Making Christianity Real

[shayd]

So here's a question I have, and yet I have little hope of it being answered to my fulfilliment, but I really hope someone can.

How do you make Christianity real to yourself if you are not a Christian and have been a non-Christian for a very long time?

I haven't ever really been a Christian though I called myself that once upon a time. Then I fell completely from the Church, and basically decided God didn't exist.

For almost 3 years now, I've been convinced He exists, but not sure what form He takes. Under a year ago, I decided I wanted to read the Bible, but never got started on it.

I met the lady who would quickly become my wife about 11 months ago. We got married after 8 months of dating/engagement. She is a very strong Christian and I see what it means to her. So now I'm convinced God exists, I'm convinced I want to be a Christian. I read the Bible frequently, I have read most of The Case for Christ, and parts of (More) Evidence that Demands a Verdict, and I attend a church with my wife.

The final step would be to ask Christ to come into my life, and for me to acknowledge that he is my saviour, but to do that means (to me, an analytical person) that I'm saying "Ok, I KNOW you are who you say you are now, and I'm willing to stake my soul on it" which is just not something I can do yet. It doesn't feel real enough yet. I believe the Bible is divinely inspired and I believe that Jesus CERTAINLY existed and did what is said of him... Just for some reason, it's not real inside to me still. Try as hard as I may, pray as much as I do, read as much as I can, I still don't FEEL something inside... How do you accept him as your personal saviour if you don't FEEL inside that he is. It's not that I'm saying he is not, I'm just not certain that he is....

help?


p.s. Btw, I appreciate the offer for anonymity in the other thread, but I think that, as a non-Christian, I have faced far greater difficulties in my search for God than placing my fears and heart-felt concerns in front of strangers. If I am not willing to ask a question and accept the answers with my own name, I don't think I would be emotionally equipped to deal with what was said back to me anyway

 

[Sephania]

dear Shayd, have you asked him with all your heart ( not mind) to reveal himself to you?

I am not being sarcastic, just knowing others that say that they believe but yet have never opened their heart to him in trust and in full abandonment of their will.

I will pray that if this is truly what you want you will be able to do that because I know he is just waiting for that invitation.

 

[shayd]

Do you often open your heart wide open and ask someone to step right in and take control, if you don't feel you know them and they don't seem completely 100% real to you?

The thing that makes me mad is that I read the Bible, and I believe it. And it says that Jesus is who Christians believe him to be. And so, it would make sense for me to decide "Well, then he is who they say he is." And yet, that has not happened. I feel unconvinced even where I feel there is convincing evidence. It's aggravating to consider yourself analytical, to analyze some facts, decide they corroborate a certain story, and then find yourself somehow unable to accept that story.

 

[aziel92]

That is an excellent question, for both christians and non christians. I was saved when I was ten but I barely knew who Jesus was on a personal level. Really its just been recently that I have gotten close to Him. This wont completely answer your question but I have a few suggestions. I would look online or in books for testimonies of different people in different situations and how God used them or worked in their situation. This makes what God does for us and His love for us so much more visible. Also, think of different ways that God has blessed you in your life (by bringing you a wife maybe?). Worship is also another essential part of a Christian's life and definately gives one the chance to feel God move first hand. Go somewhere, a church, get together, concert, where you can freely worship. When you worship Him you can feel Him so close to your heart its really incredible. This was probably one of the biggest things that was missing from life until recently. Most importantly though, Let Him into your life! Accept His gift of forgiveness and He will come into your life so that you can know and feel Him on a personal basis. Hope this helps somewhat! God bless...

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

shayd - as a non-christiand myself I understand your concearns. I felt much the same way when I had determined I would allow the Goddess into my heart, but didn't feel totally comfortable with the fact that Deity really could take Her as a form.

It's kinda like jumping from the highboard after you've just finished your swimming lessons isn't it? (I don't swim but it was the first analogy that came to mind please bear with me on this one) You have a 89% surety that you can do it and that you want to do it, but doing it is not happening for some reason. *sigh*

The thing is - doing it is up to you and sometimes you just have to take that leap. (of faith in this instance) Give it all you have to give yourself over. Remember too that in the end, you can always change your mind later if you want to and go back to being where you are now. You can always go back, but going forward is much more intimidating. Trust yourself and trust your heart. If it's your time to connect with God, Jesus, or whatever other form of Deity I don't think you'll want to go back - and that's okay too.

