The Greatest News You'll Ever Hear!

The most important decision you could ever make is the one that will determine your relationship with God and your eternal destiny. Let me walk you through the things you need to know to make that decision.

- Pastor Matt

1. God is love

First John 4:8 & 16 plainly says, “God is love.” 

Friend, God loves you! Let that soak in. The Bible says that “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), and since you are in this world, that verse is talking about you!

But you and I are not the only objects of God’s affection. He loves something else, too.

Psalm 33:5 “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the LORD’s unfailing love.” 

This verse tells us that God loves righteousness (what isn't made dirty by sin) and justice (when sin and sinners are punished).

So, if you are perfect according to God’s law, you have nothing to fear. But if you have broken even one of God’s laws, you have a major problem because God must punish sinners.

2. We are sinners

I’ve discovered that if you ask most people, “Do you think you are a good person?” they will answer, "Yes."

But this directly contradicts what the Bible says about us. The Bible says that you and I are sinners who have broken God’s laws.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;”

Let me test the truthfulness of this verse by asking you a few questions:

“Have you ever told a lie?” Of course, you have. It only takes one lie to be a liar, and God hates liars (Proverbs 12:22).

“Have you ever been angry at someone?” Of course, you have. And Jesus equates anger with murder (Matthew 5:21-22). That means that you’re a murderer at heart.

“Have you ever looked at someone with lustful thoughts? Of course, you have. And Jesus equated lust with adultery (Matthew 5:28). That means that you’re an adulterer at heart.

We’ve only looked at three of God’s commands, and you have admitted that you are a lying murderer and an adulterer at heart. Since you are a sinner and broken God’s good laws, God has no choice but to punish you in a place called Hell (Revelation 21:8).

What can be done?!

3. Jesus offers salvation

God provided a way for our legal guilt to be dealt with without requiring us to suffer the consequences.

That way is Jesus. God sent Jesus to live a perfect life, die on the cross, and rise from the dead, to pay the sin debt of everyone who will trust in Him.

Romans 5:8 “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

So, Jesus provides the way for us (sinners who have broken God's laws) to be made righteous in the sight of a holy God.

4. We receive God’s gift of salvation by repenting and trusting in Jesus

We are lawbreakers, and God must punish the guilty.

Jesus died to pay the sin debt of every person who will be saved.

But how do we receive this gift? Repentance and faith.

Acts 20:21 “I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.” 

Repentance simply means to stop going in one direction and turn around. So, to receive God’s gift, we must acknowledge our guilt before Him and turn from it. We can’t be forgiven of our sins if we have no conscious desire to turn from those sins. Receiving God's gift of forgiveness and salvation requires us to repent.

Faith (trust) means that we don’t merely turn from sin; we turn to Jesus. We stop trusting in ourselves to make us right in God’s eyes and, instead, trust in Jesus to make us right.

John 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes (trusts) in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

5. Will you receive the gift of salvation?

You could agree with everything I have just said and not be saved. You must act on it.

You need to get alone with God, acknowledge your guilt before Him, consciously turn from your disobedience, and trust in Jesus to forgive you and save you.

Will you close your eyes right now and, in a simple act of faith, turn from your sins and trust in Jesus to save you? If you'd like, you can express your desire and intention in a prayer. What you say doesn't matter nearly as much as being sure that you are sincerely turning from disobedience and trusting in Jesus to make you right in God's eyes.

I hope you will.

If you do, please get in touch with us at White Hall Baptist Church, or some other serious Bible-believing Christian or pastor, so that you can get help as you begin your new adventure as a Jesus-follower.