What must I do to accept Jesus Christ?

An important factor in reaching a decision to accept Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive you of your sins is reaching a point in your life when you come to understand you are completely incapable of standing in judgment before a perfect, holy, sinless God - something we're told in the Bible each and every one of us will someday have to do.

Because none of us can meet the standards of conduct acceptable to a holy God, the importance of having a relationship with Jesus Christ can not be understated. Why? Because all who die without receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will someday be sentenced to an eternal hell from which there will be no hope of escape or rescue.

Fortunately for all of us, the penalty God required all mankind to pay for living sinful lives in disobedience to His will has already been paid on our behalf, if we will accept it! Jesus Christ came into the world to make atonement for all our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross.

In return for Christ providing us all a way to avoid the judgment all of us are worthy of when our character is compared to that of a holy, sinless God, it is required of us to accept Jesus Christ by faith, believing in His sinless life, His death on the cross on our behalf, and His resurrection from the dead to avoid being sentenced to an eternal hell - a lake of fire prepared for all those who live in rebellion against God.

As Jesus loved us enough to leave the Majesty of Heaven and die a cruel death on the cross on our behalf, none of us should have a problem with any of these issues. If we do, we are not ready to accept Christ as our Savior.

Are you ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior?

To receive the gift of salvation, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by asking Him to forgive you of your sins. When you make this request of Him, it has to be done with a sincerely remorseful heart. It is of no benefit to you to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins unless you're sincerely sorry you are sinning against God's will.

All you have to do, upon reaching this moment of decision, is bow your head in prayer, sincerely ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of all your sins, and ask Him to be your Savior having paid the price for your sins through His death on the cross! It's that simple.

There is no specific way to do it. There is no special prayer you have to say word for word. All it takes is a sincere desire to follow Christ and a request for forgiveness of all your sins.

If you have prayed a prayer of forgiveness and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are now saved and no one can pluck you from His hand. You are a Christian and will inherit eternal life with Christ in Heaven when you die or He returns to this earth to gather His children home.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 4:15: Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

What do I do now that I've accepted Christ?

• Seek other Christians to fellowship with in a church of your choice that uses the Bible alone for instruction in holy living. The Bible is the Word of God and needs to be adhered to as much as humanly possible.
• Start reading the Bible regularly to get to know God better and understand His will for your life. All new believers need to read the Word of God often to become mature and confident in their Christian faith.
• Be baptized by immersion. If you were baptized as an infant, you need to be baptized again. Baptism is your public acknowledgement of your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Although you can get to Heaven without being baptized, Jesus told us we should be baptized, just as He was! Follow the Lord's example and do this as soon as possible.
• Tell others about your decision to follow Christ that they may be led to follow in your footsteps. There is no greater accomplishment than to lead another person to Christ!