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The "gift" we have for you is one you can receive right here and right now. It is one that cost more than any of us could comprehend, but we didn't have to spend a dime for it. It's one we want to present to you, but we are not the one's who got it for you. It's a gift you desperately need and you might not even know it. "What is it?" you ask. It's Eternal Salvation in Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, Ephesians 2:8-9, God says that salvation is a "gift" that He gives by His grace to everyone who receives His Son by faith. It's a gift we can't earn, we can't work for it, and we can't buy it. It is absolutely positively "free" to those who accept it by faith (John 1:12)
Let me back up for a moment and explain a few things. First off, the Bible says in Romans 5:12 that we all have a sin nature. We have this nature because we are decedents of Adam. Adam brought sin into the world by his rebellion against God's clear command concerning "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:6). We aren't sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners--it's our nature.
Secondly, not only do we have a sin nature, we also actively commit sins . In Romans 3:23, God says that " all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". None of us measures up to God's standard and therefore we all stand guilty before Him. This guilty verdict is horrible because Romans 6:23 tells us that because we are guilty we have earned both physical death and spiritual death (eternal separation from the presence of God). You see, God is holy and perfect, and He can not have any sin in His presence. If the story stopped there, we would be utterly without hope
But, thank God, it doesn't. Romans 6:23 continues, saying, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". The "wages" of sin we have earned need not be the final word against us. God has provided, by His grace, the gift of eternal life in the person and work of His Son Jesus. All we need to believe to receive this gift is that Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary for us. He died in our place, as our substitute, receiving for us the "wages" (eternal punishment) for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to God
You see, it's not what we do that determines whether or not we go to heaven, it's what we believe about Jesus that will determine our eternal destination. Do you believe you are a sinner? Do you believe you cannot save yourself? Do you believe Jesus, the Son of God, died on Calvary to pay for your sins? Do you believe God raised Jesus from the dead three days later to proclaim His acceptance of Christ's sin payment for your sins? If you believe these truths, according to Romans 10:9-10, "...thou shalt be saved".
In Romans 10:13 we read that the invitation to accept the "free gift" of salvation is extended to everyone ("Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"). What does it mean to "call upon the Lord" in this text? It means that I must come to a time and place in my life where I recognize and admit to God that I am a sinner. I must admit that I can't save myself, no matter how hard I try. I must accept what Christ did for me on the Cross. I must receive God's gift of salvation in Jesus by faith and ask God to save me from my sins. If you would like to do that right here, right now, then offer a simple prayer such as this to the Lord.
"Dear God, I confess to you that I am a sinner. I ask you to please save me from my sins because I put my faith and trust in what Jesus did for me on the Cross. Please come into my heart and life and give me the power to live a life that glorifies you. Thank you Lord for honoring your promise, for saving me, and for giving me eternal life. Amen."
If you prayed this prayer sincerely, you just received the gift we have been talking about. Romans 5:1 tells you that your faith in Jesus allows God to declare you "justified" or "not guilty" before Him because your sin debt has been paid in full--past, present, and future, by Jesus. You are now at peace with God, whereas before you were at war with Him.
If you would like to know more about this, our Pastor and many others in our Church would count it a privilege to discuss it with you. Give us a call, or just stop in for a visit.
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