7. Now that you are certain you have a relationship with God that will last forever, take the time to get to know Him better.

There are many ways you can get to know God better. The most helpful way will be through regularly reading, studying, and applying the Bible. The 66 books of the Bible may be read in any order. However, the book of John is a good place to start. Then, determine to read the remainder of the New Testament.

Secondly, talk (pray) to God about everything (John 15:7). You will get to know God better as you look and listen for God’s answers to prayer through your circumstances, your understanding of the Bible, and your relationships with other Believers.

Finally, you will learn more about God by consistently spending time with other growing Believers in Christ. This can be done by participating in worship services at a Bible-believing church, as well as in their Bible studies, small groups, and opportunities for service.

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We’d like to hear your comments on what you’ve just read.  What did you think?  Do you still have unanswered questions?  Please take a minute to fill out the form below.  If you’d like for a church staff member to contact you, please note that in your comments.

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You may be wondering, “What now?  What’s next?”  Or, perhaps you feel you have too many unanswered questions to find the answers in a weekend service alone.  Starting Point may be a great next step for you.

Starting Point is not a class, but rather a small group, conversational environment where people can explore faith and experience community.  It is a safe environment for people just like you, and meets for ten weeks.  For more information on Starting Point, click here or send an email to jeff.amedro@chestnutridgechurch.com.

6. You can demonstrate faith by saying “Thank You” to God for what He has done for you.  God is pleased when you express gratitude to Him.

1. He has allowed you to become His child.
2. He has come into your life and promised to never leave you.
3. He has forgiven you for all of your past, present, and future sins.
4. He has given you a new life.
5. He has allowed you to be certain that you have eternal life.

Do you believe that these five points are true about yourself?  Would you like to thank God for what He has done for you?  If so, take a minute to pray right now, thanking God that the above five points are true of you.

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5. Many wonderful things occur when we receive Jesus as God’s free gift to us.

When you trust in Jesus alone for your salvation, God says that these five things are true of you (regardless of your feelings or circumstances):

1. You become a child of God.  (John 1:12-13; Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1)
2. Jesus comes into your life and promises to never leave you.  (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 13:5)
3. All of your sins are forgiven—past, present, and future.  (Colossians 1:13-14; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 10:15-18)
4. Jesus gives you a new life.  (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:4-5)
5. You have eternal life, forever.  (John 5:24; John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30)

God says that you can KNOW for sure that you have eternal life!  In the future, you may disobey and fail God; and you may doubt that He has really forgiven you.  When you have such doubts, read back over these truths and memorize this promise in God’s Word:

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13,  NIV)

Question: After having trusted in Christ alone for salvation, is there anything a Christian could do to no longer have eternal life?

Answer: The free gift of salvation is eternal—not temporarily eternal. Once received, it cannot be lost (John 5:24; John 6:37-39; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:31-39; 2 Timothy 2:13). Otherwise, God misnamed it. He never would have called it eternal life.  We are saved by faith alone in Christ (as a one time act), and not by our ongoing faithfulness to Him.

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WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING IN FOR ETERNAL LIFE?

Most people fit into one of the above 3 circles.  They are either relying on their WORKS, or on CHRIST PLUS… something (i.e., obedience, commitment to follow Jesus, surrender to His control, trying not to sin, baptism, etc.), or just on CHRIST ALONE for eternal life.  Only faith alone in CHRIST ALONE will guarantee eternal life for you.  Failure to receive His wonderful offer will deprive you of the greatest gift ever given.

He who believes in Him [Jesus] 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 3:18, NIV)

But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.  (John 1:12, NKJV)

Right now, will you receive God’s free gift of eternal life and place all of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death for you—by trusting in Him ALONE as your Savior?  Will you reject salvation by all other means and stop trusting in any good or religious things you have done in the past or might do in the future?  If you will accept God’s free gift of eternal life, then tell Him in your own words or pray this prayer to God:

“Heavenly Father, I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is God the Son who died for my sins and rose again. I am no longer relying upon my own self efforts or anything else to gain eternal life. Instead, I now place my faith in Jesus alone as my Savior. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life as a free gift. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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4. God’s free gift of eternal life can be ours only through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Faith means trusting in (relying on) the Lord Jesus Christ as the only One who can bring us into a right relationship with God.  Faith is depending only on Jesus and His substitutionary death on the cross (instead of our own righteousness) to give us eternal life.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.  (John 3:36, NKJV)

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved…  (Acts 16:31, NKJV)

This free gift can never be earned by doing good works.  It is free to us because it was expensive to God.  Jesus has already paid the full price for our forgiveness!

