Welcome to Shining the Light Ministries Bible Study. This week we will be studying about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how there is proof beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus arose from the dead.
Welcome to Shining the Light Ministries Bible Study. This week we will be studying about how that faith itself is the evidence for the existence of God.
The doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one God who eternally exists as 3 equal and distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many Christians find this difficult to explain, but here are some Scriptures that will help you explain it to people where they can understand it.
The Whole Godhead is physically manifested to people in one Passage of Scripture
Matthew 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus (God the Son) is standing in the water
God the Holy Spirit physically appears as a dove
God the Father Speaks from heaven
This is the best Scripture to show that God eternally exists in 3 distinct persons.
Best Scripture to show that God is one.
1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
This verse is taken out of many other Bible versions except the KJV including the NIV. Therefore, these other versions weaken the doctrine of the Trinity. This is a serious error because a person cannot be saved without believing that Jesus is God.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
1 John 4:2-3 “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
Jesus is the Word. John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” And John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
For many Christians the thought of sharing the gospel with others seems to be a daunting task.
Some may feel that they are inadequate to share the gospel with others and fear they will make a mistake. Others may feel that salvation is a personal matter, and that sharing the gospel with someone else would be too intrusive into the other person’s personal life.
However, Jesus commanded us to share the gospel with everyone.
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
So, how can Christians overcome their fears and effectively share the gospel with others?
Probably the easiest way to share the gospel with another person is to give them a gospel tract. Always pray before sharing the gospel with someone and if possible have another Christian with you.
Make sure the gospel tract includes the whole gospel including repentance.
I have found many “gospel tracts” that do not say anything about repentance. A person cannot get saved without repenting of their sins. To read more about repentance see my page “How To Get To Heaven.”
And especially do not pass out something that just says “Pray this prayer and be saved.” With no Bible verses or explanation of true salvation. I have seen things like this. These kind of things give people false hope. They think they are saved just because they said a prayer, but they are still lost and on their way to hell. A person does not get saved by saying a prayer.
One of the best salvation tracts that can be passed out to anyone is “This was Your Life” by chick publication. You can order these at www.chick.com. (I do not receive anything for recommending this). All tracts from chick.com include repentance.
I have found some tracts from Fellowship tract league that do not mention repentance. So if you want to order other titles, please read the whole tract before ordering.
Here are some ways that you can use gospel tracts to share the gospel with others:
Just hand them to people. If you are shy, this can be done very simply by just walking up to someone on the street and saying “Hello may I give this to you,”and then hand them a Gospel tract. In addition, you can leave a gospel tract in places like on your table (with a good tip) at a restaurant.
Start a conversation with someone and then give them a gospel tract. If you are more outgoing, you can strike up a conversation with someone before giving them the gospel tract by introducing yourself to them, asking them if they go to church anywhere, telling them where you go to church at, inviting them to your church, and then giving them the gospel tract. It is also a good idea to ask the person if there is anything that they would like for you to pray with them about.
Use a gospel tract as a script. You can also use a Gospel tract as a script to help you personally lead a lost person to Christ. After you introduce yourself to the person, tell them which church you go to and ask them if they go to church anywhere, you can then ask them a question like “If you died today would you go to heaven?” If they give you an answer like “I hope so” or “No,” then you need to ask them if they would like for you to show them how they can know for sure (1 John 5:13) that they are going to heaven.
If they say that they would like for you to show them, then you can read the gospel tract to them. After reading the Gospel tract to them, then ask them if they believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and arose from the dead 3 days later, if they are willing to repent of their sins and commit their life to following Christ, and want to pray and ask God to forgive them of their sins and save them.
If they say yes to these questions, then you can have them repeat a prayer after you. You can use the prayer on the back of the tract as a guide or just have them pray it word for word. The words of the prayer are not what saves, it is the belief and repentance of the heart.
