God’s love was expressed most clearly when He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, into our world as one of us, a human being. He was sent to teach and show us how to live our lives in way that pleases God and to give His life through death on cross. Jesus death on the cross was for the purpose of taking on himself the punishment that we deserved for our sin. To be a Christian means that I have placed my faith (believe or trust) in Jesus alone to be my Savior from sin. Let’s talk about that . . .

What is Sin?
Sin is doing anything that is disobedient to God’s Word, inconsistent with God’s character, and displeasing to God’s will. Sin can be intentionally doing what we know is wrong or not doing what we know is right. We must recognize that at the heart of sin is a refusal to live life God’s way and an insistence to live life our way. The prophet Isaiah expressed it well: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). Sin is losing our relationship with God by choosing to do what we want instead of what God wants. Sin is being "lost" from God’s grace and love.

Every human being has committed sins and is a sinner. In his letter to the Christians at Rome the Apostle Paul says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Bible says that the only person to ever live on this planet who never committed a single sin is Jesus Christ. Because we have all sinned, God knew we needed a Savior.

Who is Our Savior?
The Bible tells us very plainly that there is only one person who can save us from sin and that is Jesus Christ. In Luke 19:10 Jesus speaks of himself and says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." In Luke 15 Jesus tells three parables that teach us that God sent him into the world to find people who are lost from God’s love and bring them back to His family of faith. God loves us so much that He doesn’t want our sins to destroy us. Instead, He wants to give us spiritual life and vitality, both now and in eternity. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

Acknowledge that you have personally sinned and accept the fact that you cannot save yourself from sin. Admit that you need a savior, and the only true Savior is Jesus Christ. God says that we must repent of sin in order to be saved from it. Repentance means that you are really sorry for the sins you have committed and are willing to turn and go in a new direction with your life. In other words, instead of continuing to do it your way, you start doing it God’s way.

Believe in Jesus Christ alone to be your Savior from sin.
This means that you must put your faith or trust only in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the source of salvation. Jesus is the only person worthy of our complete trust in this matter. He is the only real Savior there is.

Confess your sins to God.
In other words, name your sins specifically to God. Be completely honest with God. Ask God to forgive you for your sins. God promises that He will forgive you if you ask Him to. Then, confess Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life. When we are really a Christian, it means we are committed to live in obedience to the teachings and commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you pray that prayer with an honest heart? Then we have good news for you. God has forgiven you of all of your sins and has adopted you into His family as one of His sons or daughters. The gospel of John says that this is like being "born again." You have new life in Christ and you are a brand-new person. Now that you have taken the first step here are a few important steps you should take to help you stick with your decision to have a personal relationship with God: