Steps to Peace with God

Choosing to follow Jesus is the most important decision you'll ever make. Jesus himself suggests that we count the costs before making this decision. When you decide to follow Jesus, you make an agreement with God. You will be able to expect some things from him, and he will expect some things from you. These expectations are outlined below.

1. God's Purpose: Peace and Life

   God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life; abundant and eternal.  The Bible states:

   • "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)

   • "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)

   • "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10)

   Since God planned for us to have peace and the abundant life right now, why are most people not having this experience?

2. Our Problem: Separation

     

   • God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him, but gave us a will and a freedom of choice.

   • We choose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. The Bible states:

     • "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

     • "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

3. Our Attempts

   

   • Through the ages, individuals have tried in many ways to bridge this gap, without success. The Bible states:

     • "There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12)

     • "But your iniquities have separated you from God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)

4. God's Remedy: The Cross

   

   • Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. He died on the Cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin and bridging the gap between God and people. The Bible states:

     • "God is on one side and the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, Himself man, is between them to bring them together." (1 Timothy 2:5)

     • "For Christ has also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18)

     • "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

5. Our Response: Receive Christ

   • We must trust Jesus Christ and receive Him by personal invitation. The Bible states:

     • "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20)

     • "But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12)

     • "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

How to receive Christ

1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).

2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).

3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.

4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit (Receive Him as Lord and Savior).

What to Pray

To invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life and save you from your sins, pray something like this:

Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow you as Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family! You've just begun a new life of faith. You will begin to experience the joy of knowing God personally and the freedom that only Jesus can give you, but your new life will also have difficulties and trials. As a new Christian, you will need help from more established Christians and the best way to find them is to become involved in a local church.  We would love to help you if we can.