Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You have found peace with your Creator.
You have found everlasting life! Be assured–God will never leave you nor forsake you. He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you. God knows your every thought, your every care and your deepest concerns.
Let’s now look at some of those possible concerns. First, and of primary concern — do you have “assurance” of your salvation? The Bible says to “make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10), so, let’s go through a short “checklist” to make sure that you are truly saved:
Are you aware that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14, KJV), and that he died for the sins of the world?
Did you come to the Savior because you had sinned?
Did you “repent” and put your faith in Jesus?
Are you convinced that He suffered and died on the Cross and that He rose again on the third day?
God acquits us from the Courtroom of Eternal Justice on the grounds that Jesus Christ paid our fine. We are “justified” (made right with God) by His suffering death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was God’s seal of approval of the fact that His precious blood was sufficient to pay the fine.
Think of it this way… You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, “So you should be — you have broken the law! Now, can you pay this fine?” He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. If someone else pays your fine, then he can let you go, but he must have “grounds” on which to release you.
The reason we need a substitute (a savior) to pay our moral “fine,” is because we have broken God’s Law. To see how much we have transgressed this Law (the Ten Commandments), we will go through some of them — Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever lusted after another person? If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you admit that you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day! If you have used His name in vain, then you are guilty of “blasphemy” — you’ve substituted God’s holy Name for a curse word. Perhaps you’ve hated someone, then the Bible says that you are a murderer. You have violated God’s holy Law, and you’re in BIG trouble. On Judgment Day, you will be found guilty and end up in Hell. That’s why you need the Savior. Merely being sorry for your sins, or confessing them to God won’t help you. You must turn from sin (repent), and your faith must be in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only “grounds” for God to grant mercy towards you. If you’re not sure of your salvation, make Psalm 51 your own prayer.
Let’s now look at some more important principles that can save you a great deal of pain…
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Daily Bible Reading
1. Feeding on the Word — DAILY Nutrition A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been “born” of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite. The Bible says, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,” (1 Peter 2:2). Feed yourself […] Read more »»Faith
2. Faith — Elevators Can Let You Down When a young man once looked at me and said, “I find it hard to believe some of the things in the Bible,” I smiled and asked, “What’s your name?” When he said, “Paul,” I casually answered, “I don’t believe you.” He looked at me questioningly. I […] Read more »»Evangelism
3. Evangelism — Our Most Sobering Task It was late in December, 1996. A large family gathered in Los Angeles for the joyous occasion of wrapping Christmas presents. It was a big family because it was the product of two marriages. There were so many gathered that night, five of the children slept in the […] Read more »»Prayer
4. Prayer — “Wait For A Minute.” It has been well said that God always answers prayer. Sometimes He says, “Yes.” sometimes He says, “NO.” Sometimes He says, “Wait for a minute,” and a day to the Lord is a thousand years to us (2 Peter 3:8). That means that a ten year wait for […] Read more »»Spiritual Warfare
5. Warfare — Praise The Lord and Pass the Ammunition When you became a Christian, you stepped right into the heat of an age-old battle. You have a three-fold enemy–the world, the flesh, and the devil. Before you became a Christian, you floated down stream with the other dead fish. But now, God has put […] Read more »»Fellowship
6. Fellowship — Flutter by Butterfly Pray about where you should fellowship. Make sure the place you are going to call your church home calls sin what it is — sin. Do they believe the promises of God? Are they loving? Does the pastor treat his wife with respect? Is he a man of the […] Read more »»Giving Thanks
7. Thanksgiving — Do the Right Thing For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should even be thankful in the midst of problems. The Apostle Paul said, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4). He knew that God was working all things together for his good, even though […] Read more »»Water Baptism
8. Water Baptism — Sprinkle or Immerse? The Bible Says , “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. . .” (Acts 2:38). There is therefore no question as to whether or not you should be baptized. The questions are how, when, and by […] Read more »»Giving to God
9. Giving to God It was once said that the wallet is the “last frontier”– that it’s the last thing that comes to God in surrender. But it should be the first, along with our surrendered heart. Jesus spoke much about money. He said that we cannot serve God and mammon (see Matthew 6:24). The word […] Read more »»Troubleshoot
10. Troubleshoot Cults, Atheists, Skeptics If you know the Lord, nothing will shake your faith. It is true that the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. Take for example a little boy who is looking at a heater. His father warns him that it’s hot. The […] Read more »»
[Source: LivingWaters.com]
