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The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This means that every person has a basic problem: they do NOT measure up to the requirement God has for entering His heaven. All of us are guilty of breaking God’s perfect law in some way (James 2:10-11).
The Bible also says that sin has consequences: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). In other words, sin earns us the “wages” of being separated from God; separated from Him in this life and separation from Him forever in eternity. But the last part of that verse indicates what God has done to do away with the sin problem.
The Bible says “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). While we are sinners, and while we deserve the “wages” of our sin, Christ paid the penalty we all deserved to pay. The wages of sin is death, and Christ died for us! God punished His Son Jesus in our place! Why would God do that? It was because of His love for us.
The Bible says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). Confessing and believing go hand in hand. Together they form a decision of the will to trust Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing from the sin we are all guilty of. It is this faith, or trust, which the Bible says is the basis for receiving eternal life in heaven with God.
Summary: the message of salvation is God’s message of love to Mankind. He gives forgiveness and eternal life to all who will receive it on His terms. This means we do not try to earn it or “buy” it, or gain it by self-righteousness. It can only be received through repentance and faith. It is a free gift, and trying to earn a gift is an insult to the Giver.
God loves us, but He will grant pardon from sin only when we realize our guilt, and turn from self-righteousness and receive forgiveness through the shed blood and broken body of Jesus Christ who was crucified in our place and rose again to prove His victory over death!
Friend, if you are seeking forgiveness and pardon from your sin, the message of salvation is for you. We here at Iowa First Baptist Church urge you to make the most important decision you will ever make: receive God’s gift of eternal life today. Acknowledge Him as your Savior and Lord and you will become what He wants you to be: His Child. We would encourage you to do two things:
First, make the following prayer your own.
“Heavenly father, I realize I am a sinful person, and I do not measure up to the perfection you require of me. Only Jesus does measure up. And I believe He died for me, in my place. His innocent life was punished so that my guilty life could be pardoned by You. I receive Him now and acknowledge Him as my Savior and as my only way into heaven. I know He died for me, and He rose from the dead by Your power to conquer death and sin. My desire now is to live a life of gratitude, by living to please Him instead of myself or others. He purchased my life with His own sacrifice, and I now belong to Him. Thank you for Your forgiveness and for the gift of eternal life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Second, if you prayed that prayer with a sincere heart, please contact us and let us know. We would like to help you grow in your faith. Please click on the “Make a Connection” tab on this website and send a message to our pastoral staff. They will follow up by arranging a time to meet you, or by getting you in touch with a Bible-believing church in your area.
Lastly, thank you for visiting our site and especially this page. We pray it has been a blessing to you. Remember, God loves you more than you can ever know!
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