Sometimes just talking (with voice or without, although with is more constructive in my experiance) to Deity (read Jesus for your purposes) and feeling it out is the best way to go. You've used your reason as far as it can take you it seems - it may be time to let your soul speak and figure out the rest.

Blessings to you, and I pray you find what you seek wherever it may lay
Mylinkay Asdara

 

[Gunny]

Outstanding OP.

When an individual asks Jesus for forgivness, repents and asks Jesus to come into their life, He will.

Our feelings do not determine if we have faith or not.

When we ask Jesus to enter into our life, He does, for He has promised this.

At times we may question our faith (Salvation) due to the way we are living our life and the fact that it may be contrary to the way God would have us to live.

 

[AmeriLovesJesus]

shayd - as a non-christiand myself I understand your concearns. I felt much the same way when I had determined I would allow the Goddess into my heart, but didn't feel totally comfortable with the fact that Deity really could take Her as a form.

It's kinda like jumping from the highboard after you've just finished your swimming lessons isn't it? (I don't swim but it was the first analogy that came to mind please bear with me on this one) You have a 89% surety that you can do it and that you want to do it, but doing it is not happening for some reason. *sigh*

The thing is - doing it is up to you and sometimes you just have to take that leap. (of faith in this instance) Give it all you have to give yourself over. Remember too that in the end, you can always change your mind later if you want to and go back to being where you are now. You can always go back, but going forward is much more intimidating. Trust yourself and trust your heart. If it's your time to connect with God, Jesus, or whatever other form of Deity I don't think you'll want to go back - and that's okay too.

Sometimes just talking (with voice or without, although with is more constructive in my experiance) to Deity (read Jesus for your purposes) and feeling it out is the best way to go. You've used your reason as far as it can take you it seems - it may be time to let your soul speak and figure out the rest.

Blessings to you, and I pray you find what you seek wherever it may lay
Mylinkay Asdara

That is very true!!!

My whole life.. I have believed in Jesus.. I knew God was there.. but it was very different how I see him now.. I was living.. my own life.. and leaving him to wait only when I needed him.. I thought he was just someone.. who just had control... of heaven.. and just answered prayers.. and made the earth & all of us...

I never knew what prayer was really about..

I felt the same exact way.. when I first started getting closer to Jesus.. again..I never knew.. that he would actually.. become completely apart of my life.. not a day goes by that... I don't think of.. or talk to him.. even if just for a few minutes.. His presence.. is so real now.. Its such an amazing feelin.. I never could imagine it before..

Hes my best friend..

Give it time.. soon you will feel it.. Try taking some time alone... and just praise him.. dont ask for anything.. or speak.. just imagine.. him.. thgere with you..

 

[Dominus Fidelis]

First of all, you cant make yourself prove God exists. God calls you with grace and you respond. Keep asking for Him to reveal Himself, and if you really want it, He will. You will KNOW He exists.

If you want some logical reasons why God exists...

--


Argument from History

A man claimed to be God and rose from the dead to prove it. His eye-witness followers, first scared of his murderers, later willingly died to proclaim that they saw him alive again. Christianity spread at a phenominal rate and ended up conquering the Roman Empire as a result, without a single arrow fired.


Argument from Objective Morality

How can you know whether one thing, like stealing, is less wrong than another, like murder. If you admit it is less wrong, then there has to be an objective morality from which to judge the relative value of any action.


Argument from the Beginning

You can't go back infinitly in time because an infinite set can not be infinitely regressed. Thus, logic and science both tell us that time had a beginning, as did the Universe itself. You can't have a caused Universe without time to cause it, so both time and the Universe were created supernaturally by something eternal and outside of time/space, which can only be God. Nothing in science, not even acausal quantum events can explain an uncaused Universe, because there must be time to have quantum events occur.


