6. Our Response

God has graciously given us the salvation we so desperately need but are utterly unable to accomplish for ourselves. However, even though God himself has done the hard work of accomplishing our salvation, we have a critical role to play. God offers salvation as a gracious gift, and like all gifts, it must be received in order to be possessed. And we can only receive the gift through faith and repentance.

Saving faith is not mere intellectual faith. Merely believing that there was a historical Jesus will not enable us to receive salvation. Rather, we must transfer our trust from ourselves and anything else over to Christ alone. We must trust in him and in his work for our salvation. We must forsake trusting in our own goodness, good works or religiousity. We must recognize the futility and inadequacy of our own efforts to do good as a basis for salvation. As the Bible says:

...no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (Romans 3:20,21).

As we turn toward God in faith, we must simultaneously turn away from sin. This is repentance: having a change of mind, heart and will about sin. Repentance involves seeing sin, sorrow for sin, confessing sin, shame for it and hatred of it, and turning away from it. When we begin to see something of the infinite goodness of God through the cross of Christ, faith is ignited in our hearts. And as the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, we begin to turn from them in repentance. We begin to stop loving, denying, or justifying the things we know in our hearts to be wrong.

Let me invite you to repent of your sins and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior right now. The Bible says there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, and no one can come to the Father except by him. And as you trust him, turn away from the things you know to be wrong. See them for what they are, and give them up. If you would like to receive Jesus Christ, bow before him now, and say this prayer to him:

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I turn away from them now as I open my heart to you and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Please come and fill me with your Holy Spirit, and enable me to live a Christian life by faith.