…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23, NAS)

For by grace [undeserved favor] you have been saved [rescued from hell] through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9, NAS)

Faith in Jesus will not give us eternal life if, while believing that Jesus died for our sins, we ALSO believe that we must do additional things to earn God’s acceptance.

It is not a “team-effort” where Jesus does His part and we do our part (certain acts of obedience) to “help” ourselves get into heaven.

We must reject all of our self efforts as having no saving value and depend on Jesus ALONE and His death for us.  Our acts of obedience don’t cause our salvation.  They should come as a result of it.

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3. God has provided the only way to give us an eternal relationship with Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is 100% God and 100% man.  He is God the Son.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh [Jesus] and made His dwelling among us.  (John 1:1, 14, NIV)

For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He [Jesus] was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:18, NIV)

Jesus proved that He is God the Son, by: living a sinless life, fulfilling numerous Messianic prophecies, performing miracles, claiming to be God, and rising from the dead.  His resurrection from the dead proves that He conquered sin and death.  Jesus claimed to be the only way to God the Father when He said:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.  (John 14:6, NKJV)

Question: Why is Jesus our only way to God?

Answer: Jesus is the only one qualified to pay for our sins.  God says that sin must be paid for by the death of a perfect, sinless substitute (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  Only Jesus has lived a perfect, sinless life.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.  (Acts 4:12, NIV)

Question: Why did Jesus have to die to pay for our sins?

Answer: God says that sin can only be paid for through death (Romans 6:23) and the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22).

As the diagram illustrates, since SINFUL PEOPLE can never reach a HOLY AND JUST GOD, God has to reach us (God’s effort).  The only way that God can reach SINFUL PEOPLE is through the death of JESUS, who died in our place to pay the full penalty for our sins.

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2. We have rebelled against God and are separated from a relationship with Him.

God’s Word, the Bible, calls this rebellion “sin.”  Sin is doing what we want instead of what God wants—in thought, word, or deed.  All of us have sinned against God—either by doing what He says we should not do, or by not doing what He says we should do.

There is no one righteous, not even one… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:10, 23, NIV)

Therefore, the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.  (James 4:17, NAS)

Even the best things that we do don’t measure up to God’s standard.  His standard is perfection, and no one is perfect.  In fact, just one sin during our entire lifetime is enough to keep us out of heaven!

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…  (Isaiah 64:6, NIV)

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.  (James 2:10, NIV)

Our sin has hurt, angered, and offended God – separating us from Him. Because God is holy and just, He must punish sin.  God’s Word tells us that the penalty for our sin is death—both physically and spiritually. Death means “separation.” Physical death separates the body from the soul. Spiritual death separates the soul from God, in this life and then forever in hell.

These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord…  (2 Thessalonians 1:9, NAS)

For the wages [payment] of sin is death [spiritual separation from God]…  (Romans 6:23, NAS)

As the above diagram illustrates, all attempts that SINFUL PEOPLE make to connect with a HOLY AND JUST GOD (by their own self effort) will always fail in reaching Him.  Since God’s standard is absolute perfection, no amount of our personal effort, good works, or religious deeds can earn us a relationship with Him.

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Most people want to have a relationship with God, and know for sure that they’ll go to heaven when they die.  According to Jesus, anyone who believes in Him will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24, NIV).  But what does it mean to believe in Him?  How can we know if we’ve crossed that bridge to eternal life?

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LISTEN

[tim haring | "the bridge" | sept. 21, 2008]

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[hear more from "the bridge" series here]

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READ

1. God loves us and desires a personal relationship with us—now and for all eternity.

Jesus said:

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. (John 3:16, NIV)

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  (John 17:3, NAS)

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PART 1 | love is a BIG DEAL | [may 9-10]
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PART 2 | love is patient [may 16-17]
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PART 3 | love does not envy [may 23-24]
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PART 4 | love is kind [may 30-31]
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PART 5 | love is not selfish [june 6-7]
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PART 6 | forgiveness [june 13-14]
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PART 7 | speaking the truth in love [june 20-21]
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PART 8 | love never fails [june 27-28]
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