Only God is truly righteous. No matter how many good works we do on earth, we can never earn righteousness. Our own sin cannot be erased by racking up any amount of good deeds – the sin is still there regardless of the good deeds. Thankfully, God’s program of righteousness for the followers of Jesus Christ is based on faith and not merit, and while we can never earn righteousness, Christ’s followers are made righteous by God, the source of righteousness, as a merciful and great gift. This greatest gift was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross as a once-for-all sacrifice. The sins of those that believe are erased by the sacrifice of the sinless Christ, and Christ’s righteousness is counted to us.
The good news is that this gift is available freely to all who believe. No sin is too foul, and no amount of sin is too great. Without this gift all are guilty, and with this gift each is made righteous.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)
Phillippians 3:9 ...not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. (NKJV)
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness… (NKJV)
Jesus’ death was not the result of his earthly trial, but was actually the fulfillment of his purpose in coming to earth as a man – so that he could serve as a perfect once-for-all sacrifice for all of us. He told others of his imminent crucifixion and the necessity of it, and he accepted the pain and suffering that he knew would result. But because he bore this cost on the cross, the cost of our sins, all that is now required of us to have eternal life is faith in Him. Faith that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, that he rose from the dead, and that his self-sacrifice covers all of our sins, no matter how awful they may be.
A simple way to express this faith and accept Christ is through prayer, telling God what you believe. The links below are to churches and ministries of many denominations, across the United States and around the world, with examples of prayers to tell God you now believe in Jesus and accept Him as your savior. If you check them out you’ll notice strong similarities in them despite the denominational differences, because accepting Christ as your Savior isn’t a denominational issue, it’s a biblical calling.
But what does “accepting Christ” mean? It’s more than just believing that Jesus saves. It’s about Jesus saving you. So it’s also acknowledging that you have sinned and need saving, that you know there is no way for you to save yourself, and that you will change the direction of your life to follow Him and His ways as best you can, starting now.
The exact wording of the prayers isn’t important – what matters is that you really believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God who was crucified and rose from the dead, and in doing this, Jesus paid the penalty for your sins instead of you. He is literally your savior – He saves you from bearing the penalty of your own sins, which is death, and provides eternal life instead. If you believe these things, we encourage you to tell God this in your own words, or through a prayer in a link below:
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Scripture quotations marked “NRSV” are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “NKJV™” are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “WEB” are taken from WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE, public domain.
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