Forgiveness, Peace with God, and Spiritual Life

How to have a personal relationship with the true God of the universe to experience real liberty and peace in our souls: Something is Missing Every one of us knows that something is missing in his/her life. We may try to fill the need through friends, family, activities, achievements, pleasure, or blot out the pain of loneliness through drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, we feel lost and unable to free ourselves from some burden. We may want a relationship with a higher being, if there is one. Despite what evolutionary scientists say, you don’t feel like an accident. You want to know that your life has some purpose for existence. Your conscience tells you there must be a God who designed and created everything on earth and perhaps everywhere else. In the Bible, God declares that he made the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Who is God? God is The LORD, the Almighty Creator of everything—all the stars, planets, and nebulae in every universe. On our planet, God is the maker of the skies, the birds, the sea and land creatures, and every living thing that has life, including human beings like you and me (Genesis 1). He is the one and only God (Isaiah 42:8; Isaiah 45:5-8). God wants a relationship with us Although he is Sovereign and above and beyond all comprehension, he is personally involved in the lives of his creation. He loves us, is kind, just, and holy. He desires that we become like him. Originally, God made a man and a woman, our first parents, in his own image. He gave them intelligence, a will, emotions, and an eternal soul. He had a close relationship with the man and woman. They were created good, but one day they made a wrong choice to disobey him (Genesis 2:7, 15-18, 21-25; 3:1-24). Our first parents mess up the relationship Because God is holy (totally perfect and right), the penalty for violating his one limitation was physical and spiritual death (Romans 5:12). So, physical and spiritual death was passed through his seed to all generations. We are all born sinners, and our sins can make us miserable. We need forgiveness and a relationship with God. For us to have forgiveness, peace, and spiritual life, we must first recognize we desperately need it. We are sinners by nature and by choice (i.e., we do wrong things and fail to do the right things). We are also spiritually dead (Romans 3:10-18). This means we are incapable of pleasing the LORD, no matter what we do (Ephesians 2:1-3; Isaiah 64:6 ). Because God is holy and we are not, the Bible teaches us that we are bound for hell (a place of eternal punishment in a lake of fire, originally meant for Satan and his demons, Revelation 20:14-15). This is bad news and leaves us desperate, condemned, and alone. Good News! The good news is that although God is holy and just, he is also gracious and compassionate to sinners (Exodus 34:6,7). By God’s grace and mercy we can be saved from punishment and hell (Ephesians 2:4-5; Romans 6:23). Jesus, God’s Son, came from heaven to be a perfect, sinless sacrifice (Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 9:26-28). He died in our place so we might be saved and totally forgiven (1Peter 3:18; Ephesians 1:7). We can be free from the bonds of our sins! Are you distressed over your sins, at the end of your rope, and drowning in despair? Are you ready to turn from your life of sin to God for salvation? Do you want to be forgiven and have peace with God? Do you want to be saved right now? Salvation To be saved, you need to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died in your place, took your punishment, and that he was buried and rose from the dead three days later to be your Savior (1Corinthians 15:3-4; John 3:3, 16-18, 36; Romans 10:9-10,13). He was more than a martyr—dead men can’t save anyone. Only God can save us. In your desperation, call upon him, and he will save you. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV). In the last book of the Bible, this invitation is given: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17, NIV). When we come to Jesus Christ in remorse over our sins, believing he can save us, God forgives us, and we have peace with him in our souls. He gives us spiritual life as his Holy Spirit comes to indwell us, and we can now please him (Romans 5:1; Romans 8:1-16). The Holy Spirit seals our relationship with God, so we are guaranteed a place in heaven (Ephesians 1:13-14). Jesus is now in heaven, preparing a future home for us to live joyfully forever (John 14:1-3) Call out to him today and be saved! Do you want help praying? If you pray something similar to this in your heart and mean it, God will save you. Dear God, I am desperately lost in my sin. I know I cannot please you and am headed for hell. I believe that you sent your Son Jesus Christ to die in my place. I believe that he was raised from the dead so I can be saved from everlasting punishment and given spiritual life. Lord, I need you! Please give me forgiveness, peace, and spiritual life. Please have mercy and save me right now! Thank you, Lord. If you now have forgiveness, peace, and spiritual life, I would love to know about it. Contact me at rodneyharrier@gmail.com. Keep reading the Chronological Bible studies so you can discover more about God and how to please him. How Believers can Restore their Fellowship with God and Each Other We all mess up. Even after we are saved and have a relationship with God, we still do the wrong things or fail to do what is right. This is sin, and it separates our fellowship with God and others. How do we restore our harmony with him and those we have offended? We must recognize and agree with God that the actions and attitudes we have toward him or his creation are wrong, or the things we should have done but did not do are wrong (1John 1:5-10; James 4:17). We must genuinely be sorry (Joel 2:13-14) and repent (have a change of mind that leads to a shift of behavior: “By God’s grace, I will not do that again”) We must ask forgiveness of God and anyone we have harmed and make restitution if possible (Ezekiel 33:11-16 (by principle); Luke 19:8; 2Corinthians 7:9,11) The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9, NIV).

If you would like prayer or more spiritual help, I would love for you to contact me at rodneyharrier@gmail.com

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