Faith is a journey.
Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is not just a momentary event. From our earliest days, God pursues us, using various events and experiences along the way to make us aware of Him and His love for us. We at COH are eager to help you on your faith journey, whether you feel like a beginning traveler or one who is far down the road.
Faith is a commitment.
At some point in each person’s journey, we face the choice to make a commitment to follow Jesus. In all of life, there is nothing more important than this decision. It can be compared in some ways to a marriage commitment. You might date someone, spend time with them, and even grow to like them a lot. But if you really believe that this is the person you want to spend your life with, you demonstrate that belief by making a commitment to them in marriage. This opens the door to wonderful new dimensions in your relationship that are not possible without this faith commitment..
Here is how to do that in your relationship with God.
1) God’s Loving Offer:
Recognize that God loves you and offers you a wonderful life in relationship with Him. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). This “fullness” doesn’t necessarily mean health, wealth and a problem-free life on earth; but rather it is has to do with a special quality of life even in the midst of problems– experiencing true meaning, inner-peace and joy in this life, as well as the hope of a perfect afterlife with Jesus in eternity..
2) The Problem:
But God does not make us robots who have to love and obey him. Because he wants our relationship with Him to be genuine and motivated by love, God gives us freedom to say “yes” or “no” to Him. All humans have in some way chosen to disobey God and go our own way. The Bible calls this “sin”. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Isaiah 59:2 explains that our sins separate us from God – making a chasm between us and God.
No one is good enough to make it across the divide to God, who is perfectly holy and good. Since God is the source of life, separation from Him keeps us from experiencing the full life He desires for us here on earth, and eventually leads to death.
3) God’s solution:
Because we could not bridge the gap to God, God chose to bridge it Himself. Romans 5:8 says that: “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sent His own Son Jesus to live on earth, die on a cross, and rise from the dead. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, his death could pay the penalty for our sin—canceling our sin’s effects and creating a bridge between us and God.
I Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God...” I Timothy 2:5 explains that Jesus is the only possible mediator between God and men, because He was Himself both God and man.
4) Our response:
Having Jesus pay the penalty that we deserve for our own wrongdoing is a great offer. But God doesn’t force it on anyone. It is up to us how we respond. Faith in Jesus is the only way to cross over to a relationship with God and experience eternal life with Him.
But faith in Jesus is more than just believing Jesus exists or was a good person.
What does it mean to “believe in Jesus”?
Saving faith involves:
1. Admitting that you needed Jesus to die for you, because you haven’t lived as you should.
2. Trusting that Jesus is God who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and still lives today.
3. Inviting Jesus to come and control your life and committing yourself to follow Him as your Lord.
You can accept God’s gift of forgiveness and life right now.
There is no prescribed formula for how to do this, but we suggest you say a prayer similar to this:
“Jesus, I know that I’ve done wrong and need your forgiveness. I believe that you are God and that you died for my sins. I accept your offer and invite you to come into my life right now as my Lord. I commit myself to follow you and live life your way. Thank you for saving me and making it possible for me to live in relationship with God, both in this life and eternally. Amen”
Can I Be Sure I’m Saved?
Once you commit your life to Christ, the Bible says you can be sure that you have eternal life.
I John 5:12 assures us, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Romans 10:13 supports this also: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
What Next?
If you have made this commitment to Jesus Christ, eternal life is guaranteed to you, but your faith journey does not end here. In fact, this commitment marks the start of the best part of the journey. Now your faith can really start to grow. Community of Hope offers many ways to help you with that.
For starters, check out information on:
Baptism under “Pastoral Care”
“Growth Through Scripture”
“Small Groups”
