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“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

This is perhaps the most well-known and oft-quoted passage of the Bible, summarizing the essential theme of the New Testament. But despite its widespread familiarity, many do not grasp the full implications of its message and relevance to every single person.

God’s word tells us that we have an eternal soul, and that there is more to our destiny than just our earthly existence. We will consciously spend eternity somewhere, and where we spend it depends on a very important choice that we all—without exception—will make in this life.

The Bible explains that the one, true, living God is a holy God. Consequently we, being sinful by nature and our actions, are in violation of His moral expectations. The ultimate punishment for sin is death, both physical and spiritual, and our estrangement from God because of our sin consigns us to a state of eternal condemnation. This is the application of God’s perfect justice, and because we all fall short of His holiness, no person has the ability within themselves to atone and avoid this fate.

But our God is a merciful God. While we cannot save ourselves, He has graciously provided a way of salvation.

Scripture reveals that the one way is Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature. Only God Himself possesses the holiness that can sufficiently atone for sin, and He accomplished this by entering human history as a man, living out a sinless life and offering that life as the atonement.

Out of sheer love for us, Jesus became our substitute. He paid the sin penalty for mankind, dying on a cross to satisfy God’s perfect justice, and rising again to prove the sufficiency of that sacrifice and demonstrate His ultimate victory over death. This act of mercy made possible the salvation of all those who repent of their sin and believe in Him. God’s promise is that whoever believes in His Son will live forever with Him in glory; this is the gospel message, the good news of man’s redemption and reconciliation to God.

However, man does not naturally choose God. It is simply not within our sinful nature to choose the way of salvation by accepting Christ. As Jesus Himself said, we must first be born again, which is what happens when God causes the truth of the gospel to take hold in an unregenerate person’s heart. Their eyes are opened to the things of God, they receive a new nature, being fundamentally changed to desire holiness and righteousness, and they are justified before God as a believer in Christ.

This gift of salvation is entirely God's work. It is by His grace through our faith alone that we are saved, and our very faith itself is a gift of God; it allows us to believe in Jesus and leads us to fulfill our responsibility to receive Him as Savior and Lord of our lives.

So how do you come to receive Christ and become born again? Again it is God who makes it possible, compelling you through faith to sincerely:

• Understand and admit that you are a sinner, by birth and by choice (Rom 3:10)
• Realize that your sin separates you from God (Is 59:2)
• Be willing to repent, to reject and turn away from your sin (Acts 3:19)
• Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and achieved victory over death by His resurrection (Rom 5:8, 1 Cor 15:20-21)
• Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (Rom 10:9)

The Bible explains that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21, Rom 10:13, cf. Joel 2:32). This "calling" on God isn't simply the act of praying for salvation, but instead acting in genuine obedience to God's requirements to repent of your personal sin, submit to Jesus as Lord of your life, and trust in His work on the cross for redemption. God gives you the ability to do these things by way of His grace (Eph 2:8-10, Acts 11:18, 1 Cor 12:3, Phil 2:12-13).

When you have been moved to understand the truth of the gospel, have realized your sinful state and need for redemption before God, and have sincerely called on the name of Jesus and trusted in Him alone for your salvation, then this is the evidence that you are indeed born again and saved. You can rejoice in the fact that by way of God's love and gift of faith, you have claimed the promise of John 3:16 and will partake in His abundant, everlasting life.

You will notice the positive change of your new nature as the Holy Spirit begins His sanctifying work in your life and you will find that you increasingly find fulfillment in the things of God instead of the things of this world. Your desire will be away from sin and self-gratification and instead toward holiness and the glorification of the One who saved you. You will come to recognize a sense of peace, purpose, and fulfillment that you have never experienced before.

Exercise your newfound faith. Trust in the Lord Jesus. As the great 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon pointed out, God is not unapproachable—He hears, He pities, He helps. Trust Him without doubt or hesitation:

Friends, if now you have begun to trust the Lord, trust him out and out. Let your faith be the most real and practical thing in your whole life. Don't trust the Lord in mere sentiment about a few great spiritual things; but trust him for everything, for ever, both for time and eternity, for body and for soul.*

So what happens next? How do you channel this saving faith in your life after you have personally received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Start with the following:

• Make known the salvation you have received and the commitment you have made (Ps 71:15, Ps 96:2, Ps 118:17)
• Be baptized as an outward demonstration of your faith in Christ (Acts 8:36-39)
• Read and study the Bible intently to deepen your understanding of God's truth (Rom 10:17, 2 Tim 3:16-17)
• Attend and join a local New Testament church (Acts 2:42, Heb 10:25)

Joining and regularly attending a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church is very important in helping you continue to develop spiritually and remain well-grounded in your faith. The Christian life is a journey, and the local church is there to encourage and support you as you begin your walk with God and grow in faith. Participation in church provides believers the opportunity to worship and study God's word together, engage in Christian fellowship, strengthen and support one another in faith, use their skills and talents in service to God, and amplify the gospel message that He may use it in bringing others to salvation.

If you have recently received Jesus you are at the very beginning of a rewarding new life. You have been eternally saved by the grace of God, spared His judgment of sin through your faith in Christ, and empowered for discipleship. All Christians are called to be disciples, submitting to Jesus’s lordship and adhering to His teachings as the standard for how they live their lives. Learn more about what Christian discipleship means here.

* Spurgeon, C.H.; Around the Wicket Gate; 1889

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Most scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB)

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