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"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

PART 2: YOU CAN CHANGE BIBLICALLY

The most significant decision you will ever make concerns your willingness to follow God’s plan for your life as revealed in the Bible.  This decision directly impacts your daily life and your eternal destiny (John 3:16-21).  God enables you to take the necessary first step towards lasting biblical change.  This step is your response to God’s demonstrated love for you in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God’s plan for you to change in a biblical way centers on His Son, Jesus Christ.

Because God’s standard is one of perfection (Matthew 5:48),  you cannot meet it by your own efforts (Romans 3:23).  You cannot save yourself nor depend on any other human being to redeem you (Psalm 49:7).  You need to recognize your helplessness to meet God’s standard (Romans 3:9-12) and need to repent of your sin.  By God’s grace and mercy,  you recognize your lost condition and believe wholeheartedly and sincerely on the Lord Jesus Christ to receive the gift of eternal and forgiveness for your sins (Mark 16:16).

If you do not already have a sincere, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you have a spiritual problem that only God can solve. Without this relationship to Jesus, you are:

Hopelessly separated from God;  Spiritually dead in your own sin;  Hostile to God;  Blinded by Satan and held captive by him to do his will;  Powerless to overcome sin’s hold on your life;  Unable to understand the things of God;  Unable to please God or to walk in His way;  and incapable of living a spiritually fruitful and meaningful life.

God’s answer to your spiritual problem is based on His character.

God is just,  so you face His wrath and judgment in your sinful state.  On the other hand,  God is loving and does not want you to perish in your sin,  so He draws you toward His Son,  Jesus.

The answer to your spiritual problem is found in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

By His gracious and merciful love,  God gave His one and only begotten Son,  Jesus,  as the only answer for your helpless spiritual condition.  Since you could not save yourself or do anything to merit God’s favor and mercy, Jesus paid the full price for your redemption by dying on the cross for the penalty for your sin.  God accepted and approved His Son’s sacrificial death for your sin by raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus Christ is eternally alive,  is with God,  and is Lord of all.

Through His death and resurrection,  the Lord Jesus Christ is victorious over sin.  Through Jesus,  you can have your sins forgiven and be reconciled to God;  Experience a spiritual new birth;  Receive the gift of eternal life through God’s gracious gift of faith;  Have access to God;  Be a member of God’s family;  Understand the things of God;  Become a new person with the capability for living in a totally new manner;  and be empowered to change,  to mature into Christlikeness,  and to have an increasingly intimate knowledge of God Himself.

Blessings!

Pastor JR