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Some practical tips- Please think through each question. There is no rush. It may be that you have never thought about these issues before.

  1. What is your biggest priority in life?
  2. Do you have a relationship with God? Remember, being raised in in a particular religious background does not always mean you have a relationship with God. If you have a relationship with God, do you define “God” as the God of the Bible?
  3. Have you ever read the Bible?
  4. If by chance you were to die today, what do you believe about the afterlife?
  5. Have you ever broken any of the Ten Commandments? Let’s take a look:
    1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Is your desire to love God above everything and everyone else?
    2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol (or graven image).” Have you made a god to suit your personal beliefs?
    3. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” Have you ever used God’s name (God, Jesus Christ, or Lord) to curse or even used His name lightly?
    4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Do you set aside one out of seven days to worship God, or do you simply pursue your own plans and goals every day?
    5. “Honor your father and mother.” Have you always done that which is right in God’s sight toward your parents? Have you ever spoken harshly toward your parents?
    6. “You shall not murder.” 1 John 3:15 says, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer.” Even anger without just cause is considered murder in God’s sight.
    7. “You shall not commit adultery.” (Jesus) said, “… anyone who looks at a woman (or another) lustfully has already committed adultery with her (or him) in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)
    8. “You shall not steal.” The value is irrelevant – anything from a shirt to an automobile! Have you ever taken something without asking?
    9. “You shall not lie.” Have you ever told a half-truth or exaggerated?
    10. “You shall not covet.” Have you ever desired to have something someone else has?
  6. So, now after you have looked at these commandments, how do you view your spiritual condition? You may be saying, “But everyone breaks these commandments!” You are right. The Bible says, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
  7. Do you think that God desires you to be correctly related to Him? If so, the fact that you cannot keep His commandments creates a problem. In order for you to enter into a relationship with God you must receive God’s pardon by admitting you have broken His law. In God’s eyes, you are a guilty lawbreaker. God will be the judge when you die and because He is a good and just judge, He must punish the guilty so that justice may be done. If we break one commandment, we’ve broken them all (James 2:10). Since our sin causes us to be alienated from God, we need reconciliation. When it comes to reconciliation, one must take the initiative to restore the other. By the way, God desires you to be in a relationship with Him in this life. The issue of forgiveness is not just about the afterlife.
  8. We just said when it comes to reconciliation, one must take the initiative to restore the other. If all of us have fallen short of God’s standard, do you think it makes sense that God would provide a way for people to be reconciled to Him?
  9. If you answered yes to the last question, you have answered correctly. God has taken the initiative to provide a way for us to be reconciled to Him. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, it says, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of who are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
  10. It says in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” After reading this, do you think there is anyone else who can be a mediator between God and us? If so, what is your reason for believing this?
  11. Do you desire to have a relationship with the God of the Bible? If not, what is your reason? If you do want to enter into a relationship with God, here are some things to think about. Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) We already talked about the bad news. The bad news is that all of us have broken the law of God. This causes a separation between God and us. As it says in Isaiah 59:2, “ But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” The word gospel means “good news.” The good news is Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead so that we may enter into a relationship with God. Repentance is turning from your sin and turning to God.
  12. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies"(John 11:25). Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” No one comes to the Father except through me"(John 14:6). Do you think Jesus is saying there are many roads that lead to God? Let's look at some of the other statements by Jesus. After reading them, who do you think He is?

    1. If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it"  (Luke 9:23-24).

    2. Regarding the eternal destiny of people, Jesus said to his fellow countrymen, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).

    3. For the status of those who are presently rejecting Him, Jesus said “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”  (John 3:18).

  13. What do you think faith is? In the Bible, faith, or believing involves both credence and commitment. Its object is sometimes described as God (Rom 4:24; 1Pet 1:21), Christ (Rom 3:22, 26), God’s promise (Rom. 4:20), Jesus’ Messiahship and Saviourhood (1 JN. 5:1), and the reality of the resurrection (Rom 10:9), the gospel (Mk 1:15), and the apostolic witness (2 Thess 1:10).1 Remember, faith involves placing your trust in Jesus as the one who can forgive your sins. You are placing your trust in a person, not a religion, or anything else.

  14. Have you ever called out to God and asked him to forgive you through the person of Jesus the Messiah? Remember that He looks at the sincerity of your heart. If you have rejected the Son of God, God has been trying to get your attention. After reading this, what do you attend to do about it? Stay busy? Do you want to be indifferent? It says in James 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
  15. Remember, if you do make a decision to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, your relationship with God is supposed to lived out within the context of community. It is imperative that you find a strong Bible-believing congregation in your area. Feel free to contact us with questions.

1 Packer, James. God’s Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes (Grand Rapids MI: Baker Books. 1981), 129.