Argument from Design

The Universe is finely-tuned from the first milisecond of the Big Bang. Many physical properties have to be exactly right for life and the Universe itself to form. The odds of this happening in the one instance of the Universe that we know exists are beyond astronomical.

--

But the best evidence is the desire you feel in your heart to find Him. If He didnt exist, where does this come from? Why are you posting here?

 

[Suzannah]

Dear Shayd,

I think what you are experiencing is a normal (for you) reaction to the touchy feely Jesus Revolution. The Jesus Revolution of the last thirty years has left people with the idea that there must be all this emotion involved and that a "Christian" is marked by all sorts of emotional experiences. This is actually not the case. It may be a reality for many but not everyone. Jesus meets us where we are. If you are an analyst there is nothing in the world that prevents you from "experiencing" Jesus and your relationship with Him in an analytical way. There have been literally THOUSANDS of "analysts" just like you, throughout the history of Christianity. I encourage you to read some of the Early Church Fathers . Some were emotional and poetically based. Many more were analytical and intellectual, and I daresay none would have approached Jesus or their relationship with him in a casual, emotionally familiar way, although their devotion to him was absolute. They were willing to die for him and many did. The emotional devotion that you see in others is a result of their experiences. Yours may be different. If you attempt to force yourself into an emotional basket, I would say that you probably will not be as "fulfilled" than if you were just "yourself". Jesus wants YOURSELF. Including your analytical nature.

This does not mean I am encouraging you to analyze the whole thing to death. Some people can "think" themselves right out of the Church. You will need to pray many times, as I have, "Lord, HELP MY UNBELIEF"...remember: Thomas doubted so that we would not doubt.

I hope you will stick around CF and post often...God bless you!!!

 

[Sephania]

Do you often open your heart wide open and ask someone to step right in and take control, if you don't feel you know them and they don't seem completely 100% real to you?

The thing that makes me mad is that I read the Bible, and I believe it. And it says that Jesus is who Christians believe him to be. And so, it would make sense for me to decide "Well, then he is who they say he is." And yet, that has not happened. I feel unconvinced even where I feel there is convincing evidence. It's aggravating to consider yourself analytical, to analyze some facts, decide they corroborate a certain story, and then find yourself somehow unable to accept that story.

That may be the main problem. You are afraid to turn over full control, and in that fear perhaps you don't understand your power. Yes you must open your heart to allow him access but you can control that access at any time thereafter. YOU choose to allow him to work through and with you in the amount that you want.







Are you afraid of losing who you are? Not being in complete control? God isn't a control freak. If you want him to guide you in something he will but it must be your wanting it ( i.e. your will) him to and you turning your will over to him ( just in that instance, not forever) and allowing him to lead you because he knows best. But you can always revoke this, not that this is good, but you have that power. God is limited in his power of how he can work in your life. He is not someone that comes in and takes control, humans may do that but not your creator.

 

[elanor]

The final step would be to ask Christ to come into my life, and for me to acknowledge that he is my saviour, but to do that means (to me, an analytical person) that I'm saying "Ok, I KNOW you are who you say you are now, and I'm willing to stake my soul on it" which is just not something I can do yet. It doesn't feel real enough yet. I believe the Bible is divinely inspired and I believe that Jesus CERTAINLY existed and did what is said of him... Just for some reason, it's not real inside to me still. Try as hard as I may, pray as much as I do, read as much as I can, I still don't FEEL something inside... How do you accept him as your personal saviour if you don't FEEL inside that he is. It's not that I'm saying he is not, I'm just not certain that he is....

help?

Hello, shayd!

I just wanted to chime in to say that although sometimes feelings can validate our faith, they are not faith. Faith endures through feelings and lack of feelings. Faith is a decision and a commitment we make when we tell God that we believe Him and will live life as a follower of Jesus. I think most of us who have been Christians for awhile have walked through times when we trust God in spite of our feelings.

