“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10: 8-10)
These words were written by the Apostle Paul, who at one time persecuted Christians by putting them in jail, some to death. By God’s grace and mercy, Paul was confronted by the risen Son when Paul was on his way to throw more Christians in jail. Blinded by his encounter with Christ for 3 days, Paul eventually received his sight and was an entirely different man inside. Now filled with the Spirit of God, Paul went on to preach the gospel and to be used by God to pen a number of books in the New Testament.
Why this bit of history? Because Paul considered himself a chief of all sinners, yet he understood who Christ was and how Christ was the ultimate sacrifice to take away all his sins. Paul understood that by believing in Christ and what Christ did for him on the cross, he could be completely forgiven. He also understood that he needed to repent from his former life and obey Christ as his King for the rest of his life. Paul made his peace with God by accepting God’s peace offering, Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, the Risen and Returning King.
Paul eventually was imprisoned by the Roman government and was put to death. Tragic? Not at all. As Paul wrote in one of his letters to the Philippian Christians, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul is now safely in eternity with his Lord and King with no more sorrow, pain, suffering, and evil. Instead, he is rejoicing forever and ever.
Has God made it clear to you who Jesus is? If not, then please read the Bible summary. This will help you understand who Christ is. Once you read the summary and understand who Jesus is, then come back to this page and proceed to this next paragraph.
If you understand who Jesus is, do you realize how your sins have separated you from God? Do you understand that without God’s holiness you will never ever see God, that you will perish and will be forever separated from God for all eternity? Are you sorry for your sins? Do you hate your sin and how your sin makes you feel dirty and guilty inside? Do you want to be forgiven and have all your sins completely removed from your record? Do you believe that Christ can do this for you? (Do you want to believe that Christ can do this for you? Ask Christ to help you with your unbelief.)
Are you ready to confess that you are indeed a sinful person? Are you ready to turn your life over to Christ and make him your King? Are you ready to follow Christ no matter what for the rest of your life?
Then pray, my friend. Pray out loud and with all your heart ask Jesus to forgive all your sins. Let Him know that you no longer want to live for yourself, that you want to start folllowing Him as your King and Shepherd. Ask Jesus to give you the Holy Spirit who will give you a new heart, a new desire, a new srength deep within to follow Christ, to know more who God is and what are His ways. The Lord Jesus is waiting to hear from you.
If you did pray, like Jesus said, the angels in heaven are rejoicing. Today is the first day of your eternal life. Keep talking to God about everything you are going through. You are his adopted child. As your heavenly Father, he delights hearing from you. As a newborn spiritual baby in Christ, you also need to be fed daily by the milk of his word. Start reading the Bible by first reading the Gospel of John, Matthew, Mark and Luke. God speaks to us and reveals who He is when we read His word.
You furthermore need to find a Bible believing church who worships and adores God and be surrounded and encouraged by others who are following Christ. God works through His church to help us understand who He is and His ways. Pray and ask your Lord and Shepherd for this place. He will lead you. You belong to him. You are his precious sheep. Never will he leave you nor forsake you. Keep talking to Him, keep reading His word, and keep going to church. You will be amazed how the Holy Spirit will change your life inside out with a new desire, a new heart to live for and walk with God.
Living for Christ is not for the faint of heart, especially in a culture that has made itself its own god. Nonetheless, as you grow in your understanding who God is and what are His ways, you will experience His strength, His joy, His freedom, and His peace. You will relate to Paul’s words: to live is Christ and to die is gain.