Salvation through JESUS CHRIST

DO YOU FEEL that something's missing in your life? that you really don't know what you're living for? As much as you try, nothing seems to fill that "heart hole." Then here's some good news: God is waiting to fill that hole in your life, to give you a new reason for living. He created you, and He thinks YOU'RE INCREDIBLY SPECIAL AND ONE OF A KIND. Because he's the Creator of the world, he's very powerful. But he loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in your place for your sins. John 3:16 says, GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. Jesus' death is what makes a personal relationship with God possible! God longs for you to accept that sacrifice and become part of his family. He wants you to be happy and at P E A C E . If you accept him, He'll send the Holy Spirit to help you, guide you, and live in your heart forever so that you'll make wise choices every day. You won't have to worry about death, either. When you die, you'll go to heaven! You'll get to live with Jesus for ever-in a place where there are no tears, no trouble ever! Acknowledge that sin has separated you from God. Before Adam and Eve sinned (see Genesis 2-3, pages 4-6), they had a good relationship with God. But after they sinned by disobeying God, their close relationship with God was destroyed, and they later died because of their sin. The Bible says everyone is sinful: "No one is good - not even one... For All have sinned; and fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:10, 23). Your also have disobeyed God, so you, too, will die. God's Word says, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). This means that unless something is done, you'll spend eternity in hell, separated from God (see also Matthew 25:41, 46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; and Revelation 20:11-15). No one deserves eternal life with God in heaven, and no one can do enough good to earn this life (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Instead, God wants you to recognize that you are sinful and to turn to him in trust. Realize that God has solved the problem of sin. God doesn't want you to spend eternity in hell, separated from him. He wants you to enjoy life with him forever. So he paid the penalty your sins require. Romans 4:25 says, "He [Jesus] was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised from the dead to make us right with God." Jesus died in your place and took the penalty of your sins. "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8; see also Isaiah 53:1-12, page 789). You don't have to be in hell and separated from God forever. "God made Christ, who never winned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:21). When you put your trust in Jesus Christ to save you, he gives you eternal life with him. Turn away from your sin, and turn to God. Putting your faith in God for salvation means you're turn away from old sinful nature and turning to God to receive forgiveness. "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accpt the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong" (1 John 1:8-9). When you turn away from sin, you must also turn to God. "Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22). God has done everything we need to have eternal life with him forever. Jesus Christ has taken away the penalty of your sin, and if you trust in him, you'll live forever with him. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again" (John 11:25). His resurrection from the dead proves this is true. "God will raise our bodies from the dead by his marvelous power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead" (1 Corinthians 6:14). But you must trust him. Here's a short prayer you can pray to help you put your faith in God: Father God, thank you for sending you Son, Jesus Christ, to die and fise from the dead. I confess I've sinned against you. Thank you that Christ paid the penalty for my sins. I put my trust in you as Savior and Lord. I give you my life. Thank you for giving me eternal life through Jesus Christ. Help me to live for you during the rest of my life on earth. In the name of Jesus my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen. Once you trust Jesus as your Savior, God wipes out all your sin, like an eraser on a chalkboard. You're made perfect in his sight: "He has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault" (Colossians 1:22). But it doesn't stop there. "You must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News" (Colossians 1:23). Life at times will be tough, and you may still sin from time to time. But putting your faith in Jesus means you choose to leave your old lifestyle behind. Instead of living to please yourself and others, you live to please God. As you study the Bible, learn more about Jesus, and obey God's commands, he'll help you in your new life! You'll never be alone again! Taken from The Book For Teens ©1999 Tyndale Publishers, Inc. Additional Reading and Helpful websites: • Decapolis - Be sure to check out the 'FAITH' section • Christian Links.com - Links to hundreds of great Christian websites!