Consider The Message Of The Cross

Holy Father, help us to understand the message of the cross. You love us! Through our Lord Jesus Christ, You made the way for us to come into relationship with You.

Jesus spoke very specifically of what God requires of us:

He said, "No one can see God's kingdom without being born again." John 3:3

He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through me" John 14:6

He said, "Those who believe in Him are not judged. But those who do not believe are judged already. They have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. Here is the judgement. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness better than light. They loved darkness because their deeds were evil." John 3:18-19

He did not say being religious and going to the right church is what counts. Jesus originally presented the need to be "born again" to Nicodemus, a sincere, respected religious leader. Nicodemus was a man who prayed, attended religious services and kept all the religious laws. To such a man Jesus said: "You must be born again." (John 3:17) And He says the same thing to you and to me.

He did not say being a nice person is all that is necessary. God says, "Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God's glory." Romans 3:23

He did not say if you just live by The Golden Rule, you'll make it. God does expect us to live by the Golden Rule, but good works can never be the basis of a relationship with God. Here is what the Bible says about born again Christians. "Your salvation does not come from anything you do. It is God's gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about it." Ephesians 2:8-9

He did not say a loving God would never condemn anyone to hell. God is perfect love. But He's also perfectly just. That justice makes it impossible for Him to allow sin to go unpunished. God said, "When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done." Romans 6:23 God could not ignore our sin so He made a way for us to escape our punishment. When Christ died on the Cross, He paid the penalty for the sins of people like you and me so that we can be forgiven. The Bible says, "But here is how God has shown His love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

He did not say anyone would automatically become born again. God has given each of us the right to freely choose. We each have the choice to follow God or to turn away from Him. All we need to do to be born again is turn from our sins and wholeheartedly put our faith and trust in Jesus. But, if we refuse His offer of forgiveness, then we have chosen suffer the penalty for our own sins.

This is not about a religion or a denomination. It is about a personal relationship with the Living God who "loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any of you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in..." (Rev 3:20) You did not just happen to click to this web page. He's offering you that opportunity right now. If you would like to open the door of your life to Jesus, here's what to do. Simply and honestly tell Him that you realize you need forgiveness and that you want to turn from your sins and follow Him. Tell Him that from this moment on, you will trust Him as your Savior who died for you, and as your Lord whom you will obey. Then thank Him for forgiving you and giving you eternal life.

We have no way of knowing what's going on in your heart right now. We only know that this message is important enough to risk offending you by sharing it in this way. Our hope and prayer is that you will make this commitment so that God can do for you what He's done for us.

If you have chosen to be born again, please E-Mail us We would like to rejoice with you and pray for you as you begin your walk with the Lord. We would also like to hear from you if you have questions or comments or would like to share a prayer request.

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