For Those Who Seek God
God, Please open my mind to the truth so that I can know you.
Our Creator God is absolutely good, absolutely loving, absolutely perfect, and He absolutely hates sin. As God, He possesses the highest of standards. He will not allow any person into heaven unless they are absolutely 100% perfect, just like Himself. That's right. If a person commits just one sin, just one bad thought, just one wrong action, if he fails to follow God's will even just one time in his life, if he does not do what God wants him to do just one time, then this person will burn in the Lake of Fire forever.
Here is the good news. Jesus is the Creator God of the universe who became a man to die for the sins of the world. As Jesus was hanging on the cross over 1900 years ago, there were two thieves dying next to Him. One was an unbeliever who mocked and rejected Jesus on the cross, just as many reject and mock Jesus today. However, the other thief believed that Jesus was actually the Lord God Himself in human flesh.This repentant thief believed that Jesus could indeed forgive him of his sins. He asked of Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus promised the repentant thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
Notice that this repentant thief had no time to be baptized, no time to change his life style, no time to do any good works, no time to walk down the aisle and make a public confession, no time to pray a sinner's prayer, no time to repent* and change is ways, or no time to even go to church. He could not do anything except BELIEVE! That is all we have to do, "BELIEVE upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31)
*Repent means to change your ways. A person is saved by simply "believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 16:31). After a person believes, then he will repent and change his attitude about God. Therefore, repentance is a result of salvation, but not a condition of salvation. The only condition of salvation is "to believe".