In addition, if someone tells you that they know that they would go to heaven, then you need to ask them how they know that. If they say something like “I’m a good person, or I go to church” etc. then you need to explain to them that salvation is of faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). You also need to take them through the 10 commandments and show them that in God’s eyes we have all broken His laws and no one is good. You can learn how to explain this in detail by reading my article entitled “How to get to Heaven” You can print this out and use it as a Gospel tract or script if you would like to. After showing the person that they cannot be good enough to go to Heaven, then show them how they can be saved and lead them to Christ.
However, if at any time the person you are talking to says that they do not want to hear what you have to say, politely ask them if you can give them the gospel tract and tell them that you will be praying for them. It is not our job to argue with people, or to convince anyone of anything. It is our job to try to share the gospel with others, love them and pray for them and most importantly we need to share the gospel with others by our actions and not just by our words.
The world can spot a hypocrite a mile away, and hypocrisy turns more people away from the gospel than anything else. It is important to go out and share the gospel with others, but you should treat others and live your life in a way that causes others to come and ask you what is different about you. Then you have an open door to share the gospel with them.
God command’s everyone to share the gospel with others, and gospel tracts make it easy for anyone to obey this command.
Revelation 14:11a “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth
up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,”
Jesus said there is fire in Hell.
Mark 9:43-44 “ And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it
is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched.” These verses mean to get rid of whatever is
stopping you from getting saved, so you do not go to Hell, even if it is a
physical body part.”
If you go to Hell, you will never get out, you will be tormented there forever!
The phrase “their worm dieth not” in the passage of
Scripture given above is simply saying that people will not die in Hell, but
that they will be tormented in fire forever.
Man is referred to as a “worm” in Job 25:6 “How much less
man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?”
Jesus said that people will die in their sins and go to
Hell if they do not believe in Him.
Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can
ye escape the damnation of hell?” If you read the few verses before this one
you will see he was speaking to the religious leaders who did not believe in
Him.
John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in
your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” If
you go to this passage in the Bible and look at verse 13 you will see that he
was talking to the religious leaders who did not believe in Him, just like He
was in Matthew 23.
So, yes, Jesus said that people will die in their sins
and go to Hell if they do not believe in Him.
Now look at these verses:
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Revelation 20:14-15 “And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire,”
Jesus
said that if people did not believe in Him then they would die in their sins
and go to Hell, the wages of sin is death, that death is the Lake of fire that
hell is cast into. Therefore, if you do not believe in Jesus, you will die in
your sins, and go to hell and then the lake of fire.
You will be tormented in Hell and then in the lake of
fire (remember Hell is thrown into the lake of fire) for all eternity, you will
never get out.
Revelation 14:11a “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,”
You will not even have the comfort of a single drop of water to cool your tongue in Hell!
Luke 16:19-31 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
This is not a parable. This is a true account. Jesus used Lazarus’s name. Jesus never named anyone in parables. That rich man really went to Hell, and he is still being tormented in that flame today, and he has never received any comfort from his torments, not even a single drop of water!
Now, Jesus has risen from the dead. Will you listen to Him and be saved from Hell?
What is worth going to Hell for?
Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?”
Whatever you are thinking of exchanging your soul for,
you will realize was not worth it! Once you are burning in the flames of Hell!
You are not promised another minuet of life! You could die
and fall into Hell at any moment!
God gives life; therefore He can take it whenever He
wants too! God does not answer to us, we answer to Him! He is God! We are like
worms!
Once you die that is it! Nowhere does the Bible promise
another chance to get saved after death!
No!
The Bible says after death you are judged!
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment:”
And as shown earlier, if you die in your sins by not believing in Jesus then you go to Hell, and Hell is not a party!
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
To believe in Jesus does not mean to only be fully persuaded
in your mind of who Jesus is and what He did.
The
word “believe” in Romans 10:9 in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance roots
backwards twice to a word, which means “obey” (the word believe is Strong’s #
4100 in the Greek, which comes from # 4102, which comes from # 3982, which
means obey and also yield).
This shows that true faith is rooted in obedience.
