WELCOME 

Thank you for dropping in to learn more about Christianity. 

If you ended up here because you were handed a Gospel tract, know that the individuals that handed that to you, care deeply about your eternal salvation, and this is why they have gone out of their way to share it with you.  The fact is there is a heaven and a hell, and all of us will eventually end up in one of these places for eternity. 

If you had a chance to talk to the person who shared it with you, they may have walked you through some of the 10 commandments to show you that you, and every one of us, is not a good person.  We have all sinned (Romans 3:23).   None of us deserve to go to Heaven based on our own works or our own merits. 

Now, if you have a Bible please grab it so you can look up these verses as we provide them.  You want a Christian Bible, not a Catholic, JW, or Mormon bible. This way you can see that what we are saying is not made up, but in the Word of God. 

If you do not have a Bible, then you can use the Blue Letter Bible which is available online.  https://www.blueletterbible.org 

Now first of all, in case the Bible is new to you.  The Bible is divided into 2 sections, the Old Testament (before Jesus was born), and the New Testament (after Jesus was born).  Within the Old and New Testaments, there are a total of 66 different books.  Each book is divided into chapters, and each chapter into verses. This just makes looking up information fast and easy.   So, when we referenced Romans 3:23 (New Testament) above, that would be the Book of Romans, Chapter 3, verse 23. 

One more note about the Bible.  There are many different versions, or translations of the Bible.   We have used the NKJV (New King James Version) when we quote scripture.  On the Blue Letter Bible you can select this version, as well as other versions such as ESV, ASV, NIV, etc.   

Now the BAD News

Do you know the 10 commandments?  Here they are.  They are outlined in the Bible in Exodus 20:1-17 (Old Testament). 

• 1. You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me.  
• 2. You Shall Not Make Yourself Any Graven Image.  
• 3. You Shall Not Take the Name Of The Lord Your God In Vain.  
• 4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.  
• 5. Honor Your Father and Mother.  
• 6. You shall Not Kill.  
• 7. You Shall Not Commit Adultery.  
• 8. You Shall Not Steal.  
• 9. You Shall Not Lie.  
• 10. You Shall Not Covet.  

Have you kept all of the 10 commandments perfectly for your whole life?  The answer, if you are truthful, is no, you have not.  No one has.  And if you have not kept them perfectly, then you cannot enter Heaven, as God is perfect & good, and sin cannot exist in his presence.   You are doomed.  We are all doomed.  We have been sentenced to Hell. 

Let’s look at a few verses from the Bible to substantiate these comments: 

"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” Revelation 21:8 (New Testament, last book of the Bible)

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?”  1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (New Testament)

“You  shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” Exodus 20:7 (Old Testament)

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for its written, “Curses is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” Galatians 3:10 (New Testament)

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 (New Testament)

See, we are eternally doomed IF this is where the story ended. 

That’s the bad news.  Terrible news… we have sinned, and we cannot make it to Heaven.  We are destined for Hell.  

The Good News 

BUT WAIT,  

there is Good News.  In fact, there is Great News.    

We call this Good News the Gospel. 

The Good news is that God sent his son Jesus, as a perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for your sins. He is offering this gift to you. But like any gift, you can choose to accept it, or decline it. You have received an invitation to Heaven, and you can choose to accept it, or not.  The choice is yours.    

So, let’s pause and clarify some of these points from scripture. 

Jesus is God in the flesh 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3 (New Testament)

Jesus led a sinless life

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15 (New Testament)

Jesus paid the fine for sins

“For he made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (New Testament)

Jesus paid our fine

“But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Romans 5:8-9 (New Testament)

Then after Jesus lived this sinless life, he was crucified and died on a cross.  He was buried and on the 3^rd day he rose again.   (This is what we celebrate as Easter, the resurrection of Jesus). 

So how do you accept this invitation? 
How do you partake in this gift from God?   

Well, let’s start with what you cannot do.  You cannot … I repeat cannot stand before God and say you have done good works.  Look at all the good things I have done God.  God says no to your good deeds.  Your good works do not make up for or cover your sin.  Your good works are like filthy rags.  

Instead, you need to be clothed in God’s righteousness.  You sinned.  Jesus paid the fine.  You put your trust and faith in Jesus’s finished work on the cross.  Trusting in him, and not in yourself, for the forgiveness of sin.   And then turn from sins.  Walk away from what God calls sin.  Be born again into a new life of righteousness. 

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man who He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all raising Him from the dead” 

Acts 17:30-31

Don’t delay, put your faith in trust in Jesus, and repent of your sin.  You do not know if you will see tomorrow, let alone an hour from now.  You die suddenly from a heart attack, or be hit by car, or slip in the shower.  You do not know.   Do not delay.  Cry out to God.  Let your heart be broken.  Admit you are sinful, and guilty before a holy God. Ask for forgiveness and turn from your sinful ways.   Trust His ways.   

Read Psalm 51 (Old Testament).  Cry out to the Lord.   

WARNINGS 

If you are coming to Christ to get a better marriage, become successful, make more money, or get a better self-esteem, DON’T. If you do not intend to take the Christian life seriously and plan on making Christianity a matter of adding church attendance on Sunday and continuing in the sins that have damned you to Hell, please DON’T pray Psalm 51. If you have no intention of serving the One who offers you eternal life, then by all means, DON’T make a pretense of coming to Christ. 

• If you understand that there is nowhere else that you can go to have eternal life but to the Lord Jesus Christ, come to Him!
• If you understand that you must turn from your lying, lust, thievery, rebellion, come to Him!
• If you understand that He is your substitute and sacrifice for your sins, come to Him!
• If you understand that your life is no longer your own and that He has bought you with the price of His own blood, come to Him!

He will not cast you out. He will not mock your desire to be right with God. 

The Fine Print 

We’ve told you the bad news and the good news. This is the fine print: 

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

Luke 9:23-26

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that

“If anyone is in Christ, then he is a new creature. The old things have passed away, and all things have become new.”  
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Your new life in Christ will not be easy. Big changes are ahead! You have the promise that He will be with you in trouble and that an eternity with Him awaits you.  

Read the Bible daily and obey what you read.   Start by reading the book of John (New Testament). 

Find a good church that preaches the Word of God.   We would love you to join us here in person, or online, but if you are not in this area, call us and let us know where you are, and we can help you find a church closer to you. 

Stay in fellowship with other strong and seasoned Christians that can help you, and guide you in your journey. 

If you have just committed your life to Christ, please let us know! Please e-mail us at info@riversidecalvary.com

Please take time to visit these links to learn more and as references: