1. God Loves You no matter what you have done in the past.
He tells us "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) The world that is referenced there is everyone in the world - even you! Does he love you only when you are good? look at what he says here "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." (Jer 31:3)
2. You have Sinned.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) This means that everyone has sinned. We are born knowing how to sin, and have a very difficult time avoiding sin. Even the best people in the world have sinned and disobeyed God. The bible also tells us that there is a punishment for sin. "the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Sin separates you from God and brings both physical and spiritual death.
3. Jesus Christ took your sins on Himself and died in your place.
"He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." (I Peter 2:24). Jesus Christ is God! He came to earth to live with us and to teach us about God. He tells us that "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30) He died a horrible death nailed to a cross. God raised him in the same body from the dead. Many people witnessed this..."We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10:39-41)
4. What To Do
To get to Heaven, you cannot work your way. All of the good deeds you have done in your life will not save you from your sins. The apostle Paul explains this to the Ephesians "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is Gods act of favor to us for His pleasure. Notice that it is described as a "gift". Here are four steps to help you to receive the free gift of everlasting life.
a. Admit that your cannot do anything on your own to get to heaven. Admit that you are a sinner in need of Jesus to save you.
b. Believe "Whoever puts his faith in the Son has eternal life..." (John 3:36a)
c. Confess "If we confess our sins, He...will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9) "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
d. Receive Him into your life by faith "...to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)
The best way I know of receiving Jesus so that you can become one of those "children of God" is to pray to God and tell him of the intention of your heart. The prayer doesn't save you, it is the desire on your part to admit, believe, confess and receive Jesus the God man. Here is a suggested prayer you can use or modify:
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and can do nothing to earn my way to heaven. I believe that Jesus is God, and that he allowed Himself to die for me so I wouldn't have to be punished for my sin. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive with you in Heaven. I confess that I have done many sinful things in my life, and now turn them over to you for forgiveness. I wish to receive the gift of eternal life, and I trust in Jesus alone for that gift. Thank you for making me a child of God. In Jesus' name, Amen.
The decision to receive Jesus and the gift of forgiveness is the most important thing you can do in your life. In fact it ensures you will have eternal life. You can know this for sure because Jesus promises this to us. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24) Notice that verse says "has eternal life" and says "crossed over from death to life". It tells you that you will have eternal life with God in Heaven.
- Jesus commands us to be baptized as a testimony to your new faith. See Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 8:35-39; 16:30-34; Romans 6:3-5.
- Find other believers at a church where the Bible is taught and trusted as the word of God.
- Read from God's Word, the Bible every day. A good place to start is the Gospel of John.
- Tell other people about what Jesus has done for you.
- Confess your sins to God when you sin. Just because your are now saved from your sin, doesn't mean you will never sin. Becoming a believer is just the beginning of starting a new life as a child of God. And all children grow into maturity. You will grow to be more and more like Jesus.
Remember this, Christians aren't perfect. But they are forgiven!