Therefore, in order to fulfill the requirements of salvation in Romans 10:9 you must be fully persuaded in your mind of who Jesus Christ is (God in the flesh John 1:1-3, John 1:14, John 3:16, and 1 John 5:7; Born of a virgin Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:30-35) and what He has done (died on a cross 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 and arose from the dead in a flesh and bone body Luke 24:39), and your heart must change from wanting to sin to wanting to obey God. This is an immediate change of your heart (meaning desire and will).
It means that you yield (submit) your will to God’s will.
That is repentance of sins, and it is required for you to receive forgiveness of your sins.
Luke 13:5 “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall
all likewise perish.”
God does not want you to go to Hell! He wants you to get
saved!
Ezekiel 18:23 “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should
die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and
live?”
Ezekiel 18:23 agrees with 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.”
In addition, Matthew 9:13 says “But go ye and learn what
that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Your actions may not change immediately after you get saved,
but you are going to be so convicted over your sin, when you mess up, that you
are going to cry out to God to help you to change.
This is the only way you can go to heaven.
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
If you have never believed in Jesus and repented of your sins, please do it now. Here is a prayer that you can pray word for word or use as a guide to tell God that you believe the gospel, repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you of your sins.
The prayer does not save you.
The decision to believe in Jesus and repent of your sins
is what saves you.
The prayer just helps you tell God that you have made these
decisions.
Here is the prayer:
“Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and bodily arose from the dead 3 days later to pay for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to obey you and live for you for now on. Please take me to heaven when my life on this earth is over. Thank you for saving me. In Christ Jesus name, Amen.”
As I wrote above, you could die at any moment, and whatever
you are thinking of exchanging your soul for, you will realize was not worth
it! Once you are burning in the flames of Hell!
In
addition, you will always remember this time when you could have been saved by
simply believing in Jesus and repenting of your sins, but refused too, and that
will torment you worse than the flames!
In this article, I will give you proof beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ arose from the dead.
The reasonable doubt standard.
The reasonable doubt standard is the judicial standard. Courts decide everyday whether or not people live or die based on this standard. It is the most sure standard we can have.
The reality of possible doubt.
There is always room for possible doubt, because if someone has a presupposition to not believe something, they can always make up something to deny all evidence that does not agree with their presupposition.
The reality of possible doubt is why lawyers are so careful with Jury selection. They must make sure that no one on the jury has any presuppositions of the suspect being guilty or innocent, because bias could lead to a false conclusion and a false conviction.
So, in order for you, or anyone else, to believe any evidence contrary to what you already believe, you must first get rid of your presupposition.
The Apostles all gave eyewitness accounts that Jesus died on a cross and bodily, arose from the dead.
Luke 24:39 “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”
Therefore, if Jesus did not die on a cross and rise from the dead, the apostles were either:
Wrong (He did not really die, He was just unconscious.)
Lying (They just made it up.)
Fooled (After Jesus died, an impostor convinced them that He was Jesus risen.)
Delusional (They had a vision.)
Influenced (Only one disciple had a vision and was so influential that the rest believed it.)
Distorted (They or others distorted the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection over time.)
Were they wrong?
There is proof beyond reasonable doubt that the disciples were not wrong about Jesus dying, because:
The Roman soldiers said He was dead and did not break His legs. They broke the legs of the 2 thieves in order to make them suffocate and die faster, because with their legs broken they could not push up in order to breath. If the soldiers had made a mistake like that, (letting a condemned person live) they would have lost their heads.
Blood and water both came out when Jesus’ side was pierced. We now know because of medical science that this happened because His heart had failed and water had collected in Jesus’ lungs (Called Pleural Effusion), so when His side was pierced his lung was also pierced and the water came out. A person cannot survive this, at least not without immediate and expert medical care, which they did not have back then.
The fact that both blood and water came out proves beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus was dead. Now I guess you can try to make up something to say that even with this, Jesus did not actually die. Anything is possible. But the reasonable conclusion is that Jesus was dead at this point. Remember we are just doing away with reasonable doubt, not all doubt, because it is always possible to doubt, but it is not always reasonable to doubt.
Were they lying?
It is also unreasonable to believe that the disciples were lying about Jesus’ resurrection.
