Leptondale Bible Church

Life Saving - The life that's saved may be your own!

The Condition Man's condition is one of total depravity. Every man has a sinful nature. Because of this sin nature, he cannot ever hope to be righteous in the eyes of God. This condition affects ALL men. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS! (Romans 3:9b-12, Romans 3:23)

Man's Inability to Alter the Condition
This condition of man is something over which he has NO control. There is NOTHING man, by himself, can do to change it. Living a good life won't change it. Doing good deeds won't change it. Going to church or being "religious" can't do anything for man to alter his sinful state. (Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)

The Penalty
God is fully righteous. Man is wholly unrighteous. God cannot tolerate sin because of His righteousness. Man cannot remove himself from his unrighteous, sinful nature. God's righteousness and man's unrighteousness are so completely opposite of each other that man can never (on his own accord) hope to be in the presence of God. The penalty for man's sinfulness is death (eternal separation from God). (Romans 6:23)

God's Love
God's love for man is so great that He wanted man to be able to be in His presence for all eternity. God loves us with a love that only He, God Himself, can give. A love that is completely sacrificial; seeking to bestow blessings upon us even though we are sinners. (John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8)

The Debt Canceled
God's love was shown to us through the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through his death on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins. We have been redeemed into fellowship with God through the shedding of Jesus' blood. We now can be righteous in the sight of God through Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 Peter 3:18)

Our Part - Accepting Christ as Savior
Jesus' death for the forgiveness of sin, while available for all, is not applied until a person accepts it on faith. We must open up the door of our heart and invite Jesus in. We must accept and receive Him as Savior. No one else can do this for us. When we believe in Jesus as the Son of God, accept His death as payment for our sins, and confess Him as our Savior, God applies His death to our sins and saves us from eternal death. (John 10:9, Acts 16:30-31, Revelation 3:20)

NO Other Way
Accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD is the only way for the sinful man to be made righteous before God. Nothing else will substitute for it. No matter what anyone in the world may say to the contrary, only those people who have accepted Christ can ever know God. Only those people who have made Him LORD of their lives, have a share in eternal life with God. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)

The Results
The results of believing in Jesus Christ are many:
• We are forgiven completely of our sin. The penalty has been paid by Jesus. (Romans 8:1, Colossians 2:13-14)
• God creates in us a new heart, a changed life. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• God adopts us into His family as His children. (John 1:12)
• God gives us His own Holy Spirit to live within us. (Romans 8:14-16) The Holy Spirit gives us the desire to keep God's commandments as found in the Bible, (1 John 3:24), and also gives us the ability to love with the same love God has for us. (1 John 4:16)
• We have assurance forever that we have been redeemed by Jesus, and have already begun eternal life. (John 5:24)

How to Accept Jesus Christ
If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as the Savior of your life, there a just a few simple steps: (Romans 10:9-10)

Confess out loud before God that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior.

Believe in your heart that Jesus died for YOUR sins and that God, His Father, raised Him from the dead to show that He had accepted Jesus' death as payment.

Ask Jesus to come into your heart, your life and rule it as LORD.

Sincerely do and pray these things before God and you will be saved and have eternal life.

Now What?
If you have received Jesus Christ as Savior, there are a couple of things you should do:
Get a Bible and begin reading God's Word. Begin with the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to find out about the life of YOUR Savior, Jesus Christ. There are a number of reliable translations. The New American Standard (NASB), the New International Version (NIV) or the King James Version (KJV) would all be suitable translations.

Find another Christian and tell them of your decision.

It will be important for you to find a Bible-teaching Church where there are other Christians who can help you learn more about the LORD. If you don't know any other Christians, or need help in locating a church near you, or just have some more questions, please call Leptondale Bible Church at (845) 566-1113. We will be delighted to help in any way we can.