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"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."
What do you mean
that God loved me so much that He gave his only Son? You see, there's a problem with this world. Everyone born
into this world is a sinner--he naturally is evil and does evil things. We all come far short of the holiness and purity of
a perfect God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). With sin comes a terrible consequence--death. And this death is both physical and spiritual--it is physical separation from the things of this world, and it is spiritual separation from God. We deserve death, we earn death. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." OK, I realize I'm in a boatload
of trouble. So what now? Don't get discouraged, there is hope! God has chosen to provide a way of salvation--not through
human effort, but through His own doing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So what is this gift of God? It is Jesus Christ. He is the only way that we can come to God. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He took the penalty of sin upon Himself--He died in the place of sinners. He was buried, and then rose again the third day, and then was seen by many witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). And so you may be asking, how can I have this gift of God? There have been countless men and women, boys and girls who have asked this same question. And the answer is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Put your trust in Jesus Christ alone, believe that He died for you, and you will be saved--changed from a miserable sinner to a holy and pure child of God. God has promised this, and He will do what He says He will do. If you have questions about what you just read, we would be glad to talk with you about it. We would love to share with you about God and His love.
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