jesus

God, who created all things, eternally exists as three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. In God the Father’s desire to see fallen humanity restored to Him, God the Son came into the world, given the name Jesus.

His purpose for coming into the world was to become the “express image” of God the Father, giving us an accurate image of the character and nature of God (Hebrews 1:3). But He was also sent to take upon Himself the punishment for the ways in which we have chosen to turn away from God in sin and error.

Jesus, being perfect and without error, made payment on our behalf for the debt of our wrongdoing by accepting the death of a sinner even though it was not due to Him. He received in His body, the consequences of being beaten, publicly humiliated and nailed to a cross, an ancient Roman instrument of torture. Worse still, He embraced the despair of separation from God the Father momentarily.

In doing so, Jesus “cancelled the record of charges” for those who trust in Him as their substitute, offering them forgiveness (Colossians 2:14). Three days after being crucified, as He had accurately spoken throughout His life, Jesus was risen from the dead by God the Holy Spirit as a seal to the truth that eternal death and sorrow, as the end outcome of sin, had been undone.

It’s for this reason Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus, as God’s Son, has become God the Father’s only means to being eternally restored to Him.

The Bible says salvation “is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:10). There is no other means by which you can be saved apart from receiving it as a gift, from God the Father because of what Jesus has done. You can in no way “earn” your way to being restored to God.

However, the Bible does give us a prescribed way in which we can receive this gift.  Romans 10:9 says, "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." The title “Lord” can also be translated to “Master”. In confessing Jesus as Lord, you are turning away from being the master of your own life and from being mastered by anything apart from Jesus. This is known as repentance.

If you weren’t already led in prayer to make this confession and receive Jesus as Lord of your life and would like to, we have included a 'Sinner's Prayer' below. You can pray this aloud this very moment knowing God is listening and ready to receive your faith.

Father God,

I come to you today in need of Your forgiveness and salvation. I recognise I have turned away from You and I am sorry. I renounce sin and self, who have been the masters of my life.

I believe in my heart today that Jesus was sent by You, that He came into the world, lived a perfect life, was crucified for My sake and is risen today. I trust in Him, as the only way to be reconciled to You and to receive new life. I declare that Jesus is Lord and from this day forward, He shall be the only Master of my life.

As you receive me now Father, I receive Your generous love.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Salvation is the first step through the door into a new life with God. But God’s purpose that you would be restored to Him extends beyond simply being saved. His ultimate desire is that you would become a friend of God. Becoming a friend of God means understanding Him (who God is) and His ways (what He takes pleasure in). So how can you begin to know God in this way?

In John 16, as Jesus talks about His final hours on earth, He promises that upon returning to God the Father He would send to us a “Helper”. Immediately after, Jesus reveals the identity of this “Helper” as God the Holy Spirit, saying: “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth”.

The Holy Spirit as our Great Helper, has been sent to lead us into all understanding about God. Without Him, we can neither comprehend Who God is or what He delights in. Thus, just as we received salvation, it is also essential we receive the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2:38, the Apostle Peter declares that we must “Repent, and… be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; [to] receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The Bible teaches that in the act of baptism we are united to Jesus’ death and burial and His miraculous resurrection. As we are submerged in water, something takes place in the unseen realm. Our old nature which opposed God is put to death and buried. In being raised (or "resurrected") from the water, we rise with a new nature that leans toward God rather than away from Him. In turn, we become a welcome habitation for God the Holy Spirit to “abide with us forever” (John 14:6).

As fuel can only be sourced from a bowser already storing fuel, so scripture also clearly teaches us that the Holy Spirit is given through the laying-on of hands of those already filled with God’s Spirit (Acts 8:17).

None of this can really take place if we’re not connected to a community of believers. We encourage you to find a local church who can help you step into a life of friendship with God by giving you the opportunity to be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit.  

Not sure where to begin? Click here and we’ll help you find a Chrisitan community close to you

The Bible, primarily, is a record of truths spoken by God over time to different people. This communicates a simple but powerful reality - God is always speaking and eagerly desires for us to hear Him when He does.

The Bible also known as God’s Word, is the divinely inspired record of God’s utterances and mighty works and is essential to understanding how God speaks, so we can hear Him speak to us personally. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is “living and active”. Go ahead, put it to the test. Give just a few moments daily and consistently to reading the Bible and you will begin to feel those words spoken by God centuries ago, being spoken to you personally today.

Prayer is another way in which we hear God speak. Prayer, in it’s essence and in the plainest of terms, is conversation with God. It is oftentimes referred to as communion and rightfully so, as it gives the image of companions seated at a table in conversation. It’s in prayer that we exchange communication, us with God and God with us. The phrase "hearing" is, however, very limiting as it often only refers to what we perceive audibly. God has given us a range of senses and receptors which were all designed to be used to perceive His voice.

Here are some helpful resources to get you started in prayer and in reading the Bible. When it comes to reading Scripture, we recommend beginning with reading about Jesus' life in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Download the YouVersion Bible App for Free Here

‘The Prayer Course’: A Simple & Free Guide to Start Praying