St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois

So do I NEED salvation?

In one word....Yes.

In fact everyone does. Let's take a quick look and see why.

First: We all have sinned

Have you ever done anything that you shouldn't have done? The answer for all of us is yes! From the Pope, to any preacher, to any church member, to anyone who has never stepped foot into a church. We all have done something wrong at one time or another in our lives.

As it is written, "There is no one righteous, not even one there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12) 

So no matter how many "good things" you have done, none of us are righteous by ourselves.

Second: The results of sin

So what? Everyone has done wrong every now and again, right? Maybe you haven't robbed or bank, or killed anyone, but have only stolen a piece of candy from the store. Maybe you have robbed a bank or killed someone: it doesn't matter. In God's eyes's there are no big sins or little sins. And when we sin, we are sentenced to die both physically and spiritually.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12)

When Adam committed the first sin, we inherited a sinful nature. And if we die without getting rid of that sinful nature, we can't inherit eternal life.

Third: But..........

We would have no hope if that was the end of the story. None of us could inherit eternal life. BUT God did something to change that. God gave us a gift. The gift of eternal life that can overcome the results of sin!

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

God has given each one of us a gift. You've got to believe that for yourself. God has given you a wonderful gift. The gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Fourth: Just Take It!

And because it is a gift, you don't have to buy it, you don't have to worry about how much money you have, or what kind of house you live in. It's a gift. All you have to do is accept it! You wouldn't leave the biggest and best gift under the Christmas tree would you? You would hurry and unwrap it. Its the same with this gift. Its waiting for you right now. All you have to do is hurry and unwrap it.

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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

(Romans 10:9-10)

Let God speak to you right now. If God is speaking to you, and you know it in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, then just say "Jesus is Lord".

You see, if you really believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and if you said with your mouth Jesus is Lord, then you are SAVED!!!!

It doesn't matter who you are. God wants to save you. No matter how many drugs you've used or how many boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, or wives you've had. No matter how long its been since you've been in church, or even if you've never been in church, God wants to save you.

So if you have given your life to Christ today, we'd love to hear from you. Or if you haven't given your life yet, but want to talk to someone, we'd still love to hear from you. Drop us a line and someone will get back to you right away. We love you here at St. James, and more importantly, God loves you!

 

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