Knowing Christ
HOW TO HAVE A PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST
Do you need rest? Have you been losing sleep? Do you worry about the future? If so, I want to share a message that’s really important. I want to share the message of God through His Son Jesus Christ. It’s called the
“Good News.”...
When God first created the earth, He created it perfectly. He created man and woman (Adam and Eve) to be friends with Him and to walk side-by-side with Him. They could enjoy all the beautiful things God created and live in a garden called Eden. God told them they were free to eat from any tree in the garden, but they could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told them if they ate from that tree, they would die.
A cunning serpent asked Eve a question - “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” It was the question that planted the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind. And the doubt grew, and Eve gave into the temptation. She took some of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She ate it. She gave some to her husband, Adam, and he ate it too. At that moment, everything changed. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Death entered the world. Mankind was now separated from God because we were no longer perfect. We were now sinners. And every person who has ever lived since has been born into a world of sin.
However, there was One who entered the world perfect and sinless. Only One. And His name is Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin woman and came into the world as every man has. But He is no ordinary man. He is also God. And He came into the world as the way to bring mankind back to God. He came into the world to save us from our sins.
He went to the cross and took the penalty of all your and my sins upon Himself. He paid the sin-debt that we could never pay. Three days later, He rose from the dead, showing His triumph over sin and death. He rose from the dead to give us a new life–a life of eternal perfection, just like back in the garden. He did what we could never do. He gave us the opportunity to be restored to God.
This is the Good News. He paid your sin-debt. You can walk free and receive rest from all your sins and mistakes. He’s taken all of your burdens to the cross. Have you received His free gift?
If not, here’s how:
1. Admit you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23
2. Your sin leads to death, but eternal life is God’s free gift to you. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23
3. Jesus loves you and paid the debt for your sin. “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” -Romans 5:8
4. Believe Jesus died for you and rose from the dead. “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” -Romans 10:9
5. Ask God to save you, and He will. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” -Romans 10:13
YOU CAN PRAY THIS PRAYER TODAY:
Dear God, I believe I am a sinner and that my sin separates me from you. I believe Jesus paid the debt for my sin at the cross. I believe He rose from the dead. I want to turn away from my sinful life and turn to You. Please save me. Amen.
If you prayed this today, please share it with someone you trust. This is just the beginning of a new life in Christ - a life of eternal rest from sin!
By Courtney Silberman
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What is the Bible?The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is a collection of sixty-six different books, written by approximately 40 authors over a span of 1,500 years. The Bible includes books of the law, like Leviticus; books of prophecy, like Isaiah and Revelation; books of poetry, like the Psalms; the gospels, such as Matthew and John; historical books, like Ezra and Acts, and finally, epistles (formal letters), like Ephesians and 1 Peter. It provides hope and encouragement for women and everyone!
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Is the Bible truly God's Word?Yes, the Bible is truly God’s Word. We can trust its message and truths to be timeless and flawless in every way. There is much evidence to support this both within the pages of the Bible itself and through outside historical writings. What is most remarkable about the Bible is its consistency in message written over a span of 1,500 years by approximately 40 different authors. Only God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could maintain such a consistency.
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Does the Bible contain errors?The original manuscripts, written by the original authors, are flawless. They were written down by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and are without error, conveyed exactly how God intended. We do not have the original manuscripts in our possession today. We have copies of copies of copies. However, the copies we have are 99% in agreement with one another. The 1% difference accounts for minor scribal errors done in copying such as punctuation, word order, or grammatical errors. These errors in no way affect the truths of the Bible or contradict its message.
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How can I understand the Bible?Some truths of the Bible are easy to understand while others are difficult to understand. The more time we spend reading the Bible, studying it, meditating on it, and memorizing it, the more we will understand the nature of God and our relationship with Him. If we have entered into a personal relationship with God, then we have received the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to help us understand and apply biblical truths to our lives. Understanding the Bible becomes much easier with the help of the Holy Spirit. If you want to know how you can receive the Holy Spirit and enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, visit the Knowing Christ page.
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What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?The Old Testament are the books written before Jesus came to earth (Genesis to Malachi) and the New Testament are the books written after Jesus came to earth (Matthew to Revelation). The Old Testament points to Jesus Christ and the New Testament tells about Jesus Christ. It is important we study both the Old and New Testaments because we would not understand one without the other.
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What are the original languages of the Old Testament and New Testament?The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew (and in some places Aramaic, like parts of the book of Daniel) and the New Testament was originally written in Greek.
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Why are there so many versions/translations of the Bible?As language changes with each new generation, the Bible needs to be translated to reflect those changes. We are blessed to be living in a time when we have many different English translations of the Bible to select from. We are also blessed to be living in a time when the Bible has been translated to many different languages around the world.
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Which Bible translation is the best?There is no one right translation of the Bible. However, there are some translations that are better than others—that are easier to read and are more accurate to the original languages. It is a good practice to have more than one translation to read and study from. Different nuances and word selection help to gain a deeper understanding of the text. Encouraging Women for Christ uses the New King James Version as its primary translation. It was selected for its accuracy to the original languages and its readability.
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Where is a good place to begin reading the Bible?If you are reading the Bible for the first time, there are many different places to begin. You cannot go wrong by reading the Bible! This is just a suggestion to get you started. Begin by reading one the gospels first—Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. After reading one, several or all of the gospels, read one of the epistles written by Paul, such as Romans. Then go on to the Old Testament and read Psalms or Proverbs. Then read Genesis. This will give you a great start to understanding God’s Word.
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What is the difference between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?"Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are four different accounts of Jesus’ life on earth. You will notice that Matthew, Mark and Luke give similar accounts while John’s focus is different. Matthew was written to a primarily Jewish audience. Mark gives a quick-account, almost like reading a screenplay. Luke tends to give the most details and is written to a Gentile (non-Jewish) audience. John allots much of his account to the last week of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion and resurrection.