and become a good person. I remember having thoughts about eternal life and death but I didn’t worry or think deeply about them. Not until I got older did I start to think about what happens to people when they die. The following story briefly tells my conversion to Christianity.

During my adventure in college, I lost interest in the academic world and started to fall behind in my classes. As you well know, one you start falling behind it’s really hard to catch up. Anyway to make this story short, I almost flunked out of college and was really depressed. I was living off campus at the time and didn’t have any close friend for support. One of my classmates invited my to a Bible study in his dorm room. After the second time asking me to come, I agreed. I had gone to church and learned a lot of facts so I thought that it would be good for me to go to get my mind off of studies and make some friends. There was something about these guys that I felt comfortable around but I couldn’t pin it down. After going several more times, I felt that these people were so confident about their faith in God and their eternal soul. I was then challenged to question my belief in what I base my eternal destiny on. I always thought that being the best person as I could and doing good things would certainly let me into heaven. Since I was failing the part of being the best person as I could, I started to consider and doubt my belief. Some time later, I broke down and asked God to show me what I need to do to get into heaven. I didn’t have the courage to ask anyone that question so who better to ask than God Himself, I thought. Not very long after that, during a Bible study, I was shown the gospel through the words in the Bible. The gospel made so much sense and I was so relieved that I didn’t have to do anything but believe in Christ’s action on the cross paid the price for me to get into heaven. After going to a student Christian conference a few months later, I was definite that God had transformed me and I didn’t have the burden of earning my way into heaven.

 Man is a sinner.
Many mistakenly believe that their good works will satisfy God’s requirements for admission into heaven. However, God makes very clear from the Bible that this is simply not so. Romans 3:10 says that "There is none righteous, not even one." Another verse, Romans 3:23, says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The Bible says that there is nobody that hasn’t sinned. So what’s the big deal? What then is the outcome for those guilty of sin?
 

The penalty for sin is death.
The penalty is death. Where did I get this? The Bible says in the beginning of Romans 6:23 that "For the wages of sin is death." This death is not a physical death but a spiritual death. A spiritual death means separated from God, an everlasting punishment and condemned to hell eternally! This need not be! God has provided a way (the only way) whereby you can be freed from the penalty of your sin and welcomed into heaven for all eternity. God offers to you salvation as a free gift. The verse Romans 6:23 continues on saying that "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." How can this be if the penalty for sin is death?

Christ came and paid the penalty for man’s sins because he is both man and God.
Romans 5:8 says that "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Who does God demonstrate His own love toward? Who is it that is saved from Hell and welcomed into Heaven? It is those who entrust themselves to Jesus through faith. This is clearly stated in Romans 10:9-10 that "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

It is believing in Christ that we experience His forgiveness.
In summary "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13) applies to you. The Bible states that God has provided a way that you can be saved from eternal condemnation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ! God has revealed Himself, His will and how you can be reconciled to Him in His Word. Seek Him today! He promises that all who seek Him will find joy and peace in Him.

If you are interested in more I recommend getting a Bible and reading the Book of John.

If you have heard all of this before in church, there is another message to you here.