Wondering about God
God is meant for us, and we're meant for God. He created us to be in relationship with him. God made us in his image, so each of us has value, and has an innate sense that God is real. Like God, we're personal, spiritual beings. He loves us. God's plan is that we know and love him too. Our relationship with God has been disrupted, however. We are crippled by sin, separated from Him, and so the relationship between God and humanity has been broken. Sin is the root cause of what's wrong in the world, why there is evil, why there are wars, why our relationships are often broken and disrupted, why we sometimes feel empty inside. God has made a way back to him. Jesus Christ came to restore us to God and to repair our broken relationships. His death on the cross can bring forgiveness for our sins, and restore our relationship with him. His resurrection can bring us new life. When his Holy Spirit lives within us, He can help us know peace, joy, and help restore our other relationships as well.
You can know God through repentance and faith in Christ.
What is repentance?
Repentance involves acknowledging that we're sinners. Being "a good person" isn't good enough. Repentance involves admitting to God our sinfulness, guilt, and need for forgiveness. We're worse than we think. It includes turning away from our sins and independence from God, and ultimately rejecting the idea that we know better than God does what's best for us. It involves turning to Jesus Christ in faith. It means changing direction, changing our minds. It means deciding to follow Jesus, and committing ourselves to him.
What is faith?
Faith is NOT mere intellectual assent to a set of statements about Jesus.
Faith is NOT turning to God only when we have problems.
Faith is consciously entrusting our lives to Jesus Christ: his perfect, sinless life; his death on the cross for our sins; his resurrection, so that we too can live new lives. He is the only one who is able to bring us forgiveness for our sins. He alone can restore us to a close, loving relationship with God our Father, and offer our lives ultimate meaning and purpose, joy and peace.
What is repentance?
Repentance involves acknowledging that we're sinners. Being "a good person" isn't good enough. Repentance involves admitting to God our sinfulness, guilt, and need for forgiveness. We're worse than we think. It includes turning away from our sins and independence from God, and ultimately rejecting the idea that we know better than God does what's best for us. It involves turning to Jesus Christ in faith. It means changing direction, changing our minds. It means deciding to follow Jesus, and committing ourselves to him.
What is faith?
Faith is NOT mere intellectual assent to a set of statements about Jesus.
Faith is NOT turning to God only when we have problems.
Faith is consciously entrusting our lives to Jesus Christ: his perfect, sinless life; his death on the cross for our sins; his resurrection, so that we too can live new lives. He is the only one who is able to bring us forgiveness for our sins. He alone can restore us to a close, loving relationship with God our Father, and offer our lives ultimate meaning and purpose, joy and peace.
We're more deeply loved than we ever dared imagine
If you haven't done so, you can become a child of God through repentance and faith. There are no magic words. What matters is what's in your heart. But one prayer of repentance and faith in Christ that you can use is:
"Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner. I need your forgiveness. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I turn from my sins and selfishness. I rely on You alone for the forgiveness of my sins. I affirm that Jesus is my Savior and my Lord.Thank you for forgiving my sins and restoring my relationship to you through Christ. You are my Father and my King. Jesus is my brother, my Savior and my friend. I welcome your Holy Spirit to help me follow you, to be my strength, and to renovate my heart, from the inside out.In Jesus' name, Amen."
If you have prayed this prayer today, that's a good thing! It's important to put "feet" on your faith by being baptized (if you have not already done so), and to "come out" as a Christian. Please let the pastor or a Christian friend know!