The other think I wanted to mention is that God is so very gracious, and He knows that we can't conjure up complete faith on our own. It's okay to be totally honest with Him, and just tell Him that you believe this much, and want help with what you don't believe yet. One of my favorite verses is Mark 9:24. A father brings his son to Jesus because he's been troubled by a demon. He asks Jesus to take pity on them and help them, if He can. Jesus tells the man that all things are possible for those who believe. The father cries out, "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!" Jesus doesn't send him away or lecture him. He casts out the demon and heals the boy. This reminds me that it's always okay to tell God I need help to believe. I truly believe that God honors the prayer of the person who wants to trust Him and is giving Him all they can at that point in time. He'll increase your faith when you do that.

I know for me, at least, faith started small and has grown over the years. I'm glad I didn't need it to be whole and perfect right from the start. I'd never have been able to even make a beginning. And He doesn't require it. He said with faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains. That tells me that faith can start small, and He can still work with us in it.

May you be blessed every step of the way.

 

[Starcrystal]

I don't think we "make" Christianity real. Jesus makes himself real to us. He does so by his Word and by revealing himself through His Spirit. All we have to do is seek Him by faith. You already said you believe He's there so its a start. Now apply that personally.
The main thing is making your relationship with God a personal one. Church attendance and activities are good, but these alone don't make Christianity. Christianity is CHRIST IN YOU. Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4 that the time was coming when the people would no longer worship God in the mountain or in Jerusalem, but the true worshippers would worship God in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.
Christ is not confined to any one particular church. He is the living God. If you seek him He will be found by you, for He is there, near to your heart no matter where you are. Trust Him for salvation and let HIM make Christianity real by living in you by His Spirit.
God Bless!

 

[marc]

Dear Shayd,

I think what you are experiencing is a normal (for you) reaction to the touchy feely Jesus Revolution. The Jesus Revolution of the last thirty years has left people with the idea that there must be all this emotion involved and that a "Christian" is marked by all sorts of emotional experiences. This is actually not the case. It may be a reality for many but not everyone. Jesus meets us where we are. If you are an analyst there is nothing in the world that prevents you from "experiencing" Jesus and your relationship with Him in an analytical way. There have been literally THOUSANDS of "analysts" just like you, throughout the history of Christianity. I encourage you to read some of the Early Church Fathers . Some were emotional and poetically based. Many more were analytical and intellectual, and I daresay none would have approached Jesus or their relationship with him in a casual, emotionally familiar way, although their devotion to him was absolute. They were willing to die for him and many did. The emotional devotion that you see in others is a result of their experiences. Yours may be different. If you attempt to force yourself into an emotional basket, I would say that you probably will not be as "fulfilled" than if you were just "yourself". Jesus wants YOURSELF. Including your analytical nature.

This does not mean I am encouraging you to analyze the whole thing to death. Some people can "think" themselves right out of the Church. You will need to pray many times, as I have, "Lord, HELP MY UNBELIEF"...remember: Thomas doubted so that we would not doubt.

I hope you will stick around CF and post often...God bless you!!!

I think there are some excellent answers on this thread, just excellent. This one by Suzannah I happen to agree with 100%. Even the one by the non-christian is an awesome description of what faith is.
Even though God has brought me to some intense emotions a few times, I have to agree with Suzannah that that is not what to look for. It might never happen. I didn't ask for it when it happened to me. One night in particular I was just singing to the Lord for about 3-4 hours at a retreat and the Lord spoke to my heart and showed me some sin I was holding on to. I called a friend over and said I want to confess something to you and as soon as I did I cried so intensely like I never have before and never have since. It was awesome, but I don't ask to do it again, it was just seeing myself for who I am, a sinner.
What you are struggling with is plain and simply faith. We all struggle with it everyday as did all the saints before us. The most important aspect of faith is what you put your faith in. You have Jesus, so you are off to a good start. He gave absolutely good reason to put your faith in Him. I didn't become a Christian until I was 29 years old! And I was never churched before that.
I am currently struggling with an area of faith in my life right now. I have come to realize that I believe that God does miracles, but I don't believe He does them in my life. Over the past few months I have been praying regularly that God would "help my unbelief", I previously didn't even know that I had doubt. He has been revealing so many miracles to me out of His word that I never saw before. I think Jesus must have did a miracle every 5 minutes. God is currently walking me with baby steps and increasing my faith daily with little and big miracles. My friend and I are just like you. We analize everything to death. We frequently discuss the fact that we wish that we could have a simple yet powerful faith like many simple minded people we know. They don't question everything, they just have faith that God will take care of it.
Out of all of this I think you should realize that you are not alone and that God likes you to analize everything and He is not going to dump magical faith on you all at once. It doesn't work like that. I have been a Christian for 3 1/2 years now and my faith increases daily. God wants to use you and your analizing mind. Just like Suzannah said, read about some saints of old and you will see some analizing people that God used. The simple minded people count on the analizers for some of their info because they don't care to study it out themselves.

