If I could give you one verse that would help you to know how much God loves you and wants you to spend eternity in heaven with Him, what verse would I use? I could use John 3:16 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. And rightly so, as this is one of the most cherished verses of scripture in the Word of God. But, there are many others that explain God's love also. Take, for instance, Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. A very easy way to explain God's love and provision for you is found as we separate this verse into 3 sections. The first section breaks up like this:

The wages - pay that is earned, deserved and expected. You would be angry if you didn't receive what you've worked for.

of sin - fighting against God, excluding God from our lives, disobedience, missing the mark, rebellion against God.

is death - always means separation, eternal separation from our Creator, absence of life.

That's the first part. We should all expect to get what we've earned because we've all missed the mark of God's perfection, and what we've earned is eternal separation from God, who is the giver and sustainer of all life. That's BAD news!

The second section is this:

But - always implies that something opposite is coming.

The gift of God - A gift is always free to the receiver. The giver pays all costs. If the receiver pays anything, it stops being a gift. This gift is especially special because it come from God. He has paid all the costs, and it is freely given.

Is eternal life - Life that never ends, free from the presence and power of sin. Real life! No more pain! No more tears! No more suffering! No more separation! No more death! EVER!

That's the second part. God wants to give you eternal life. That's good news! So, how do you get it? That's the third part.

in Christ Jesus - Christ means Messiah, or promised One. Jesus is a derivative of Joshua, which literally means, "Jehovah saves" So, Jesus is the promised One God sent to save mankind from the wages of sin. He paid the price by becoming sin for us on the cross at Calvary. His death satisfied God's wrath. He received the wages for our sins. They were poured out on Him through the beatings He received, the lies that were told, the mocking and being spit upon by others, and through the nails that were driven through His hands and feet. He paid our debt through His death on the cross. He became cursed for us so that we might be given eternal life through Him.

Our Lord - The very words, our Lord, indicate that there must be a surrendering of our way to His way. And, since Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, it is a total surrendering of ourselves to Him. He becomes Master and we become servants. Kind of an oxymoron, don't you think? In order to be set free, we must surrender. In order to have real life, we must die to ourselves and our way. After all, our way has only brought us death and separation. His way brings life and family forever. The word our implies that when we come to know Jesus as Lord, we become part of His family, with God as our Father, providing for us and taking care of us forever.

That's the third part. We can have this eternal life only by coming to God His way. And His Way is Jesus! There is no other way to be saved, no other way to receive the gift of eternal life. Do you want this gift? It's yours for the receiving. Just remember the ABC's.

A - Admit to God that you are a sinner, deserving of death. Agree with Him about this fact and ask for His forgiveness.
B - Believe that Jesus is God's Son, sent to die for you. Believe that He rose again and is living today to be your Savior and Lord.
C - Confess your faith in Jesus and commit your life to serve Him.

You can pray this simple prayer, if you really mean it, and God will save you.

God, I am a sinner. I have sinned against you and I'm sorry. I know that I deserve death for what I've done. Please forgive me. I believe that Your Son Jesus died for my sins. I believe that He rose again and is living today. I surrender to Him as Lord of my life. Thank you God for saving me and giving me life in Jesus. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer and mean it, God has saved you. Please email us at pastor@zionhillbaptist.net and let us know of your decision. We would like to send you some literature that will help you on your journey as a servant of God.

God bless you as you serve Him!