Having a personal relationship with God is the greatest thing in all of life. It is the very purpose for which God created us. God’s intention in creating man was to have a family. He created this world specifically for man and provided everything he needed. He chose to spend time with the man and woman He had created, meeting them in the evening and walking and taking with them in the Garden He had prepared for them.
Once man was tempted by the devil and succumbed to temptation, sin came into man. God cannot be in the presence of sin, so He had to separate Himself from the family He had created.
God dealt with His people through priests and kings for many years until Jesus was sent to the earth.
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)
Jesus’ sacrifice in going to the cross and dying for us provided for us redemption—freedom from sin and restoration with the Father. God made a way so that His man could once again fellowship with Him. Not only that but He opened heaven to us so that we can spend eternity with Him—His original plan when He created man.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” (John 3:16-17)
Through His sacrifice Jesus offers the free gift of eternal life to every man. But that redemption does not automatically come on man. Man must CHOOSE to receive Jesus as his very own Savior.
Jesus, in speaking with a Jewish rabbi named Nicodemus recorded in John chapter 3, calls this process being “born again.” He said,
"… no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)
He went on to say in John 3:5,6:
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."
In 2 Cor 5, verse 17, we learn that as our spirit is joined with God’s Spirit, He makes of us a new being—a spiritual rebirth.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
What practical steps do we follow, then, to receive this new birth?
- We hear the Truth presented from the Bible, God’s Word.
- We believe in Jesus and his death, burial and resurrection.
“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) - We repent of our unbelief and our past sins.
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) - We confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God.
“…everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) - We are baptized in water. See Acts 2:38 in #3 above.
In that same verse, Peter also told us that following God’s plan of salvation allows us to “…receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus promised in John 14:16, 17:
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the spirit of truth."
The Holy Spirit of God comes to live in our spirits. His purpose is to glorify Jesus, and He is our Teacher, Counselor, Advocate and Guide. John 14:26 tells us: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.”
(If you wish to learn more about becoming a Christian, or if you have just become a Christian and wish to share it with someone, please email us at office@murrietacoc.org or call us at 951-600-4676.)