Understanding New Life
All of us have experienced a desire to really know that everything
is going to be alright in life. We know what it is to have insecurity
and doubts that seem to zap the life out of us each day. As a
group of believers, in the larger body of Christ, we are learning
to get past these feelings and live a life without fear. To do
this we have had to learn to trust the Creator of the Universe
with our whole mind, heart and lives.
The one issue we all have to struggle with is knowing for
certain that what the Bible says is true! I have struggled with
this as well as many others, then I came across a verse in the
Bible that spoke to this problem. The Apostle John wrote this,
and it spoke to my heart and mind: "I write these things
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you
may know that you have eternal life" (I John 5:13 NIV).
I was going through life like the man in the Bible who told
Jesus, "I believe, help me overcome my unbelief" (
Mark 9:24 NIV). When I came across these two passages in the
Bible I knew I was not the only one who felt condemned and needy.
Now I am learning to trust the living God more everyday. I want
to help you understand the process of really living a life of
faith in God, and help you know for certain that you can have
eternal life with our Lord when you die.
In the first chapter of the letter the apostle John wrote
to the church we read, "In the beginning was the Word and
the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in
the beginning." If we skip down to the 14th verse we read
the ending of this idea; "The Word became flesh and made
his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the
One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
This tells us that Jesus is exactly who he said he was, the Son
of God!
Later, when John and Peter were talking to the religious
leaders, they told them: "Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which
he can be saved" (Acts 4:12). I, like many others, used
to think I had to be good for God to accept me. I thought in
the end, if my good stuff outweighed my bad stuff in life, God
would accept me. The problem is, I have never felt "good
enough" to be accepted by God, no matter how good I have
tried to be.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, "It
is by grace that you have been saved, through faith - and this
is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works
(or being good enough) so that no one can boast. For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God
prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2: 8-10 NIV).
So, what many of us felt was really true. We felt we had to do
something, but it never felt adequate, and we didn't understand
it. But God had a plan all along to help us. He sent His Son
Jesus to save each of us from ourselves, and the mess we keep
getting ourselves into.
We need to understand God's grace, which is described as
getting the favor of God that we really don't deserve, but He
wants us to have. In the New Testament book of Titus, we read
of Jesus, who is the Word, from the beginning: "The grace
of God that brings salvation, has appeared to all men (Titus
2:11). Jesus is our salvation, the One who takes away our insecurities
and fears. The writer to the Hebrews explains it right to the
point for us: "Just as a man is destined to die once, and
after that to face judgment, so was Christ sacrificed once to
take away the sins of many people" (Hebrews 9:27 NIV).
So, for all of us the process is the same to get past our
guilt and to live free from sin. The Bible says, "If you
confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it
is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Romans
10:9, 10 NIV).
When the Apostle Paul was asked the question, "What
must I do to be saved?" the response was the same in the
first century as it is today; "Believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31 NIV).
So my friends, if you have read this far and would like to
make the decision to start doing things in your life from God's
perspective, let me help you to know how to ask. It's a very
simple prayer and extremely effective way to change your way
of life. Pray this prayer from your heart and watch God begin
to do the miraculous in your life.
"Lord Jesus, I come to you today, admitting that I have
been trying to live my life on my own terms and have left you
out. Please forgive me for my pride and the thoughts that I could
impress you with good things. I now know from your Word, that
you have made a way for me to be saved by your death and resurrection.
I ask you now, to come into my life by your Spirit, forgive my
sins, change my heart and mind, and help me to live and grow
by your grace and mercy.
Thank you for your promises to answer my prayer to change my
life. I look forward to learning and growing in the understanding
of all you have for me today and every day of my life. Amen."
If you have responded to the Lord in asking Him to save you
from your sins, I want to thank you and congratulate you. You
are about to take a fun, faith filled journey that will take
you into a new way of life.
To help you, if you will write to me by email
or the postal service, I would like
to send you a book that will help you understand this decision
and begin your new life in the Lord. Thanks so much for your
time. Be blessed and a blessing to all.
Pastor Bob