New Believers: 7 Steps for New ChristiansНамуна

Day 1: How You Can Know God

What is sin? Sin is to fall short of God’s standard, which is perfection itself. It also means to cross a line. All of us have done that and more. We have broken God’s commandments and fallen short of His glory. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  It also says in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”

God gave us His law, the Ten Commandments, which is found in Exodus 20:1-17. He gave us these laws not to make us righteous, but to show us how miserably we all fall short of His perfection. His laws are like a moral mirror that shows us our flaws and sin.

But God, in His great love, sent His own Son to come down from heaven and die on the cross in our place. I love the way the apostle Paul personalized it when he wrote, “the Son of God . . . loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, emphasis added). God loves you and gave Himself for you, too! There was no other way to resolve this serious sin issue that we all face. Jesus was the only One Who could ever accomplish that, which is why He said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”  Christ is the only way to the Father. He Himself said so.

Salvation comes not merely by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, but by trusting Him and receiving Him into your life. Being a Christian is not just knowing about God; it’s knowing God Himself. It’s a relationship, a friendship with Jesus Who will come into your heart and take up permanent residence there. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

The Bible says in John 1:12, “To all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” And how do you receive Him into your life?...... through prayer.

If you want to ask Him to take up residence in your heart right now, you might offer the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I have broken Your commandments and fallen short of Your standards. Right now I turn from my sin and ask You to come into my life. Be my Lord, Savior, friend, and God. I put my faith in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, to save me from my sins. Thank You for loving me and calling me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.