Know Christ

Peace is elusive more than ever. With all the calamities, chaos, and confusion happening in our world today, it becomes harder to experience real peace. Earthquakes, tsunamis, civil wars, financial problems, broken relationships, and health issues derail people from experiencing God’s great plan for them.

People resort to all kinds of things to enjoy life to the full. They seek solutions to present predicaments in the material things of this world. Unfortunately, all these are temporal and do not guarantee eternal security. Thus, what matters most is what our life would be after death. Life after death is eternal and permanent. It is worth preparing for.

How do we prepare for that? How can we be sure where we are going after death? The answer to this question is essential to experience peace no matter what situation one is in. If you are confident of your future destiny, how you live your life in the present will be different.

Know the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Bible speaks of the story of Jesus Christ, who in His obedience to God the Father, died on the cross, was buried for three days, and arose from the dead. Jesus knew that He was going to die. But He did not resist the Father’s plan for He knows why He must sacrifice His life.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it the full.” – John 10:10

Jesus came to enable you to enjoy a life characterized with a peace that will surpass all understanding. And this starts with a right relationship with Him. God wants you to experience this peace by hearing, understanding, and believing in your heart God’s free gift of salvation.

First, Acknowledge Your Sinfulness

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23

This means that every one of us is a sinner. No one is exempt. Then, we all fall short of the glory of God. We cannot do anything to attain the standard of goodness that God has set before us. No amount of good works, attendance in church, religious rituals, and penance will be sufficient to pay for our sins.

Second, Beware of the Penalty of Death

“For the wages of sin is death.” – Romans 6:23a

The Bible also tells us that the wages of sin is death. This refers to physical death as well as spiritual death. Physically, all of us will surely die. It is only a question of when and how. Spiritually, we have been judged to suffer eternal condemnation because of our sinful nature. As sinners, we are bound to be eternally separated from God after we experience physical death.

Third, Consider God’s Love

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

Though we have been condemned to suffer eternal damnation, God showed His great love for us! While we were still wallowing in our sinfulness, He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins. Jesus paid for the sins we can never repay!

Jesus Christ is fully-God and fully-man who descended from heaven. He took upon Himself all the sins of the world and took our place on the cross. And as a proof that He had conquered sin and death, He rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

Fourth, Decide Now On Your Eternal Destiny

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8, 9

God is offering you the free gift of eternal life—a life spent in the presence of God for eternity! No one deserves this gift. It is only by the sheer graciousness of God that He is offering this to you right now. What you need to do is to believe by faith that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for the sins that you can never repay. Like any gift that you have received, you do not need to work or pay for it. But you need to accept this gift that God is offering to you.

Fifth, Experience the Power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Are you ready to accept God’s free gift of eternal life right now? Are you willing to put your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross? If yes, you can pray to God right now. Tell God the Father that you acknowledge you are a sinner and you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins. If you want, you can follow along the lines of this prayer:

“Father God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. And there is nothing I can do to earn the right to be in your presence forever. But I thank you for your great love for me—while I was still a sinner you sent your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all my sins and put my faith in Him as my personal Lord and Savior. Please forgive me of all my sins and thank you for cleansing me from all my unrighteousness. I now commit myself to follow Jesus Christ all the days of my life. Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer from your heart, Jesus Christ assures you that you have crossed over from death to life and shall not come under judgment anymore. You now have that everlasting life because of the fact that the Bible said it.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death into life.” – John 5:24

After you received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you become a child of God. You are now a new creation in 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

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

We now encourage you to grow in your relationship with Christ by: studying the Bible, praying to God, obeying God’s commands, sharing the gospel of Christ to others and joining a church where the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed.

God has given you eternal life! Your eternal destiny is secure! Now, enjoy life to the full as God planned it for you!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13