We are Sinners

• All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

• We are sinful at birth, inheriting the sinful nature from our first parents Adam and Eve. (Gen. 1-3)  Furthermore, we constantly sin in our lives by thought, word, and deed.  We sin in the things that we have done and have left undone.  Like the Apostle Paul, we find ourselves doing things that we do not wish to do, and not doing the things we wish to do.  Sin reigns over us. (Rom. 7)

Christ died for you

• While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:6-9)  Christ died not only for you but for the whole world.  (1 John 2:1-2)  That is why Jesus left his heavenly throne.  That is why he became human.  That is why he was rejected, denied, betrayed, beaten, broken, and crucified dead upon the cross.  That is why he rose victorius from the grave.  He did it that he may bring restoration to all of creation.  Restoration of your relationship to the heavenly Father.  Restoration of a world gone horribly wrong.  His resurrection was but the first fruits of the resurrection for all who believe in him.  He is the resurrection and the life.  To those who believe in him, though they die, they will live physically again with him in a kingdom which has no end.

What you must do to receive this free gift of eternal life and hope in him...

• Nothing.  You must do nothing.  It has already been done for you.  There are those who will tell you to straighten up your life and then God will accept you.  There are those who will tell you to pray to God and accept him into your heart.  However, I say to you that you do nothing.

• In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son.  He tells of a son who demanded his inheritance from his Father, took the inheritance and ran away.  After a while the son became impoverished and hungry.  Finally, he decided to go to his father and work his way out of poverty and brokenness.  As he approached the home, his father saw him.  The father ran to his son.  He ran to his Son and embraced him.  The son came to pay back his debt and unrighteousness, really a slap in the face to the father whose heart he broke.  The father didn't ask for payment.  The son didn't have to stop and welcome his father into his heart.  The son came to be a hired servant, not a son.  The father welcomed and embraced the Son before he ever said or did anything.

• This is what Christ did for you.  Before you ever even say a word or did a deed, you were redeemed, rescued, and restored to the Father on account of Jesus' death on the cross.  Therefore, you need to do nothing.  Rather, rejoice in the free gift of salvation.  Rejoice that you have been forgiven and restored to God.  If you desire to say a prayer, say a prayer of thanksgiving to the one true God.

Why are some people not saved?

• Simply put, they rejected the free grace of God.  God doesn't force someone to receive salvation, to receive eternal life.  If someone doesn't want it, they don't have to have it.  That is why it says in Romans 1 that certain people were given over to sinful lives and allowed to live in their wretchedness.