- How can I be saved ?
- How do I join Berea Baptist
Church ?
- Is joining Berea, or any other
church, the same as being saved ?
- I am a good person. I don't
have any bad habits, and I am constantly doing good for others. Isn't that
enough to go to heaven ?
- I go to church every Sunday.
Does that mean I'm saved ?
Does that mean I'm going to heaven ?
- I run into "saved" people all
the time whom seem to behave no differently than me or my friends. Why
should I be saved ?
- There is sin in my life, and
I just can't seem to let go of some bad habits. Is there hope for me ?
Admit you are a sinner and realize that your sin separates
you from a loving relationship with God. Sin is choosing to disobey God.
"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one
man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned"
(Romans 5:12)
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23)
The punishment for sin is death. This death is more than a
physical death. It means to be forever separated from a holy God in a place the
Bible calls hell.
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23)
Your sin is the only thing that keeps you separated from
God. God loves you so much and wants to be in arelationship with you now and
forever, that he provided away to remove the barrier of sin. He sent his
son Jesus to forgive our sins.
"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." (John
3:16)
Jesus accepted the penalty or punishment for our sin by
dying on the cross. The cross is a picture of God's grace.
After Jesus died, men buried him in a tomb. Three days
later God raised Jesus from the dead, proving that He truly is the Son of God
and that God accepted his death as payment for our sin.
The only way to be saved is through faith in Jesus Christ.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father (God) except through me." (John 14:6)
Knowing the facts doesn't save us. We must respond to
God's grace by trusting in Jesus Christ alone as the only One who can forgive
our sin and give us God's gift of eternal life.
"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."
(Romans 10:9)
Are you trusting in Jesus for your salvation? if so, tell
God by praying:
Dear God,
Thank you for loving me. I confess that I have sinned against
you. I believe that your Son, Jesus died on a cross to pay for my sin and that
you raised HIm from the dead. I trust Jesus alone to forgive me and take away
all my sins. I confess that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Thank you for your gift
of eternal life! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Any person may offer himself/herself as a candidate for
membership. All such candidates are presented to the church at any regular
church service for membership in any of the following ways:
(1) By profession of faith and for baptism according to
the policies of the church.
(2) By promise of a letter of recommendation from another Baptist church.
(3) By statement of prior conversion experience and baptism when no letter is
obtainable.
No. Church membership does not save you. Joining the
church is something you do after getting saved. The Bible teaches us to become
an active part of a body of believers for worship, fellowship, discipleship and
the ministry of sharing Jesus Christ with others.
By whose standards? Because of the holiness of God, it is
impossible to measure up to His standards of perfection. Since God is the judge
and the jury, it is His approval we have to meet. All of us have disobeyed God
in some way and there is nothing we can do on our own to pay the penalty for our
sin. I we could, then God would not have sent His Son to die for us. Only the
blood of Jesus can wash away our sin.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -
and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that on
one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Going to church every Sunday does not erase your sins.
There are only two ways to get to heaven: either you have to be perfect, never
once committing a sin in word, deed, or thought, or you have to become born
again. You can become born again by accepting in your heart Jesus Christ and
what He did on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins.
There is a huge difference between a hypocrite and a
genuine person. Just because a person says he represents Christ does not mean he
is a true representative of Christ. Only Christ knows his heart. Jesus said not
to follow the hypocrites, but to follow Him. Despite what we see in others, in
the end we are personally accountable to God for our behavior and our decision.
Don't let a dishonest person stand in your way of knowing God's love for you.
There is sin in my life, and
I just can't seem to let go of some bad habits. Is there hope for me ?
The first sign of hope is being honest with yourself and
God, and admitting your personal struggle with sin and habits that control your
life. Give your life to Jesus Christ and realize you are no longer alone in your
efforts to change. By ourselves we are helpless in the face of temptation. Pray
and ask God to be your strength through the power of HIs Spirit working in your
life.
"I am able to do all things through HIm who strengthens
me." (Philippians 4:13)
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