Dear Seeker,
Perhaps more clearly than any other book of the Bible, the book of Romans explains how a person can have a new life in Jesus Christ. I encourage you to read the book of Romans, from one of the good modern language translations. I would recommend the New American Standard or the New International Version.
I have printed some verses from the book Romans, as well as a few from some other parts of the Bible. I've added a few comments. If you would like to "talk" to someone, please drop us a line.
Howard Merrell,
The Good News About Jesus Christ
The good news begins with bad news:
". . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . ." Romans 3:23 (NIV)
Really that statement is a summary of the entire first part of the book of Romans. If you want to read the bad news in all its unflattering detail read Romans 1:1 - 3:20
You might not think that is so bad until you consider the consequences of sin:
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in {or through} Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 (NIV)
To fully understand the impact of those words you need to understand the full meaning of death:
"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10-15 (NIV)
Ultimately death is not to cease to exist, but to be eternally separate from God in a place of torment.
The really good news is that, through Jesus Christ, God has made it possible for us to be forgiven and to have new life in Him.
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Romans 3:21-22 (NIV)
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17 (NIV)
As stated in the verse above, to make this effective in your life, requires an act of faith:
"That 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. . . . for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."" Romans 10:9-13 (NIV)
This good news is based on the real, historical facts about Jesus Christ. It is not just a good hope. It is GOOD NEWS.
"By this gospel you are saved . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:2-4 (NIV)
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