“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
John 3
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
Romans 6:23
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“
1 John 1:8-9
Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins that separate us from God. Sin requires a price to be paid for breaking God’s law. Because man could not keep his law perfectly, he stepped away from his kingdom in Heaven and came to earth to save us from our sins. God is not like man; he does not lie and will not break his law or his word, but he is perfect in his love, so he had a plan of redemption for mankind. He demonstrated his great love for us by becoming a man of flesh so he could redeem us. He understands the pains, heartache, and temptations we face on earth. That is why he came into the world he created and became a man, having an earthly body like ours so he could die and take our place for the price required of our sins. He faced what we faced but walked perfectly, then humbly sacrificed his life to make restitution for our sins.
Think of it like this. If we commit a crime, we have to pay a price for that crime. Spiritually, that crime is our sin. Everyone has sinned. Restitution or payment is required for that crime. But instead of us doing the time, Jesus came down and did it for us. He did what only perfect love would do; he left his heavenly kingdom and became a man. God stepped away from his perfect kingdom to save us. He did everything necessary to be close to us and make a way of salvation for our sins. He was tempted, betrayed, beaten, and crucified. He kept his eyes on the prize, mankind. He knew he had to live a perfect life. Only an innocent man could take our place, not another criminal (sinner). It had to be someone who was tempted to sin but chose not to and lived a perfectly righteous life free from the stain of sin. He took every measure to create a way of salvation for us. He was the innocent man who took our place.
He died for you; whether you believe in him or not, he has already taken your place. All you have to do is believe. But because he is a good God, he will not control us and force us to believe in him. He made our part easy. He did all the work.
“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that 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 with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.”
Romans 10:8-9
Jesus paid the price for our sins; he was beaten, whipped, scourged, nailed to a cross, and died on our behalf. After death, he was tortured in hell until he was raised to life. He fulfilled the price. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us. After we die, if we believe in Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior, we will go to eternity in Heaven with him. But that is not the end of the story. He knows how difficult this life can be. When we make the choice to believe in and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he gives us a helper. The Holy Spirit. He is here to help us through this life we live until we go to be with Jesus in heaven. The Bible says he has good plans for us to prosper and give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He wrote a destiny and plan for each of us to walk in. He helps us fulfill our purpose and overcome difficulties because he overcame them. He changes us and builds our character to reflect our Lord and Savior. The creator of the universe (John 1-5 & 12) cares about you as an individual (Psalms 139) and wants to build a relationship with you that fulfills you. He loves you, and it is pure love. You are not too old or far gone to accept Jesus as your savior and Lord. Believe, repent from your sins, and ask for his power and grace to stop sinning. Ask for his forgiveness, and you can receive remission and the power and grace to overcome your sins. He is a God who will never leave or forsake you, no matter what you will walk through.
Please pray this prayer if you are ready to ask Jesus to be your savior and Lord. Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and were raised to life again. You came in the form of a man and walked a sinless life so you could lay down your life as the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind’s sins. I thank you for dying for me. I ask you to be my Lord and Savior. I ask you to forgive me for all my sins. I ask you to set me free from all captivity and torment of the soul. I ask you to heal me from all the wounds that have tormented me and caused me to sin. Give me the grace to overcome unforgiveness, trauma, addictions, and pain that was caused by those who sinned against me and by the sins I have committed. Help me to forgive those of the debt of sin done against me just as you have forgiven all my debts of sin. I ask you to heal me from all the pain and self-soothing habits and addictions I have used to cover the pain. Please come and dwell with me and speak to me. Please be my best friend and show me how to be a faithful friend to you because you are faithful. Help me understand and perceive your leading and hear your voice that leads me in the right direction. Help me to recognize when I hear the voice of the enemy that deceives, lies, and condemns so that I may not take in his lies and replace them with the truth that you will help me find written in your word, the Bible. Show me your good plans, and help me live right. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me; I ask you to abide in me so I may abide in you.
If you have prayed to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I want to encourage you to start reading the Bible, which is his written word to us. The Bible is the truth, and his truth sets us free. It is also his roadmap for us. The Holy Spirit will help you understand his roadmap, but you must start by reading it. I recommend reading the whole book of Matthew or any of the four accounts of Jesus’ time on earth: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is the story of Jesus coming into the world so you can better understand him and why he came.