Hiland Park Baptist Church

All Have Sinned

Man has always wanted to know God and in a variety of ways has sought to worship Him. The fact is, there is a serious problem that keeps us from having the quality relationship with God that we really need and that He wants us to have. The Bible tells us about that problem in Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23

“Fallen short of the glory of God” means living a life that is imperfect. All of us have lived lives that are sinful and unlike that of Jesus Christ. His life was sinless and perfect, and all the world has fallen short of that standard.

Sin Earns Death

Romans 6:23 says

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord.” - Romans 6:23

Wages can be thought of like a salary. It’s what you get on payday. The bible says that sin earns death. When payday comes, death is what you will have earned. When a man sins and is separated from God, he is dead toward God and has no relationship with his creator.

All die physically

Hebrews 9:27 says,

“Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” - Hebrews 9:27

This verse speaks of physical death. God has appointed a time when every man, woman, boy and girl will die physically. Our brief time here on earth is to prepare for that all important day. Only God knows when it will come.

Christ died for us while we were still sinners

Now we will see the wonderful plan made possible by Christ’s love. Romans 5:8 states

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God took the initiative while we were still guilty of our sin. God loves you just as you are.This is why Jesus went to the cross: to pay the penalty of our sin.

By God’s love, we are saved through Faith

Ephesians 2:8,9 --"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast.”

It is by God’s grace and love that we are able to become Christians. It is a love we don’t deserve and a love we can never earn. If a gift is offered that must be earned, it isn’t a gift. And salvation is something God gives us because He loves us. It is strictly a gift. Salvation is a gift from God which cannot be received on the basis of merit. John 1:12 reads, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”.
There are two steps in this verse that explain how to become a child of God. The first is to believe in Jesus Christ. You must honestly accept that He is who He claimed to be.

The loving hand of God extended

Do you believe that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, that He died for your sins, and that He rose from the grave in victory? If you do you will be eager to take the second step, which is to receive Him as your own Savior and Lord. Intellectual acceptance is not enough. The act of faith must occur for the rebirth to be experienced. What Christ did on the cross was potentially for everyone in the world. The gift has already been paid for, and the loving hand of God is now extended. He is simply waiting for you and every other person to believe in Him enough to receive His gift that He offered in the Person of Christ.

You can receive Christ

You can receive Christ as your savior and Lord right now by opening your heart and praying a sincere prayer of faith. God isn’t so concerned about the words you use as He is about the attitude of your heart. It’s not the words of the prayer that save you, but your receiving the Person of Jesus Christ. Below is a suggested prayer.

“Lord Jesus, I need you. I am a sinner and cannot save myself. Please forgive me. I accept your death and resurrection as payment for my sin. I repent of my sin and in faith ask you to become Lord of my life. I commit all of who I am to You. Thank you Jesus for hearing my prayer and saving me now. In Your name I pray, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer with a sincere heart, we encourage you to contact us or contact another Bible believing church you know. God bless you in your decision.