Genesis 1:31:
God saw all that he had made, and it
was very good...2:2 By the seventh day God has finished the work he had been
doing: so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.... Getting to Know God as Father and Lord.
You can know God As Father and His Son Jesus as your saviour. First read the following bible verses and explanations. I have used the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.
From the very beginning, in the book of Genesis which is the first book of the Bible, We are told that not only did God create us but that he is satisfied that what he has made is made well. There is nothing more to do.
Genesis 1:31:
God saw all that he had made, and it
was very good...2:2 By the seventh day God has finished the work he had been
doing: so on the seventh day he rested from all his work....
But something went wrong when the couple he created decided to disobey a simple instruction. and a gap in fellowship (communication) appeared. the couple could no longer bear to see God and hid from him because they knew they had done wrong.
Genesis:3:8
"Then the man and his wife
heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of
the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the
LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Genesis:3:17-23
"To
Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about
which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,'.... "Cursed is the ground
because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it ...you will eat your
food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you
are and to dust you will return." ...So the LORD God banished him from the
Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken."
It took hundreds of years for the plan to redeem what was now a fallen creation to come to pass, and for all that time mankind fought, hated, fought again, rebelled and went away from the Lord. Many times the people that were chosen to eventually give a redeemer to the world got it wrong and many times God forgave them but they constantly wondered whether they had done enough. Could they ever be fully and totally forgiven. They knew they could not and waited patiently for the redeemer to come, the one who would repair the damaged relationship permanently. Eventually a baby was born and was called Jesus. the New Testament tells of his life. The verses below tell of what he came to do and how he did it and what you and I can do about it.
God's Love: Because of his love for us, God our creator sent us a way to re-establish our relationship with him. He sent his only son to take the punishment that should have been yours and mine. No human individual would do this for another, because we all have the instinct for self preservation of the body.
John 3:16
"For God so loved
the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life.
God's Plan: But what about our souls? God says that if we do not follow his way we will perish, die, go to hell. But there is a way out, through Jesus. The thief in this verse is the devil, [or Satan]
John 10:10 "The thief comes only
to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life and have it
abundantly."
Man is Sinful: In the verses from the book of Genesis above, we read of disobedience. In the bible this is called sin. And it is as if we wear filthy rags rather than clean robes in God's presence.
Romans 3:23 "Since all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,.."
Man is Separated from God: And one the first Christians converts, and writers of the New Testament, explains the consequences if this disobedience. It is this that separates us from God. He cannot bear to look on his beloved creation for it is spoiled. And the punishment is separation from him for ever, that is what death is. We do not have to take this punishment for ever. the bible says that we can instead have eternal life.
Romans 6:23
" For the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God's Provision: The wonderful promise of a redeemer, which was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets Was fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus called the Christ. Matthew 1:18- 2:23, Luke 1:1- 2:40. When he reached adulthood he became a preacher and teacher. He taught his followers to love God, and to love one another. He taught how to deal with sin in order to receive forgiveness and be reconciled to God. Eventually he was executed by the Roman Governor ,Pontius Pilate on behalf of the Jewish authorities, because they were afraid that his teachings would result in them losing their authority and control of the people. Because he was pure, he was able to take your place and mine, and take the punishment we should have, death, and separation from his father.
1Peter 3:18
"For Christ also died
for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us
to God, being made alive in the spirit;..."
He Rose Again: The most amazing point of this account is his resurrection. Three days after his crucifixion and burial, [you can read about this in Luke 22:1-24:12]His disciples , both male and female saw that he was alive. [There are 17 witness accounts of this]
Acts 1:3
"To them he presented
himself alive after his passion [death and resurrection] by many proofs, appearing to them during forty
days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.
He is the Only Way: He wants each individual to get to know him personally. Make no mistake. No other religion or philosophy offers what Christianity offers.
John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, 'I
am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.'
"
We Must Receive Christ: In order to have this new life that is offered, in order to be saved, John tells us that all who want it must believe in him [Jesus]. And the above verse tells us that following him is the only way. The power [from the Holy Spirit] to become God's redeemed child comes through the act of the individual, you and me, asking individually for forgiveness of sin and asking God through Jesus to give the power to live a new life, because we can not do it ourselves. When we receive him as Saviour and Lord he gives new life, and the ability with his help to overcome the wrong things we like doing and to change our ways.
John 1:12
"But to all who
received him, who
believed
in his name, he gave power to become children of God;..."
We Receive Christ Through Faith: So how do you do this. You must confess to God that you are a sinner and ask his forgiveness. You must believe that Jesus can and has saved you. God is waiting for you to return to him and in his love he has given you a chance to do this now. Salvation is his gift to you through the Lord Jesus' work at Calvary [how Christians often describe the crucifixion and resurrection] You can not work your way into heaven, by giving to charity, or helping out those less fortunate than yourself. Nothing can replace the need for the full sacrifice offered by Jesus.
Ephesians2:8-9
" For by grace you
have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of
God - not because of works, lest any man should boast."
By Personal Invitation: The invitation is a personal one. Given to you from your creator. Let him into your life today. He will not refuse the sincere and truly repentant child. This verse tells us very plainly that he is polite and waiting to be asked in as an honoured guest. He will not force his will on you or me. But ask him to guide your life and he will do just that.
Revelation 3:20
"Behold I stand
at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come
in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
If you have read , understood, and decided that you want to follow the lord Jesus and be saved, you may want to say a prayer to God to ask for forgiveness of the wrongs you have committed, ask him to take over your life and promise to follow him for the rest of your life. Use this prayer or one something like it in your own words.
Lord God,
I have done many things in my life that I am ashamed of and should not have done.
I believe that you sent your son Jesus Christ to die for me on the cross at Calvary.
Forgive me for the things I have done wrong.
Please come into my life
and by the power of your Holy Spirit change me into the person you want me to be . Amen.
You can have Assurance that This is so: And when you have given your life to him, you can be absolutely sure that he will and has accepted you, that you are forgiven and have been given the gift of eternal life.
1John 5:11-13 "And this is the
testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He
who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. I write
this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that
you have eternal life.
If you have Asked God to give you new life and would like help to find a church or more information please click the contact us button in the left hand index.