Sharon (05:37:10 pm) : How to you begin a relationship with god
Hi, Sharon. Are you interested in discussing a personal relationship with Christ?
yes
Great! Please tell me what you think it takes to begin a relationship with him.
I not sure, I’ve been told to pray but I’m not sure how
Do you believe that heaven is your eternal home?
yes
Suppose you met God at the entrance to heaven and he asked why he should let you in. What would you say?
Because I’ve tried to live my life the way he wanted me to
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross, then rose from the dead?
yes
Why do you think he died?
I don’t know
I mean, what was the reason for him dying? Is that what you answered?
I want you to help me understand all that, when I went to religion classes when I was younger I didn’t pay attention
There’s an important verse in Romans 6 –“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Two sides to this verse -first side talks about the penalty for sin, second side talks about God’s gift of eternal life. Which side do you think your life is on right now?
penalty for sin
I appreciate your honesty with me. What do you think it would take to get you on the right side of that verse?
I’m not sure try and be a better person and learn more about him
I’m glad you’re thinking about these things. Truth is, we cannot erase our own sin record, and because God is perfect, he cannot allow sinful people into his sight.
The reason Jesus died on the cross was to pay the penalty for our sin. We deserved to die for what we’ve done (big sin or little sin –it doesn’t matter) so Jesus took that penalty in our place, like our substitute.
Because Jesus did, that God wants to forgive us of our sin. It’s the only way that we can be forgiven.
But you’ll notice that God calls it a gift –there’s no way that we can earn it, simply because we honestly don’t deserve it. No matter how hard you try, you will never deserve God’s forgiveness. You’ll still be a sinner, even if you try to live a better life.
In order for that gift to become yours, you have to accept it from him.
When we talk about eternal life, we’re talking about God’s complete forgiveness, a permanent home to live with him forever (heaven) and his living presence in your life right here and now. All of that is wrapped up in the gift called eternal life. You don’t deserve it (and never will), but God wants to give it to you anyway, because Jesus paid the price for it.
But you have to accept the gift, and that means trusting God to give it to you. That’s what the Bible calls faith.
As far as you know, was there ever a time in your life when God gave you his gift of eternal life?
yes, when I became sober
Ok. How do you know that God gave you eternal life?
I think because I am living a little bit better life know.
Alright, that’s very good. What about heaven? Do you deserve to go there?
Yes
Why?
Because I trying to be a lot better person.
I’m sure you do, and that’s very good. But do you deserve God’s forgiveness?
I think so
Again, I appreciate your willingness to chat with me. According to the Bible, what you and I deserve is God’s judgment. We’ve both sinned, and that means we’re guilty.
It’s like if I robbed a bank and was brought before a judge, who declares me guilty. I can say all kinds of things, like I know I was wrong, I’m sorry I did it, I promise never to do it again, I’m a good person now. The judge would say, “Good, but you’re still going to jail.” That’s because the penalty must be applied, otherwise the judge isn’t a good judge.
God never overlooks sin. No matter how good you are, you and I are still sinners in his sight. You can’t erase that.
How do you feel about that?
Confused, what do I do to make me a better person and not to sin again
First, we must realize that becoming a better person is definitely important, but it’s not the most important need between you and God. Your most important need is God’s forgiveness. Without it, you’ll be a good person but without God. That does nothing permanent for you or God. You still deserve God’s judgment.
That’s why Jesus says in John 3 that unless a person is born again, he will never enter the kingdom of God. That means you and I need a 2nd birth, before we can begin our relationship with God.
Being born again means receiving this gift of eternal life that we’ve been talking about. It’s something that Jesus has done for you, not what you’ve done for him. Again, that’s what faith is all about –it’s trusting God for forgiveness, instead of trusting our own goodness.
It may sound strange, but trying to become good before becoming God’s child will actually push you farther away from God.
Is this starting to help you any?
Yes so what do I do to get God’s forgiveness?
God says it’s a gift. Suppose someone stood at your front door with a package. They say it’s a gift for you. They could stand there all day, and unless you accepted the gift, it would never become yours.
To answer your question, you need to stop thinking that becoming a better person will bring you closer to God. In truth, you and I don’t belong to God at all until he “adopts” us as his children. That can only happen through his gift of forgiveness.
Then, you need to believe (according to the Bible) that God wants to give you forgiveness and eternal life, and will because of what Christ did for you.
Truthfully, it’s often easier for us to trust ourselves and our own goodness. But that’s not going to work. You can have God’s forgiveness right now, by asking him for it and believing him for it. It can be settled forever, simply because Jesus made it that way. But God knows your heart. He doesn’t want your life as an experiment, he wants you to believe fully that this is what he wants to give to you.
Where do you think you are with God right now?
Right now I think I’m ready to receive him
That’s fantastic. Let me share with you a promise from the lips of Jesus himself in John 5:24 –“Very truly I say to you, anyone who will hear my word and trust him who sent me will have eternal life, and that person will never come into judgment, but has passed from death onto life.”
If you’re serious about this, I’d like you to take a sincere moment as soon as we’re done here, and ask God by faith to forgive you through Jesus Christ and give you eternal life as a free gift. It’s what he wants for you, and that’s the reason why Jesus came in the first place.
What do you think?
I very serious about this, Thank you Thank you
That’s fantastic. Either before or after, take a moment to go through NeedHim.org –there’s a form at the end for us to mail you further material, if you want. Obviously that’s entirely up to you. Do you have any questions for me?
No, you help me a lot. Thank you thank. you for being there for me.
God bless –thanks so much for your openness to him.
(06:15:06 pm) Your party has left this session.
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