
“For God so loved the world that He
gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
For God so loved...
God loves all His creation so
much. The Bible declares that He does not only love, but He is love itself (I
John 5:7-8). He desires each person to receive a life of abundance and
happiness (John 10:10b). He has a perfect plan for all of us, plans to prosper
us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11). The
main problem, however, is that many fail to enjoy His love and blessings. This
is because there is a gap between man and God-the problem of sin.
...the world
God desires to be with man but
man’s sins separate him from His Creator. Man is SINFUL. Therefore, he
cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. Man’s disobedience
has made God far from Him (Isaiah 59:2). The Bible declares that all fell short
of the glory of God. No one has met God’s standards of righteousness. The
dreadful message is that man must be punished by death for his sins. (Romans
3:23; 6:23). If he dies physically without receiving God’s forgiveness, he will
suffer from eternal death and punishment in hell. It is appointed unto man to
die once and after that is the judgment. (II Thessalonians 1:8-9, Hebrews
9:27). There will never be a second chance.
Man has devised ways to reach
God and gain His favor. He established religions and education systems to
fathom His ways. Many have invested their strength and wealth in helping others
expecting that God will honor their good deeds. Nonetheless, God sees man’s
works as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). They cannot please Him. God can never
forgive man’s sins on the basis of good works done. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Man, is
indeed, in a hopeless situation. The good news is that God has made a way for
him to be saved from this pitiful condition.
...that He gave His only-begotten Son
God’s love and mercy to
mankind was revealed when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as
a substitute for man’s sins. The Bible declares that Jesus was made a sin for
man to become righteous in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became the
lamb who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29). He died on the cross and
rose again on the third day to confirm that He, indeed, is the Son of the
Living God, the savior of the world.
...that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
To gain God's forgiveness, a
person must put his/her faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to God the
Father (John 14:6). God’s salvation can be found to nothing else but Jesus
(Acts 4:12). Receiving Christ means having Him as the Lord and Savior of a
person’s life. All aspects of a person’s life must be put under the authority
of Christ. For those who believe in His name, God has given them to be called
as “children of God” (John 1:12). Only the children of God can enter into the rest
of the Lord in heaven and be delivered from the punishment of hell. Those who
believe in Christ has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation,
but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).
You can receive God’s gift of
salvation!
Salvation is a free gift from
God. You cannot have it until you receive it. You can turn it down or
wholeheartedly accept God's offer. The Lord is knocking on the hearts of
everyone. He says that if anyone hears His voice and opens the door of his/her
heart, He will come in to him/her and he/she will be with Him forever
(Revelations 3:20). If you want to experience God's love and forgiveness, you
may say this simple guide prayer. It has no magical powers. Remember, this
prayer would be a senseless prayer if you will not say it whole heartedly to
Jesus. He is waiting for you. Come to Jesus...
Dear God, I humbly come to you as a sinner. Forgive me and cleanse me from my sins. Lord Jesus, I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior. From this moment on, I want you to control my life. Change me and help me to become the person you want me to be. Thank you for loving and saving me. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.