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PERSONAL COMMITMENT GUIDE


Salvation

  • Have you come to a place in your life where you know for certain you have eternal life and will go to heaven when you die?
  • Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say?

 

God’s Purpose

God loves us and has a purpose for our lives. The Bible states it this way: “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” (John 3:16). God’s purpose is that we have eternal life.

  • God gives eternal life as a gift (Rom. 6:23).
  • We can live a full and meaningful life right now (John 10:10).
  • We will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven (John 14:3).

 

Our Need

As we search for meaning in life, we discover that our sinful nature keeps us from fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.

  • We are all sinners by nature and by choice. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
  • We cannot save ourselves. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
  • We deserve death and hell. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

 

God’s Provision

God is holy and just and must punish sin. Yet He loves us and provides forgiveness for our sins. Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6).

 Jesus is God and became man (John 1:1,14).

  • Jesus died for us on the cross (1 Pet. 3:18).
  • Jesus was resurrected (arose) from the dead and is alive today (Rom. 4:25; 6:9-10).
  • God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to Himself (John 6:44).

 

Our Response

The only way Jesus can affect our lives is for us to receive Him. The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

 We must repent of our sin. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19).

  • Repentance is not just feeling sorry for our sin (Acts 26:20).
  • Repentance is turning away from our sin and turning to God through Jesus.
  • We must place our faith in Jesus. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).
  • Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus (Jas. 2:19).
  • Faith is trusting in Jesus (Rom. 10:11).
  • We must surrender to Jesus as Lord. “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” (Rom. 10:9-10).
  • Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is not just saying we give our lives to Jesus (Matt. 7:21).
  • Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is giving Jesus control of our lives.

 

My Commitment

Giving Jesus control is something each person must do for himself or herself. No one else can make this decision for you. Jesus says, “ ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me’ ” (Rev. 3:20).

  • Does what we have been discussing make sense to you?
  • Is there any reason you would not be willing to receive God’s gift of eternal life?
  • Are you willing to turn from your sin, place your faith in Jesus, and give Him control of your life right now?

 Accept the forgiveness of sin and eternal life that Jesus gives you. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross to pay for all of your sins. Confess that you are in need of forgiveness and salvation and that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.

 

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

Do you doubt your salvation?

 

God’s Purpose

  • God wants us to know we have eternal life. The Bible says, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:12-13).
  • God wants us to experience the joy of salvation (John 15:10-11).

 

Our Need

Doubts are not uncommon to Christians. Satan wants us to doubt and may plant doubts in our minds (Gen. 3:1). Even the biblical writers experienced doubts and expressed the need for renewal (Ps. 51:12). There are five major factors that cause believers to doubt: 

  • You may not have received an adequate explanation when you first believed.
  • You may have neglected prayer, bible study, and worship.
  • You may have allowed sin, disobedience, or a failure to share your faith to cloud your relationship with Jesus.
  • You may have an inadequate or erroneous understanding of God or of your daily Christian life.
  • You may be experiencing physical or emotional difficulties which are causing you to doubt your salvation.


God’s Provision

  • God has promised to complete His work of salvation in us (Phil. 1:6).
  • Jesus promises assurance of eternal life: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).
  • Jesus said no one could take the Christian out of His hand (John 10:28). 
  • The Holy Spirit tells us we are the children of God (Rom. 8:16).

 

Our Response

We receive God’s assurance by faith and express it through obedience (1 John 2:3-5). Christians are not to trust only their feelings. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Four actions can bring us to assurance:

  1. Confess all known sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). 
  2. Commit yourself to the lordship of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:9-10).
  3. Claim God’s promise of salvation by faith. Know. Believe. Entrust. (2 Tim. 1:12).
  4. Obey God’s commands (John 14:21; 15:10).

 

My Commitment

Are you ready to take the four faith actions which bring assurance of salvation? If so, you may want to pray the following or a similar prayer now: 

“Father, I place my complete faith in you: I confess to you any sin (you may want to name known sins); I commit myself to the lordship of Jesus; I claim your promise of assurance; and I will live in obedience to your commands.

Thank you for the assurance of my salvation.”


Rededication 

You may feel you are not as close to Jesus as you once were, or you may realize you are not continuing to grow toward spiritual maturity.

 

God’s Purpose

  • Jesus wants to be the Lord of all your life (Luke 6:46).
  • God wants your life to be useful and joyful (John 15:10-11).
  • God wants you to live in fellowship with Him (1 John 1:7).
  • God wants to fill you with His Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
  • God wants to equip you for ministry (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
  • When you fail in your walk with Him, God wants to forgive you and restore you to a useful life with Him (1 John 1:9).


Our Need

  • Personal sin may hinder our fellowship with God (Isa. 59:2).
  • Circumstances of life may reveal a need for renewed or continuing growth toward maturity (Rom. 12:1-2).


God’s Provision

God offers six major resources for transformation and spiritual growth.

  1. God uses Scripture to bring believers into a state of being set apart for His purposes (John 17:17).
  2. Spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, Bible study, worship, fasting, witnessing, and serving help us to grow (1 Tim. 4:7).
  3. Family and home influences may encourage us toward spiritual growth (2 Tim. 1:5).
  4. The church, as the body of Christ, encourages all to reach unity in their faith and knowledge of Jesus (Eph. 4:12-13).
  5. God works in all circumstances of life to bring us to Christlikeness (Rom. 8:28-29).
  6. God disciplines His children to transform us into the likeness of Jesus (Heb. 12:10).

 

Our Response

  • Confess any known sin (Prov. 28:13).
  • Recommit your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ (John 20:28).
  • Yield yourself daily to Jesus and experience the fullness of His life in you as you continually grow toward spiritual maturity (Rom. 6:12-13; Gal. 2:20).

 

My Commitment

As you respond to God’s call to growth, you will begin to see the fruit of the Spirit being developed in your life (Gal. 5:22-23). 

Perhaps you can identify one or more aspects of the fruit of the Spirit which are lacking in your life. Are you ready to ask God to work in you to help you grow toward the fullness of His life? If so, you may want to pray the following prayer or a similar one: 

“Heavenly Father, I want to be like Jesus. I commit myself to you and ask you to work in my life to develop the fruit of the Spirit so I may become continually more mature in my faith and my commitment to your cause and your church."

 

Biblical Answers to Life’s problems