I hope this helps

Marc

 

[Shekinahs]

Hmmm, feeling something inside is important in our spiritual walk. I have found in order for me to feel something in my spiritual walk I had to let go of either some emotions, feelings or thoughts I was having about something. Usually I found something inside of me was hindering my ablility to feel. Maybe take a look at your fears or your deepest concerns. The ones you hold on to hoping to make better and then just decide to leave it to God. Really just leave it to him and let go of the worry. That sense of release of a heavy burden tends to bring about a wonderful feeling and experiencing God

 

[daydreamergurl15]

Don't struggle so much on this situation. You have prayed and done your part. Now let Him show you who He is, believe me He does not work on our time table God will work through you for you to recognize in his Son. Just remember to keep your eyes and heart open.

 

[Big C]

I feel you bro. I'll keep it real with you...even as a believer in GOD I cannot tell you with 100% proof that what I believe is true, because I have not died yet to find out! But even if I died and there was nothing but a rotting casket to house my worm infested decaying corpse until the earth stopped spinning...I don't regret giving my life to CHRIST.
The life I've gained following HIS teachings, the peace the HOLY SPIRIT has given me, the deliverence HE has shown me...forces me to trust that this CHRISTIANITY thing is real!
Heck, if I live for CHRIST yet died to find no afterlife it wouldn't matter anyway because there is nothing!
But if I reject salvation (going to church, reading bibles, ect-ect are great but it's not salvation...you know this already) and die to find myself standing before CHRIST...oh snap!! GOD is knocking bro, open the door today.

 

[Blazin4Christ]

I understand where you come from because I myself even though I went to chruch and stuff I never really believed in God.God has given me so much when i turned my life over to Him.I know he can for you too.but you have to accept him into your heart.if yuo want peace with this subject

#1.admit you have sinned(even if yuo have only sinned once you are still a sinner)

#2.repent.turn away form that sin

#3.Believe Jesus died for yuo on the Cross

#4,accept him into your heart through prayer.

Dear God,I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed his precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Saviour. Amen

once you have accepted him into yuor heart for salvation he can show himself to you and he can be real to you

 

[alaurie]

Hi Shayd,

I agree with most of the above, especially Susannah's post. I made a profession of faith at 8 and believe it was a true one, but for many years because of the church I was in didn't get fed deeply in the Word. I switched demoninations in college to one that focused more on "correct theology" than grace. I begin praying during that time to be able to feel more of God's love. It took years of prayer, seeking and some anger toward Him on my part but the love finally began to come through. It only comes in tiny moments now but when it does the promise is beyond my powers of writing to communicate.

The best book I read to help me through my struggles was Disappointment with God by Philip Yancy. In it he quotes from Frederick Buechner's The Alphabet of Grace.

"Not the least of my problem is that I can hardly even imagine what kind of an experience a genuine, self-authenticating religious experience would be. Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me. "

Do pray to know God's holiness, your sin and need for grace, Christ's blood shed to give you that grace and for a relationship with Him.

Read Disappointment with God as soon as you possible can.

God Bless
Love,
Allye

 

[missiondocsda]

I wonder Shayd is still hanging on the replies, thousands of them.

brothers and sisters have given hints of proofs.

They have answered emotion is not the key to anchor your religion.

Some have shared that your responsiveness, open your heart, etc, which will work though takes time.

Etc, they are telling you to some degree of truths, believe them, they sincerely concern about you. And that's Jesus. The revelation of Jesus in your life is people care about you, and you care about them, love one another!

