You and I and every man, woman, and child on earth who has ever lived, is now living, or will be living are sinners! All of us are born with a sin nature which we inherited from Adam – the first created human being who rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Ephesians 2:3).We don’t sin because we are sinners; we are sinners because we sin.
What does that mean in the eyes of a most holy and righteous God. What does the Bible say? “There is no one righteous. No, not one” (Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1). What consequence did God set for sin? The Bible tells us, “The wages of sin is death” – not just physical death but spiritual death for all eternity (Romans 3:23).
That is catastrophic news for all humanity!
But God, because of His compassion, His extraordinary mercy and His great love for all people of the world, He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
How does sending Jesus into the world to die on the cross benefit us? It was necessary for Jesus to die because death is the punishment for sin. He died so we could live.
Jesus came from heaven to earth to shed His blood on the cross for without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus paid the uncomprehensible debt of sin – past, present, and future – once for all. The Righteous for the unrighteous. He removes the sins of those who believe in Him as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
Jesus alone offers the gift of eternal life to everyone who believes. The Bible says, “Believe on the Jord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Again, it says, “But as many as received Him (Jesus), who have believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
“Whoever believes in Him, (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).
If you are sorry for your sins and believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sins, go to Him in prayer confessing your sins and ask Him to be your Savior and Lord. If you mean what you prayed, you can be confident that you will go to heaven! Then give thanks and praise to Him for the gift of salvation.
Believe – trusting in God’s promise of eternal life by His grace through faith
Condemned – declared guilty and sentenced to punishment
Eternal Life – living forever (without end) in heaven in the presence of God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit), angels, and all believers
Mercy – not receiving the punishment we deserve
Perish – to die without hope
Righteous – a right standing with God by being obedient to His will and commands
Salvation – a gift of God’s grace to believers who are reconciled with God in a right relationship forever
Sin – any violation in thought, word, or deed of God’s law, His will, and His standard of perfection
Sin Nature – the inherent inclination to sin and rebel against God
Spiritual Death – the state of the soul being in torment separated from God for all eternity