News Ticker

Making It Personal

February 11, 2014 cm-admin Inspire 0

11 Feb 2014 by Mindy Oon CM –

‘Knowing Christ died – that’s history. Believing He died for me – that’s salvation.’ A personal relationship with Christ begins at the moment of our salvation. In John 3:3, Jesus referred to this as a second birth – ‘Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It is when we are born spiritually into God’s family that we become His children, His friends, and members of His spiritual kingdom. Here are three simple steps we can take to begin this relationship.

Step 1: Admit our lost condition

We are all born to this world separated from God, and we look for significance on our own terms. While we may look good to ourselves as long as we measure ourselves to ourselves, Jesus Christ showed us our sin. He is the One who showed us what it means to have a personal relationship with God. He also said that he didn’t come into this world to help the good people, but instead ‘to seek and save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10).

The Bible says we are all physically alive, but spiritually dear. We are missing out on the quality of life that God can give us. Paul wrote in Romans 3:23 ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. And in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death’.

Step 2: Know what God has done for us

The gospel or good news, is that God loved us so much that he sent His only Son into this world to rescue us from our sin (John3:16). Jesus lived a life without sin, and through His life, we can see what it means to really love our neighbour as ourselves. He also solved the problem of our separation from Father God – He died in our place and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to pay the price of sin. He then rose from the dead. Thus in one sacrifice, Jesus paid for all of our sins. Even the biggest and worst of our sin.

Step 3: Personally believe and receive God’s gift

Romans 6:23 says ‘For the wages of sin in death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’. While we have all earned spiritual death, no one can earn a relationship with God. It is a gift of His love and mercy. It is not a reward for being good, it is not a reward for our effort. No one is saved by trying to be good. We are saved by trusting in Christ. The apostle Paul said “For by grace you have been saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace here means undeserved favor.

We try to fill our lives with all sorts of things, but only God can make us whole. If you are reading this, and want to have a relationship with God, by simple childlike faith, ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. The actual words we say to Him may be different, what is important is that we believe God enough to be able to say:

“Father, I know I have sinned against You. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that he Died for my sins. And that He rose from the dead to prove it. Now I accept Your offer of eternal life. I accept Jesus as Your gift for my salvation.”

If this is an honest expression of your heart, welcome to God’s family!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”