While people have lots of opinions about Jesus, we believe He is much more than a prophet or good teacher. Jesus said He was God in flesh (John 1). This claim has sparked debates and life-change for centuries, but how you respond to it is up to you. Romans 10:9 emplores, "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Jesus died for you so that you could spend eternity with Him! The Bible says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Do you want to know how to have eternal life in Christ Jesus?
Start
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Within this creation event, the first man and woman were created, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were made perfect and with purpose, which included populating the earth and taking care of the garden. Adam and Eve regularly communed with the God of the universe, walked in the garden with Him, and lived in complete satisfaction, happiness and holiness. God only gave Adam and Eve one command and that was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 1-2) In the same way, you and I were intended to live in pure holiness and fellowship with the God of this universe. However, that intended purpose was corrupted and interrupted by an evil individual.
Satan
This evil individual is given the name of Satan. Before Satan became our enemy, he was the most powerful and beautiful angel of heaven. However, before creation took place, Satan rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. After creation took place and time progressed, Satan came to the earth, took the form of a snake, and tempted Eve to disobey God by eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:6).
Sin
Immediately upon Adam and Eve’s sinful disobedience, they both became aware of their error and sinful state. They hid themselves from their Creator because they were ashamed. This sinful act committed by our Representative Adam, had both immediate and futuristic consequences. The immediate consequences for Adam and Eve included banishment from the garden, pain in childbirth, and toil as they worked. The futuristic consequences affected not only Adam and Eve, but it also affected you and I. This futuristic consequence included physical death, which included a soul corrupted by sin and selfishness. Because Adam is our representative, we are also affected and therefore have a soul of sin and selfishness (Genesis 3:17-18).
Separation
Because of our sinful state that we received through Adam, we are separated from God. God cannot fellowship with sinful people, and thus, we ultimately deserve eternal separation from God in a place called hell. Furthermore, because of our completely sinful state, we cannot humanly earn nor gain eternal life with God, and thereby neither wash away our soul of sin and selfishness (Romans 5:12-14).
Savior
But because God loves you and I, he has made a way for us to spend eternity with Him instead of in separation from Him. He has made a way for our soul and sinful and selfishness to be wiped away. The Bible says that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die a horrible, wretched death upon a cross for our sins. He paid the price that we could not pay, and thereby giving us opportunity for eternal life. He was fully God and fully man. As God he could pay for our sins forever, and as man he could die for all of humanity. After Christ died, He was buried and rose again three days this later. This is called the resurrection of our Savior. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that what He claimed was accurate and true (John 1:1; Luke 24:46).
Salvation
The amazing thing about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is that because of that we can have our sins forgiven and therefore receive eternal life. This forgiveness of sins with eternal life is a free gift that is received through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. When you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, that he was buried and rose again in accordance with the Scriptures, you receive eternal life (I Corinthians 15:1-4; John 5:24). This free gift of eternal life is not earned nor gained through works or good deeds. It is only through Jesus Christ, who is the only way, the only truth and the only life (John 14:6). The New Testament is filled with discussion about eternal life and implications for how to live as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Security
Once you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, that He was buried and rose again you are saved and you immediately begin a personal relationship with Him. The reality of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the fact that you can never lose your personal relationship, nor do you have to keep working to keep it! You are eternally secure, and living in relationship with your Savior forever. Furthermore, The last chapter of Revelation makes it clear that we will “rule and reign forever” with Jesus (Revelation 22:5). This clearly shows that the Bible concludes by saying, “And they lived happily ever after!”