After God created the world, man had a perfect, intimate relationship with God.

THE PROBLEM…

This all changed when man disobeyed God (sinned against God), choosing his own agenda. At this point, death first entered the world. Man's death was the penalty paid for disobeying God.

What was once a perfect, intimate relationship between man and God was now a divided relationship. Imagine… MAN GOD …the space separating these two cliffs is a bottomless pit - DEATH, eternal separation from God. "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

Man has tried through his own efforts to get back into a right relationship with God. But these efforts always fall short of reaching the opposite cliff to God. MAN GOD DEATH "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)

GOD’S SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM…

If man was powerless to reach God, man needed an external force to bridge this great divide. God had the ONLY answer to man's problem - Jesus. MAN GOD DEATH

"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) Jesus’ death on the cross rescued all men who believe in Him from an eternity separated from God. Three days after Jesus' death on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead showing God's victory over sin and death!

OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S SOLUTION If you believe this, that Jesus died for you, that He paid for your sins, rescuing you from sin and death's grip, and if you desire to be in a right relationship with Him, respond to Him with this prayer. Dear God, I confess my sins to You. I know I have disobeyed You. And I thank You for showing your love to me by sending Jesus on this earth to pay my penalty. Thank you for sending Him to rescue me from sin and death's grip so that I may live a right, perfect, intimate relationship eternally with You. I intend, and ask for Your help, to not make my life about my agenda anymore, but to live my life for You. Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you can have confidence in the following: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13) "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

And know that it is not because of this prayer that you have been saved, but you have been saved because of the grace and love of God. "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." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

And know among the many benefits of believing in Jesus are… The gift of peace. "The Lord blesses his people with peace." (Psalm 29:11) The gift of love. "His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1) The gift of guidance. "You guide me with your counsel." (Psalm 73:24) The gifts of freedom and acceptance. "So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:7)

Next steps… Find a Bible at a local bookstore or nearby church and begin reading any of the first four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) to learn more about your rescuer, Jesus Christ. Get connected to a Bible-believing church where you may learn more of God's truths and grow in your faith with the help of other believers. If you cannot locate a Bible-believing church, please contact us at office@poppalatine.org and we would be more than happy to assist you in getting connected.