Choosing The Right Path

God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life.

God’s Love - “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”.(John 3:16) 

God’s Plan - Jesus said – “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly”. (John 10:10) 

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?

Because…

Humankind is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life.

Humankind Is Sinful -  “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23) 

Humankind was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way in disobedience to God and as a result fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or disobedience is what the Bible calls sin.

According to God’s standards set out in the Bible - 

One does not need to kill someone to be guilty of murder – feelings of hate towards another is equal to murder 

One does not need to literally commit adultery to be guilty of it – having lustful thoughts is equal to committing adultery

So basically none of us will be able to honestly say that we are NOT sinners. We have ALL fallen short of God’s standards and are therefore sinners in God’s sight.

Humankind Is Separated - “The wages of sin is death”. [eternal separation from God] (Romans 6:23) 

 

This diagram illustrates that God is Holy and humankind is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that humankind is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion – but he inevitably fails.

 

The only way to bridge this gulf - Jesus Christ is God’s ONLY provision for humankind’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.

He Died in Our Place - “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. (Romans 5:8) 

He Rose From the Dead - “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred…”. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) 

He Is the Only Way to God - Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me”. (John 14:6) 

 

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, who was without any sin, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for OUR sins.

It is not enough to just understand this - We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ - “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”. (John 1:12) 

We Receive Christ Through Faith - “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast”. (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth. (John 3:1-8) 

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation - Jesus said,  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him”. (Revelation 3:20) 

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer (prayer is talking to God):

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.

If you’d like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior right now and you’d like us to pray with you,  please hit the play button in the video below and we’d be delighted to lead you in prayer.