Snapshots 
Biblical Truth
OF
Eternal Life - Forgiven
It makes perfectly good sense to me that the God who created us would also have a long term plan for our lives.  I like to think that this God would also want to communicate with us and be involved in our personal lives, right down to smallest detail. This, of course, is just my own thinking - but, the Bible seems to confirm it. 

It is hard for some people to entertain the thought that God, the Creator of the universe, would actually want to spend any time at all with the lowly, infinitesimal creatures he created - "We creatures are too far below him", they would argue.  Is that how you personally view God?  Maybe you just see God in the abstract - "He is everywhere, in everything"? Or, perhaps you see God just sitting back and watching everything from a distance, to see what will happen? 

Wouldn't it be great if this creator God would actually be a personal friend of yours, someone you can confide in when the chips are down, when your life starts to boil over or when your personal world gets tossed in the dumpster?  Well, the Bible tells us that God can be such a friend.  But, it is entirely up to us.  The Bible goes on to tell us that we can live a totally forgiven life, free from our past mistakes and sins.  You think you have sinned too much for this?  Well, think again!  It was for these sins that Jesus died on the cross.  

The God who created us also knows that we, the object of his creation, are flawed in our basic design. Does this mean that God was imperfect in his creative abilities? Absolutely not! God designed this flaw in each one of us by creating us to be free moral agents, capable of accepting both good and evil into our lives. In effect, God designed himself out of our lives. He has chosen not to enter our personal space until he has been given a personal invitation to come in. God knew very well from the start that this basic flaw would  allow us to turn against him and depart from his perfect plan for our lives.  But, God had a contingency plan for this possibility as well.  It was through his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures tell us in John 3:16, 

“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.” 

So, here it is in a nut shell: the God who created us knew from the start that we would need help in getting it strait. We would need a way to get rid of our sins once we had committed them. The salvation plan God created for us involves his very own Son, Jesus Christ.  It involved his Son dying on a cross as the full payment for our mistakes.  And, it involved his son rising from the dead; thus, conquering sin, death and hell.  To be free from our sinful past, here is what we must do: 

     1)  Accept God's salvation plan (by faith).
     2)  Invite God into our personal space.
     3)  Confess our sins to God.
     4)  Humbly ask for God's forgiveness.
     5)  Commit our lives to following Christ. 

Actually, you can do that right now, if you wish. God knows your heart.  Just invite him in to your personal space and start talking to him.  Once you have done this you become a bonafide Christian - a brand new creature in Christ, totally forgiven for all past sins.  Get yourself involved in a Bible believing church in your community.  Surround yourself with other believers who will be a positive influence on your life.  You won't be sorry you made the effort. 

Following are some Scriptures that will help launch your walk of faith with Jesus Christ. Committing them to memory will be a good start on your pathway to eternal life:

Romans 3:23 (NIV) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

1 John 1:8-10 (NIV) “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

Romans 6:23 (NIV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3: 36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

2 Corinthians 6:17, 18 (NIV) “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Matthew 7:7, 8 (NIV) “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

1 John 5:4 "For everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the World?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."