We all make choices in life. We make the right choices, and we also make the wrong choices. Some of the decisions or choices we make might be mundane, such choosing as the colour of the dress you want to wear to work. Others are so significant they can define the course of our lives: who we want to marry or the career we want to pursue in life, for example.
Where we are today is primarily the result of the choices we made or did not make when the opportunity came knocking on the door of our lives.
While our social or economic standing or even the reputation we have may have its temporal value, the question of life transcends the present; it has its real value in the eternal.
The eternal has two dimensions to it, namely, eternal life and eternal death. Each of them has its implications for the eternal destiny of everyone.
God is life. Life is His nature. Eternal life is the life that God is. Mankind experienced that life, in the Garden of Eden, before The Fall.
Death occurs when life is removed or lost. Death is a separation from life. At The Fall, man became separated from God, the very source of his life, and he took on death as his new nature. Eternal death became the lot and destiny of man. The wages of sin is death. It was sin at The Fall that brought man into death.
By virtue of the human nature of sin, which separates us from God, every one of us has done wrong in our lives. But Man is not a sinner because he does evil. Man does evil because he is a sinner, and even if a man may be morally upright in his character, he is still a sinner by nature. Sin is at the centre of his heart. The Bible declares for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NKJV).
The sin nature of humanity has drawn us away from God. We-every one of us-have strayed away like sheep! We, who left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him (Jesus) the guilt and sins of every one of us! (Isaiah 53:6, TLB)
Motivated by love and with the implications of the eternal, God sent Jesus Christ into the world. Even though the wages of sin is death, yet the gift of God is eternal life. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to save us from sin and death.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved –John 3:16-17.
Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the whole world” (John 1:29). He shed His blood to cleanse us from all sin. By shedding His blood for us on The Cross, Jesus paid the ransom for sin. He satisfied the demands of eternal judgement. It is the blood that atones for sin.
On account of God’s love for us, Jesus died for our sin, He was buried, and on the third day, He rose again from the dead to reconcile us back to God. Jesus is alive to give us life. It is the Good News, and the Apostle Paul puts it this way:
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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, NKJV.
Life and death have been presented before us, and we are encouraged to choose life. Taking responsibility for your life and lot in life is essential. Let the buck fall on your table. The first step to the-choice-of-life is to believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as your Lord and Saviour.
If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you shall be saved.
When you receive the gift of eternal life, God will relate with you as though you had never sinned. That is what it means to be justified.
Through faith in Christ Jesus, God will make you His son or daughter. He will give you His righteousness and treat you as a saint and not as a sinner (i.e. a slave to sin). He will bring you into a relationship in which He will place you in right-standing with Himself.
God did not send His Son to condemn the world but to save you and me. Believe in the Lord Jesus today, repent, and you shall be saved. He will give you eternal life, and as you walk with Him, He will transform your life.
Take this opportunity and make what I believe would be the greatest choice you may ever make in your life. It is the choice of receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, for the forgiveness of sin and life eternal.
Salvation is a gift received through faith, that is, trusting in God and not in your good works.
For by grace you have been saved by faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving -Ephesians 2:8-9, TPT.
How can you receive God’s gift of salvation that brings eternal life? The Bible says,
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved -Romans 10:8-11, 13, NKJV.
If in the sincerity of your heart, you want to receive salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, as a step of faith, you may sincerely pray the following prayer:
Lord God Almighty, I admit that I have been running my life without You; I have sinned and gone my own way. Please forgive me. I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ died for me and rose from the dead on the third day to give me eternal life. Today, I confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I repent and turn away from sin, and I turn to You and to Your way.
Lord, thank You for loving me, forgiving me and saving me. I am now Your child, a New Creation in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away. Today I am born of God. Thank You, Lord! Amen!
If you have said this prayer with sincerity, go and tell others that Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Saviour. Tell them what He has done for you. Live your life for Him.
Publicly profess your faith by getting baptised. Do not be ashamed of God. He is not ashamed of you. He loves you deeply.
Get to know God better by talking with Him daily through prayer and letting Him speak to you as you read and study the Bible. The Bible is His Word.
You can begin to read the Bible through. Purchase one if you do not have one. Start with the New Testament. You can read a chapter a day, and if you can, go up to three chapters a day.
Very importantly, begin to fellowship with other Christians through membership in a local assembly that preaches Christ and honours God.
By taking this life-transforming decision today, you have begun a new relationship with Jesus Christ.
We would be honoured if you let us know about it, so we can help you get a better understanding and help you grow in your new relationship with Jesus Christ. We would be delighted to place you on our discipleship training programme.
Please do contact us through this email: contact@solomonaror.com or send an SMS to any of the following phone numbers: +234 808-500-7983; or +234 812-528-0775.
God Bless You!
Thank you. Do not forget to keep living, loving and learning.
Please read: Isaiah 53:1-12; John 1:12-13; 3:16-18; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 10:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 John 3:1-3.