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There is no one who can say that they are good. The Bible says, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10 In fact the Bible says that we are all sinners, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. So I am a sinner. I have broken God's laws and continue to break God's laws. I get angry, desire things that other have, and don't do the things that I should with my time. God has said very clearly what the penalty is for disobeying him, "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23 MAN IS A SINNER AND CANNOT SAVE HIMSELF There is no way we can pay the fines for breaking these laws and because God is just and righteous he cannot allow our sins to go unpunished. But God wants everyone to go to heaven. GOD IS LOVE, BUT HE IS ALSO JUST AND MUST PUNISH SIN So God has given us a way out. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 GOD SENT US HIS SON TO DIE FOR YOU AND ME God's son Jesus paid our fines for us; for free. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. HEAVEN IS A FREE GIFT, IT IS NOT EARNED OR DESERVED Now we have a choice. We can either accept this free gift from God or we can reject it. How do we accept the free gift? The Bible says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9 Would you like to accept this free gift? Would you like help in what to say to accept this free gift? Pray this: "Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross for me, and paid my debt in full with your shed blood. I accept your free gift. Lord, please come into my heart. I thank you for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift of salvation, and everlasting life. In Christ's name, Amen." Is it that easy? Yes. Don't worry if you did not feel tingles or see sparkly lights; that's not what this is about. However, if you did then that's all right too. This is about trusting that when you go to heaven and God asks you, "Why should I let you into my heaven." You can say, "Because your Son, Jesus, paid the penalty for my sin." If you prayed this prayer and believe these things then you can now know for sure that you are going to heaven; no ifs ands or buts. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:13 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6:47 "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38,39 What next? There are three things you need to do: First, we must read and study the Word of God. Get yourself a Bible and read it. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy. 3:16 "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby: If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 2:2-3 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Matthew. 24:35, Mark 13:31, & Luke 21:33 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:10-11 There are many versions but the most popular is the King James Version. I recommend this version for many reasons too complicated to go into here. You will eventually want to read the whole Bible and if that is how you want to start that is great! However, if that seems like a little too much for you at first, I recommend reading about the life of Jesus which is told beautifully in the part of the Bible called the book of John. After that I suggest the book call Romans and then Ephesians. These will get you off to a good start. Secondly, we must regularly pray to God. He is now your Father in Heaven and your friend. Talk to Him all about your needs, desires, troubles and cares. Remember He cares for you, and has promised He will never leave you. And third, we go to Church; it is an Expression of our Love for God. "I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You." Psalms 22:22 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." Revelation 4:11 You will need to find a Church that believes that that the Bible is the Inspired and True Word of God. How can you know this? One way is to meet with the Pastor of the Church and ask him if he believes if the Bible is the Inspired and True Word of God. If he says he thinks the Bible has been changed throughout history and we can't really trust the Bible's accuracy, the run away! There is no truth to that statement. There are people called Textual Critics, who investigate the accuracy of the transmission of writings throughout history, and they have said that the Bible is over 99% accurate. And the people who do this are both a mixture of atheist and believers. The next thing to look for to determine if the Church is a Biblical Church is to ask about their method of Baptism. Some believe that sprinkling is the way to do it, others that full immersion is the right way. Some believe that infants should be Baptized while others think that infant Baptism is not Biblical. What is Biblical? Only this: full immersion of a person who has accepted Jesus Christ's death as payment for his sin. Not sprinkling; not infants. You can read more about baptism here. Welcome to the family of God! "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." 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