This is the most important question that anyone has to answer; more-so than even who you will marry, where you will live, or what kind of career you will pursue. That is because your relationship with Jesus Christ determines where you will spend eternity, and the Bible makes clear that there are only two final destinations: Heaven and Hell.

The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). We are all sinners, and since God expects perfection (Mt. 5:48), there is no way that we can be reconciled to Him by our own merit (Is. 64:6, Rom. 3:10-18). However, even though God is a holy and righteous judge, He is also gracious. As John 3:16 reminds us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV).

His Son, Jesus Christ, came into the world and lived the perfect, sinless life that you could not (Heb. 4:15). And then, He died on the cross. Romans 5:8-11 clearly spells out what His death accomplished for His people:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (NIV).

So, what must you do to be reconciled with God? How can you have your sins forgiven? Jesus Himself provides the answer: He called on us to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1:15).

The Westminster Shorter Catechism provides a wonderful definition of repentance: it is “a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.”

So prior to repentance, you first need to answer three questions: First, do you know just how awful your sin is in God’s eyes? Second, are you aware that God has mercifully provided a way of redemption for you through Jesus Christ? Third, do you grieve over and hate your sin so much that you desire to ask God to forgive you, based upon what Christ did for you on the cross, and then live for Him?

If that is your sincere desire, you need to do two things: first, pray to God, and ask Him to forgive you. The good news is, He will! The Bible teaches that your salvation is not dependent upon anything you have done; it is all of God, from beginning to end. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes this clear: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (ESV).

Second, you need to join a Bible-believing church where you can worship (John 4:23-24), fellowship and grow with other Christians (Rom. 12:9-16), and “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, ESV). Being an active member of a church is vital to your spiritual health, and if you live in the Atlanta area, we hope that you would consider Redeemer. If you are not close by, please visit our denomination’s web page so that you can locate a congregation near you: www.opc.org.