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People generally have a "head knowledge" of God. We received this knowledge as children, generally from Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, and as adults, usually from the media or trips to church on Easter Sunday or Christmas morning. I speak of people who have never made a conscious decision to follow Jesus. I speak of people who do not fear God, refuse to believe that a God of love would send people to hell, and who believe that God is some kind of "cosmic teddy bear". I speak of people who refuse to believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and that hell is reserved for the worst portion of society, not for those who live a relatively moral and ethical life. The "heart knowledge" of God surpasses the "head knowledge" of God, and His Word destroys each one of these falsities.
In the first place, God does not send anyone to hell. Every person decides for himself whether or not they will accept or reject the Lord Jesus, the only Savior from sin. Secondly, God proved His great love for us by sending His only Son to die for us to prevent those who trust in Him from going to hell. There are some who believe that He is some kind of tyrant who created hell out of spite for those who reject Him. However, He did not create hell for man. He prepared hell for the devil and his angels. When man fell into sin, making it impossible for man, because of that sin, to enter into His Kingdom, He prepared a way of salvation. But, if man rejects that prepared salvation through Christ, he will find himself in the very place prepared for the devil.
So, is the belief in God sufficeint for salvation, or is their something more? James 2:19 says, "You believe that there is a God. You do well. Even the demons believe- and tremble!" When the Lord Jesus was on earth, the demons recognized Him as "the Holy One of God." Acts 4:12 says, "There is none other name under heaven given men, which we must be saved.", and Acts 16:31, says, "Believe on the the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
According to God's own Word, a moral and ethical life, nor the simple belief that God exists are enough.
Ultimately, every human has an appointment with destiny to meet Jesus Christ. Either we shall meet Him as our Savior or we shall meet Him as our Judge. It is a glorious thing to be under the grace of God- it is a frightening thing to be under the wrath of God.

HOW TO KNOW JESUS PERSONALLY
1. God has a plan for your life. "A man can receive nothing, except it be given from heaven" (John 3:27). God created you and has good plans for your life. To know those plans, you must know God personally.

2. God's plan gives meaning. And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). Many people seek meaning and purpose for their life. But they never find it because they look for meaning in the wrong things and the wrong people. When you follow God's plans for your life, the most important of which is to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will find meaning and purpose in all that you do.

3. God's plan gives direction. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12). Without God's direction, you may not know what to do with your life. You may try a lot of things, hoping to find meaning in each one. But if you have God in your life, he will lead you and show you how to make your life count for Him and His kingdom.

4. God's plan brings peace. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). When you follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will be at peace with God. You will also be filled with God's peace. So when troubles come, you will be able to have peace as you endure hardships.

5. God's plan is for you to live with Him in heaven. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). Before Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3), they had a good relationship with God. Therefore, they were able to come into God's physical presence. But after they sinned, they lost that relationship and could no longer come into God's physical presence. Sin had separted them and the entire human race, including you, from God. But God did not want sin to keep people from having a relationship with Him. So He provided a way in which people could be cleansed of their sins and live with Him in heaven forever. He gave His only Son, Jesus, as the perfect payment for everyone's sins.

Here are three things you must do in order to know Jesus personally as your Lord and Savior:

1. Recognize that you are a sinner."For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). Because everyone is a sinner, no one deserves eternal life with God in heaven. In addition, no one can work hard enough to earn his this life. Instead, God gives eternal life to everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is His Son. Before you can appreciate what Jesus has done for you, you need to recognize that you are a sinner in need of God's forgiveness. If you never acknowledge this, you will never accept God's forgiveness for you sins; and you will never enter heaven.

2. Ask Jesus to forgive you. "In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight" (Colossians 1:22). If you recognize that you are a sinner, then you may be ready to ask Jesus to forgive you. Do you believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who died to pay your sins? If you do, and you have never thanked Christ for dying for you, thank Him right now in a simple prayer. Pray:

"Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me. I confess that I am a sinner before God. I acknowedge that by your word and sacrifice that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sins for me. Please come into my heart and become the Lord of my life. As You gave Your life, I give my life to You. I will take up my cross and follow You, not as I will, but to follow Your perfect will for my life. In Jesus name, Amen."

3. Turn away from your sins. "Whosever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9). As a Christian, you may sin from time to time. But you should not continue to live a sinful lifestyle. Putting your faith in Jesus means that you are living to please God. You can live to please God by obeying the commands He has given everyone in the Bible. If you obey God, you can be sure that you are a Christian and will one day have eteranal life in Heaven.

OTHER BIBLE SCRIPTURES CONCERNING SALVATION:

-Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus saith unto Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:3-7)

-Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

-For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

-And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1)

-For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

-My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

-And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. (Colossians 2:13)

-This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. (1 Timothy 4:9-10)

-But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if though the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Chirst, hath abounded unto many. (Romans 5:15)

-But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13).

If you have believed in Christ now for the first time, or this site has been a blessing in some way, please feel free to write to me.