A Christian is a person who trusts in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. The problem all of us must face is that we have sinned. God’s word says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). God has perfect moral standards that we all fail to meet in our actions, speech and thoughts. Since God is a perfectly righteous judge He must punish sin. God also describes the punishment: "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The payoff for our sin includes biological death, but goes beyond that to eternal judgment in hell, which the Bible calls the second death.
If the Bible had only this to say, the message would be true but hopeless. But there is very good news, which is also true. Romans 6:23 goes on to tell us that news: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The good news, the gospel, is that God the Son came as a human being, lived a perfect life, and then offered his perfection to God the Father on our behalf. Jesus loved us so much He took the punishment for our sins on the cross and offered His perfect life as a saving sacrifice. Though Jesus died, He rose from the dead on Easter morning and is now the living Lord of the universe. He now offers the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life in heaven to all who will trust in Him alone. Jesus made the promise about Himself clear in John 3:16: "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."
One thing we must be clear about is that Christians trust Jesus alone as the only way to be justified. "Justified" means declared righteous before God the holy judge. Romans 3:22-24 teaches: "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Note the words "from" and "to" above. Many people think Christianity is taking our righteousness (our good works) and offering them FROM us to God. The problem is, even our best efforts fall short of perfection. Christianity is actually the opposite of this approach. The righteousness does not move from us to God; it comes down FROM God TO us. It is a gift that God gave us when He sent His perfect Son to earth for us. If you are trying to offer up your own righteousness to God, then you will fail and face judgment. But if you will trust the righteousness that Christ brings down as a gift from God, you will have a sound hope in the face of death and peace with God forever. The reason this is called "grace" is because we do nothing to earn or deserve this gift of life.
In addition to giving us heaven by the gift of eternal life, God begins to change our life here and now. Writing to people who had received the gift, Paul said this in Ephesians 2: 8-10: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." While we are not saved by good works, we are saved for good works. Good works are not the way one becomes a Christian; they are evidence that one has become a Christian by God’s unearned grace. God makes Christians to do good works, but only after God has done His unaided good work of forgiving us and giving us the ability and direction to live right.
God calls us to turn from our sin and self-reliance and to turn to Him in humble faith. Those who do are Christians. If you have never placed your personal trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and the gift of life, you may do so now in prayer. Don’t let anything stop you, including pride or guilt. You need to be forgiven no matter how good you may think you have been. You can be forgiven no matter how bad you may have been. God’s love, grace and peace is available to all who ask. While there is no ritual prayer you must say, if your heart cries out to God something like this, He will hear you and give His great gift: "God, I know I am a sinner. I need to be forgiven. I turn from my sin to you. I now trust in the death of Jesus on the cross to pay for my sins and to give me the gift of eternal life."
If you made that decision or would like further help, we would love to be of assistance. As a fellowship of the forgiven it is our delight at Faith Church to share the good news and help those who have believed it to grow in faith. We can direct you to a Bible study, provide helpful materials and answer your questions. Feel free to call the church today at 610-395-4731 to make an appointment with a pastor, or e-mail us at info@faithefc.com or fill out the Inquiries Form.