All 12 disciples ended up dying horrible deaths for it decades after it happened, and they were scattered throughout the world. They no longer had the support of each other. None of the others would have known if one of them had recanted, but none of them did, they all died. Why would they die for a lie? It is possible, but it is not reasonable.
Also, if they were lying why would they write that women were the first eye-witnesses to see Jesus alive. In the culture back then the word of a man was seen to be more reliable than the word of a woman. The only reason why the Apostles would have written that a woman saw Jesus first was if that is what happened, and they were just recording the facts.
Furthermore, why would they have written of things that made no sense at that time. Like, both blood and water coming out of Jesus’ side, or Him sweating drops of blood (also now known to be a rare medical phenomenon)?
The Apostles could not explain these things. Someone who lies about something makes sure that all facts can be explained, so to make it more believable. The only reason why they would write something unexplainable like this, is because they actually seen it happen, and they were just simply recording what they saw.
Just as they claimed they were.
Acts 4:20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
It may be possible that the apostles lied, but in light of
this evidence, them lying is not a reasonable conclusion.
Were they fooled by an impostor?
The fact that no regular person can walk through walls, or just ascend up into heaven is proof beyond reasonable doubt that the disciples were not fooled by an impostor.
Were they delusional?
It is also unreasonable to believe that they were delusional, because 12 people or even 500 people are not going to have the same vision. That is just ridiculous. I guess if you just did not want to believe it you could claim it is possible. But that is not a reasonable claim.
Were they influenced?
We have proof beyond reasonable doubt that they were not just influenced by one person having a vision.
The Bible gives us multiple accounts of all the disciples seeing Jesus, and says that 500 people saw Him after He arose. The “influenced” argument is “possible,” because anything is “possible”, but it is not reasonable.
Did they distort the account of Jesus’ resurrection over time?
We also have proof beyond reasonable doubt that the account of the Resurrection of Jesus has not been distorted over time.
The Gospels were written within 60 years after Jesus died. The earliest Christian writings of Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Papias of Hierapolis etc all agree with the Gospels and say that Jesus died on a cross and arose from the dead 3 days later. And still today all religions that claim to follow Jesus Christ say that Jesus died on a Cross and arose from the dead 3 days later.
Therefore, it is unreasonable to believe that the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection have been distorted and changed over time.
I have now given you evidence beyond all reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ arose from the dead.
Now it is still possible for you to doubt (only because you don’t want to believe), but it is not reasonable.
Even people who saw Jesus doubted, even though they were looking at Him.
Matthew 28:17 “And when they saw him, they worshipped him:
but some doubted.”
So, it is possible to doubt Christ’s resurrection, but it is not reasonable to doubt it.
Moreover, since it is unreasonable to believe that the disciples were: wrong, lying, fooled, delusional, Influenced or distorted the account of Jesus’ resurrection, or that the account has been distorted by others over time, the only reasonable conclusion is that they were accurate. Jesus truly did die on a cross and arise from the dead 3 days later.
And since, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, that proves that:
Jesus Christ is God, because no mere human can raise themselves from the dead.
The Bible is true, because Jesus said it was, and since He is God, He would know. And since the Bible got the most important thing right (Christ’s resurrection), it is reasonable to believe it got everything else right.
John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth.”
Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Since Jesus is God and died to save us, He would decide how we got to heaven.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
And that anyone who did not go through Him to get to Heaven would go to Hell, because this is what Jesus said.
Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” If you read the few verses before this one you will see he was speaking to the religious leaders who did not believe in Him.
John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” If you go to this passage in the Bible and look at verse 13 you will see that he was talking to the religious leaders who did not believe in Him, just like He was in Matthew 23.
So, yes, Jesus did say that people die in their sins and go to Hell if they do not believe in Him.
Jesus said there is fire in Hell.
Jesus said so in Mark 9:43-44 “ And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” These verses mean to get rid of whatever is stopping you from getting saved, so you do not go to Hell, even if it is a physical body part.”
The phrase “their worm dieth not” is simply saying that people will not die in Hell, but that hey will be tormented in fire forever.
Man is referred to as a “worm” in Job 25:6 “How much less
man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?”
