Inside text:
Are there absolute standards for life? Are there standards of right and wrong? Where are they found? Who decides them? Can we know the truth? These questions have all been answered!
God, Who created (John1:1-3) heaven, earth, and everything in them (including mankind) has given us His standards for living in the Bible. Since He is our Creator, it makes sense that He alone can set the standards of right and wrong for our lives.
God’s Law Sets the Standard
The most familiar part of God’s law is the Ten Commandments given to us in Exodus 20. The problem is that no person has ever kept all of the Ten Commandments. All of us have told a lie or have dishonored our parents at some time. So it is very clear that everyone has sinned. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). Now we must define sin. God says in I John 5:17, All unrighteousness is sin. In other words, any unright living is sin. Further, God told us that Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (I John 3:4). It is God’s law that sets the standard.
You may be thinking, “Yes, I have done some small sins such as lying or cheating, but I have never done any of the big sins.” God tells us in James 2:10, For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. God does not have different levels of sin_He sees us all equally guilty. Yes, different sins have different consequences here on earth and our sins affect others in varying degrees, but it is all still sin in God’s eyes.
We all have a sin nature passed to us by our father. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12). This sin nature is what separates us from God. Romans 6:23 states, For the wages of sin is death. In other words, my sin earned for me death, or an eternal separation from God in a place called Hell.
Not only are we all sinners, deserving an eternal separation from God, but there is nothing anyone can do to save himself from his sin. God tells us 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. Good works do not cancel sin.
How Can Anyone Get to Heaven?
If all people are helpless sinners who cannot save themselves, how then can anyone go to Heaven? The good news is that not only is God a holy and just God, Who demands that sin be punished_but He is a loving and giving God Who sent His Son to pay sin’s price on the cross of Calvary. 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. (John 3:16).
You see, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, was born of a virgin and became a man. He felt every trial and suffering that we feel here on earth, yet without sin. He willingly gave His life a sacrifice for sin. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8).
Jesus allowed men to beat Him, torture Him, and nail Him to a cruel cross. After Jesus suffered and died, He was buried_but the grave could not hold Him_He rose again the third day. This is the Gospel or good news. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Back side:
God offers you the free gift of salvation, freedom from your sin, and a home in Heaven, if you will only believe and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. No matter who you are or what you have done, God wants to save you. God tells us in Romans 10:9-10, 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The choice is yours. Will you repent of your sin and trust Jesus as the only way to heaven? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John 14:6).
How Do I Accept Jesus as My Savior?
If you want to accept Jesus as your Savior and you truly believe that He can and will save you, then accept Him right now. You could simply pray something like this, “Dear God, I realize that I’m a sinner and that I deserve an eternity in Hell. There’s nothing I can do to save myself. But you loved me enough to send Jesus to die for me. I now repent of my sin and accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord, for saving me.”
