When we believe in Jesus:
1) Our sins are paid for by His death, and
2) His perfect life record is transferred to
our account.
So God accepts and regards us as if we
had done all Christ has done.
3) What You Must Do
You must repent. There first must be an
admission that you have been living as your
own master, worshipping the wrong things,
violating God's loving laws. "Repentance"
means you ask forgiveness and turn from that
stance with a willingness to live for and
center on Him.
You must believe. Faith is transferring your
trust from your own efforts to the efforts of
Christ. You were relying on other things to
make you acceptable, but now you consciously
begin relying on what Jesus did for
your acceptance with God. All you need is
nothing. If you think, "God owes me something
for all my efforts," you are still on the
outside.
Pray after this fashion: "I see that I am more
flawed and sinful than I ever dared believe,
but that I am even more loved and accepted
than I ever dared hope. I turn from my old life
of living for myself. I have nothing in my
record to merit Your approval, but I now rest
in what Jesus did and ask to be accepted into
God's family for His sake." When you make
this transaction, two things happen at once:
1) your accounts are cleared, your sins are
wiped out permanently, you are adopted
legally into God's family, and 2) the Holy
Spirit enters your heart and begins to change
you into the character of Jesus.
You must follow through. Tell a Christian
friend about your commitment. Get yourself
training in the basic Christian disciplines of
prayer, worship, Bible study and fellowship with
other Christians. You can contact Mystery, and
we will be eager to connect you with someone
who can help you begin to grow as a Christian.
Consider reading:
Go for It, by John Guest or Basic Christianity
by John Stott both good books for developing
a new Christian life.
Adapted from Timothy Keller, 1991