What other religion touches on the basis of love so much that Jesus laid down His life for you and me? No matter I sailed to somewhere to survive on myself, my soul is well and in peace for He, does love me. It takes time for crisis to happen and crisis, allows Christ.

5 years down the down the road, I have learnt plenty of head msg. Jesus's sermon is not merely knowing Him, but by His grace to take one more step to experience Him. Weird huh? Open your heart, letting someone to take control you, etc, are abstract about how He comes to you. The simplicity of the truth is, you don't have to work hard on it but stay focus on what the scripture says, and if you can stand firm for the truth when the whole world is going the other direction, that's Jesus's.

Jesus provided all for the world and at the end the whole world was shouting to Jesus to His death on the cross...that's us.

This broken relationship is mended by His grace still, He takes the first step to draw to us, in our midst, to redeem us freely.

As we grow daily, monday, tuesday..., read His word, meditate for a moment of life, prayer, and may be at work, at school, at bed, at hospital, somewhere in the blue, you the one see Jesus, and that moment, is yours, that you, know Him, stay connected with Him, build up confidence, allowing somebody so dearing and close to tenderly care and love us in our each every details, you will have no more fear, to ask even some more from Him, to take over your life, for you know, only by laying down on His hand, His successful plans prevail in you, you have a purpose-driven life, meaningful life worth to live one more time.

God bless you on your way to search Him. He draws to us and we draw to Him, don't forget our first step, for He has taken many steps for us, every day, even before we know Him.

 

[nChrist]

This is a little mini-study on John 5:24. I rely 99% of the time on the King James Version of the Holy Bible, but I occasionally like to use comparisons from the Amplified Bible. John 5:24 is a particularly beautiful Scripture that speaks volumes about our Salvation in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. This is also a Gospel message to those who may be lost.

King James Version
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

The Amplified Bible
John 5:24 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.
____________________

Key words from the King James Version:

G281 - (KJV - Verily)
Of Hebrew origin [H543]; properly firm, that is, (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially surely (often as interjection so be it): - amen, verily.
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

G191 - (KJV - heareth)
A primary verb; to hear (in various senses): - give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), ([shall]) hear (-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

G4100 - (KJV - believeth)
From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

G166 - (everlasting)
From G165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well): - eternal, for ever, everlasting, world (began).
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

G2920 - (condemnation)
(Subjectively or objectively, for or against); by extension a tribunal; by implication justice (specifically divine law): - accusation, condemnation, damnation, judgment.
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

G3327 - (passed)
From G3326 and the base of G939; to change place: - depart, go, pass, remove.
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
___________________

Compare:

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
____________________

Man is born into a natural state of sin and death. The cure for this eternal problem is Romans 10:17, hearing the Word of God, believing in the Gospel of God's Grace, and having faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Hearing the Gospel of God's Grace is beautiful. Faith in Jesus Christ and asking HIM to be your Lord and Saviour is the most precious result of hearing the Gospel. The natural man of sin and death is "born again" as a child of God and passed (translated, quickened) from death to eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Some who are reading this may be lost. The penalty for sin is death, not just the death of this physical body, but condemnation and judgement to hell for eternity. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins, and HE wants you to believe in HIM and ask HIM to be your Lord and Saviour. You will never be able to pay for the sin and evil you have done, but JESUS ALREADY HAS! If you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, HIS blood that HE shed on the cross will wash away all your sins. Trusting and accepting Jesus Christ will change your citizenship to Heaven as a child of God forever. Jesus Christ did suffer and die for you, but HE arose from the dead and is a LIVING LORD AND SAVIOUR. If you will accept HIM, you will also arise from the dead. Yes, you are dead in trespasses and sin, but Jesus wants to rescue you from your path of eternal destruction. Isn't it far past time for you to get on your knees, confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart as your personal Lord and Saviour?

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Romans 10:9 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.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus Christ loves you so much that he gave HIMSELF for you on the cross in your stead. Jesus wants you to love HIM and ask HIM to be your LORD AND SAVIOUR FOREVER. Friend, it must be from your heart. If it is, get on your knees now and ask Jesus to come into your heart as your LORD AND SAVIOUR FOREVER.