God, your Creator, is righteous, just, and holy. The Lord made everything good (read Genesis 1:31), but unfortunately, man chose to disobey God and fell under the curse of sin which has been passed down through the generations following Adam throughout all of human history to our very day (1 Corinthians 15:22). This resulted in ungodly, corrupt deeds and ends with death (James 1:14-15). We all have an appointment with death (Hebrews 9:27). Please consider the following from God's Word, the Bible:
NO ONE IS GOOD ENOUGH TO GET TO HEAVEN ON THEIR OWN. THERE IS AN ETERNAL PUNISHMENT FOR SIN.
"There is none righteous" (Romans 3:10), no not one: Let's face it! We each are sinners; nobody is perfect; we "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, Ecclesiastes 7:20). "As for God, his way is perfect," (Psalm 18:30), but my thoughts are not His thoughts neither are my ways His ways (read Isaiah 55:8). Not one single individual who has ever lived deserved to be forgiven of their sin. To sin is to miss the mark. This happens when we disobey God. In fact, sin separates us from God (Psalm 5:4, Isaiah 53:6, 59:2; John 3:18; Ephesians 2:12); disqualifying us from obtaining Heaven on our own. There are no good works any of us can do which will merit Heaven. When man disobeyed God, he fell under the curse of sin (read Genesis 3, Romans 5) and as a result, all the generations following the human race of Adam (read 1 Corinthians 15:22), are ungodly and corrupt as "all are under sin" (Galatians 3:22) which end with death (read James 1:14-15, Proverbs 14:12). We all have an appointment with death and with God (read Hebrews 9:27, Amos 4:12). For a sinner "the wages [payment] of sin is death;" (Romans 6:23) which means the penalty for sin is separation from God in hell [eternal death]. Hell is a place of eternal punishment (read Luke 16:19-31, Matthew 25:46). "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15). This should bother us. God gave us a conscience and convicts us of our wrongdoings and our lost condition (read Luke 19:10). To receive the free gift of God you must realize your lost condition [this means you recognize that God is convicting you and bringing you to an understanding that you personally deserve to be judged for your sin]. The Lord said He didn't come to "call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32). We deserve to be judged right now, but there is GOOD NEWS.
JESUS PAID SIN'S DEBT & ROSE AGAIN DEFEATING DEATH'S POWER.
"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The good news is God so loved the world, even though we were offenders, and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus "Christ [who] died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3). Jesus, who lived upon the earth, perfect and sinless, died on the Cross of Calvary to pay the sin debt we could not afford and made a way of escape for each who trusts Him. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). And, God "hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Following His death, Christ rose again three days later, just as He said He would, in order, to defeat death's power, proving His love to us and offering salvation freely to everyone who calls on Him (read Romans 3:22-24, 28).
YOU MUST RECEIVE CHRIST TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
God wants us to no longer be in bondage to our sin and has made a way for us to be forgiven. He has given His Son for the sacrifice of sin. To forever be in God's presence you must receive Jesus as your personal Saviour. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…" (Acts 16:31)
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" ((Romans 10:9-13).
SALVATION IS CALLING, BELIEVING, AND TRUSTING.
Salvation is simply calling upon the Lord's name, believing in your heart (a true heart of repentance and full of faith - Romans 3:28; Acts 17:30-31; Acts 20:21) that Jesus died and rose again and that trusting the gospel of Christ is the only payment God will accept so that you can be born again (read John 3). Trust Christ with all your heart, not just in your head. He will save you, no matter how much or how big you think your sin or sins may be. He will forgive you of every sin (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 1:18, 53:5-6; 1 John 1:7, 9). He will take you to heaven, as a child of God (John 1:12-13, Romans 8:14, 16-17), by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9 "…not of works"; Titus 3:5-7). Christ is coming, don't delay, call on the Lord now to be saved and forgiven. Tomorrow may be too late. Today is the day of salvation. "Without faith it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6).
If you have trusted the gospel of Jesus and asked Him to be your Saviour by faith then do not hesitate to make your profession public.
TELL OTHERS AND GROW IN THE LORD.
Tell another Christian that you know. Begin to read your Bible (KJV) and ask God to help you make decisions. Following salvation, believers should publicly confess that salvation has occurred in their heart/spirit by faith and as new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ they choose to follow the His command and be baptized by immersion picturing His death, burial, and resurrection. After this, you would do well to find a place that preaches and teaches from the Bible (not church tradition) without apology or excuse. Find a place where God's people will sing and worship God for His holiness and majesty. Find a place where others are living their lives for the glory of God and you can feel the presence of God and experience the Holy Ghost of God move in the services.
ANY QUESTIONS?
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us on our contact page or you can simply email us at victorybaptistbloomsburg@gmail.com.