1.) The Bible says that all men are sinners.  Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way."  Again in Ecclesiastes 7:20, we read "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."  Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."   Suppose a target were hung on the wall, and then each person in the room were to take a dart and do his best to hit the bull's eye.  Now, everybody in the room throws a dart.  Some miss by a quarter inch, some miss by a foot, some miss the target altogether.  No one hit's the bull's eye.  All have short of the bull's eye.  In God's sight there is no difference between sinners.  We nay now all commit the same sins, but all men are sinners and God says that the payment for sin must be made.

2.) God says that sin has a penalty.  Ezekiel 18:4 tells us, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."  Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death..."  And we read in James 1:15,  "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."  God has declared that the price for sin is death, and that payment must be made.  This death is more than dying with a gunshot wound or with cancer.  It is described in Revelation 20:14 as the second death:  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death."  If we had to pay what we owe as sinners, then we would have to die and enter into Hell where we would remain forever and ever.  That is the price that God demands for our sins.  God is perfect and cannot have sin in His presence.

3.) Jesus paid sin's penalty for us when He died on the cross.  In order for God to forgive the sinner, someone has to pay the debt.  God took every sin we have ever committed and laid them on His Son Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 53:6 says, "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  In I Peter 3:18 we read, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God..."  God looked down through the telescope of time and saw every sin that we would commit, put those sins in one big package, and laid them on Christ.  When Jesus was crucified on the cross He bore the punishment we deserve for our sin.  The last thing that Jesus said on the cross was, "It is finished."  Jesus suffered the penalty of death in our place.  How can I be sure God was satisfied with the payment Jesus made?  And empty tomb!  To finish Romans 6:23, the Bible tells us "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  

4.)  How can you personally receive the free gift Jesus has provided?  To receive the payment Jesus made, you must cease to trust everything else, and trust Christ alone.  We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  The Bible tells us that accepting this gift is as simple as Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Simply say to God, "I know that I am a sinner and that, as a sinner, I owe a sin debt.  I also believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross in my place, and that His death paid in full what I owe as a sinner.  Here and now I do trust Him as my Saviour.  From this minute on, I am fully depending on Him for my salvation."

"These things have I written unto you that

 believe on the name of the Son of God; 

that ye may know that ye have eternal life..."

                                                - I John 5:13

If you prayed that simple, little prayer please let us know so that we can pray for you, and keep in touch with you, if you'd like us to.  Contact Pastor Tim either by going to our Contact info page or drop Pastor Tim an e-mail at pastortim@fbcelkton.com.  We'd love to hear from you anytime.