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Salvation is a gift from God we can't earn, we can only receive it from Jesus!
The first thing we need to know is that Jesus loves us! God loves us so much it is amazing! It says in God's Word: "God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.
Next we must know that nobody is perfect. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. I John 1:8 says we are deceiving ourselves if we believe we have no sins.
Since everyone has sinned and God is perfect, God cannot accept us the way we are. We must all face the judgment. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death…" Ezekiel 18:4 says, "The soul who sins shall die." Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed to men to die once, but after this the judgment."
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It might look bad now, but this is the best part! We need a way out and the way is Jesus! Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6. Another scripture about Jesus says, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
Now we know Jesus is the way, but how do we receive Him? Repentance is often mentioned and often misunderstood. It is not apologizing to God and crying at an altar somewhere. Those things are good, but repentance is a change in your heart that will reflect in your actions. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out; so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." We see we must be converted and I think Romans 10:9,10 is pretty self explanatory: "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
You can pray a prayer of repentance ("sinner's prayer"). The normal way is to confess being a sinner.
Ask forgiveness from Jesus.
Confess Jesus and what He has done and invite Him to be Lord of your life. You can say "invite into your heart", but remember repentance and His forgiveness.
When we are in Christ, we are "…a new creation, old things are passed away; behold all things have become new." II Corinthians 5:17. We must know we are not the same person that we were before Jesus. John 3:18 says we are not condemned if we believe in Jesus. Now we can spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven.
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