Revelation 14:11a “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,” Another verse showing people are tormented in Hell forever.
Nothing is worth going to Hell for.
Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, please go to the page How to Get to Heaven to learn how to now.
The Bible says that Faith is the evidence for there being a God.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faithis the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Natural processes cannot explain the existence of faith, only God can.
Just think about it for a moment. If life originated from any kind of natural process, and not from a Supernatural act by a Supernatural Being (God), then how do you explain the existence of faith?
Why do most humans feel the need to believe in something supernatural, if everything is just natural?
What about transformed lives?
Furthermore, if there is no God, if the Bible is not true, if Jesus is not real, then why are so many people’s lives dramatically transformed, when they just simply believe in Jesus and start obeying the Bible?
How do you explain all the testimonies of people whose lives were a mess until they believed in Jesus and started obeying the Bible? They were drug addicts, drunkards, prostitutes, criminals, etc. Some of them tried everything (like counseling, discipline, even other religions) to turn over a new leaf and get their lives straitened out. Some of them had their family and the law try to straighten them out, but nothing worked!
Until they committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and started obeying His Word, then suddenly they never drank, did drugs, committed crimes, or prostituted ever again.
You can find a lot of testimonies like these by going to churches and talking to Christians, and there are a lot of them on Youtube as well.
Jesus Christ is the only explanation for these transformed lives!
These transformations are not caused by any natural process, but by a Supernatural act by a Supernatural Being (Jesus Christ).
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
If you have never had any of your own experiences with God, you can know that He is real based upon the testimonies of other people’s experiences. The truth is, you may not have your own experience with God until you do believe in Jesus.
The Bible says that faith is the evidence for the existence of God, the truth of the Bible, the reality of Jesus being God, and all other things supernatural.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the… evidence of things not seen.”
So science and history can be debated all day long, but the fact is there is a God that created everything! And the existence of faith itself, is the evidence that proves that fact! And since there is a God, you are accountable to Him!
What does God require of you?
To repent of your sins and believe in Jesus.
The Bible says:
Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus is both God and the Son of God.
John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
If you do not believe in Jesus, and repent of your sins before you die then you will be tormented in flames of fire for all eternity.
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (This death is not physical, but spiritual. It means that you will be separated from God and tormented in the Lake of fire for all eternity.)
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Revelation 20:14-15 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 14:11a “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night” (You will never burn up and stop existing in Hell, you will be tormented in flames forever.)
Mark 9:43 “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:”
Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
How to Be Saved:
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
You must believe that Jesus arose from the dead in a flesh and bone body, not just in Spirit form.
Luke 24:36-40 “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.”
To believe in Jesus does not mean to only be fully persuaded in your mind of who Jesus is and what He did.
The word “believe” in Romans 10:9 in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance roots backwards twice to a word, which means “obey” (the word believe is Strong’s # 4100 in the Greek, which comes from # 4102, which comes from # 3982, which means obey and also yield).
This shows that true faith is rooted in obedience.
Therefore, in order to fulfill the requirements of salvation in Romans 10:9 you must be fully persuaded in your mind of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done, and your heart must change from wanting to sin to wanting to obey God. This is an immediate change of your heart (meaning desire and will).
It means that you yield (submit) your will to God’s will. That is repentance of sins, and it is required for you to receive forgiveness of your sins.
All of your actions may not change immediately after you get saved, but you are going to be so convicted over your sin, when you mess up, that you are going to cry out to God to help you to change. This is the only way you can go to heaven.
If you have never done this, please do it now. Here is a prayer that you can pray word for word or use as a guide to tell God that you believe the gospel, repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you of your sins.
The prayer does not save you.
The decision to believe in Jesus and repent of your sins is what saves you.
The prayer just helps you tell God that you have made these decisions.
Here is the prayer you can pray, if you have made the decisions written above:
“Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross and bodily arose from the dead 3 days later to pay for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to obey you and live for you for now on. Please take me to heaven when my life on this earth is over. Thank you for saving me. In Christ Jesus name, Amen.”
