1. First, the bad news - we’re all sinners in the eyes of God.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
2. More bad news - the result of sin is death.
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death.
There are two parts to death. The first death is a physical death here on earth. The second death is the lake of fire (hell).
Revelation 21:8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
That’s a pretty bad list, right? But, notice at the end of the list it said “all liars.” The Bible says, “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). The point here is that we’re all sinners and we’re all condemned to hell - even if the only thing you have ever done wrong is tell a lie.
3. Now the Good news – God has a gift He wants to give you (eternal life).
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God has a gift He wants to give you and that gift is eternal life and it is through Jesus Christ. You don’t have to work for the gift and you don’t have to pay for the gift.
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.
4. More Good News – Jesus paid the price for our sins.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Just because the gift is free doesn’t mean that someone didn’t pay for it. Since God wants to give you a gift, He’s the giver and you’re the receiver, so He paid for the gift. Jesus paid for the gift by His death, burial and resurrection. Do you believe that Jesus died, was buried and was resurrected on the third day to pay for our sins?
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
God says he wants to give you eternal life, that is life that will never end. This means that when you die the initial physical death, you will not die the second death of being cast into the lake of fire but instead you will go and live with God forever in heaven.
Titus 1:2: In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Our hope for eternal life is that God cannot lie. So if God promises you life that will never end, then He will give you life that never ends. Salvation had nothing to do with you, remember it’s “not of yourselves” (Ephesians 2:8). When God forgives you of your sins; He forgives you of all your sins—past, present, future. That is how he can guarantee us eternal life.
5. All you have to do is accept God’s gift for you by faith.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
If someone were to buy a gift, wrap it and write your name on it, it would not become yours until you accepted it. The gift from God is exactly the same. It’s already been paid for by Jesus Christ and God offers it to everyone but you need to accept it. You accept the gift of eternal life by confessing with your mouth while believing in your heart.
Do you want to accept Jesus Christ and be saved from your sins right now? Then just say this simple prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner and that I deserve to go to hell. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried and rose again to pay for my sins. I ask you to save me, forgive me of my sins and take me to heaven when I die. Thank you for giving me eternal life. Amen.
Congratulations, you are saved!
If you prayed that prayer and got saved, send me a message - it would make an old Canadian guy very happy to hear that you got saved. God bless.
I was agnostic, but leaning Christian and raised with Christian values and beliefs, though turned away from organized religion for similar reasons that many others end up overreacting and jumping on to /r/atheism. Too many bad messengers claiming the authority of God, and never willing to be challenged.
Agnosticism relies on the fact that due to God's omnipotence, you cannot prove or disprove that existence because God is everything anyway -- this is very different to atheism, which has become a theistic religion all its own at this point, who will actively work against God in modernity.
For example on being challenged, I took a dislike to the statement of a simple prayer being enough to be saved, to be forgiven.
Confession and repentance are more than that, and no one can say that another person has been saved on those grounds because we are judged by God himself.
I want to elaborate with recent discussion why I take issue with this:
Do you think a child raping, abusing, evil blackmail artist like Epstein could just say a simple prayer as he was being murdered and be saved? I should think not, because all of those things run contrary to Christian beliefs, and those beliefs are the world's collective guiding moral compass.
To believe that you can do anything awful all of your life right up to the very end without doing anything to "balance the scales" as it were and still be granted entry just because you said sorry doesn't jive very well, nor does it with traditional teachings dating back before modern day Christianity.
I stand on what God said in the Bible. He said if you confess with your mouth that He is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead - you are saved. PERIOD no qualifications.
He didn't say that the quantity and seriousness of the sins committed was disqualifying or that the timing of your salvation had any bearing on the validity of your salvation. He never said "you have to balance the scales" (good works do not offset sin). Only the blood of Jesus washes away sin.
God will judge fairly. Certainly, reciting a prayer on your death bed and NOT believing in your heart will NOT get you into the kingdom of God. He knows and sees your heart. No one is going to fool God or trick their way into heaven. He knows ALL things and will judge fairly.
Finally, organized "religion" and many "religious" leaders have been the downfall of many would be believers. Trust and obey the Lord only - seek to vet everything you hear with the Word of God. If there is any discrepancy, the Word of God is what you should follow. Run from the false teachers - they will only cause damage.
My prayer is that your spiritual journey brings you to a place where you can say "yes, I have accepted Jesus as Lord & Saviour and am committed to reading the King James bible" (other translations are perverted just like certain religious organizations and leaders). If you connect directly with Jesus through bible reading and prayer and find a good KJV Bible believing church where spiritual growth and fellowship can support your new walk with Jesus, you will find that He will reward your faith with many blessings. There is nothing like the peace that a daily walk with Jesus brings into one's life.
I sincerely pray that God will bless you. I know that He loves you and wants you to accept Him as He has laid out in His Word.