Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin!
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
This was Jesus' mission from the very beginning. He came from heaven to earth on a 'rescue mission' to rescue the souls of men from the clutches of the evil one (who is the Devil). “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...” (1 Timothy 1:15). He payed our sin debt on the cross, died and was buried. He rose again on the third day and 40 days later ascended into heaven. He now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the believers. And one day soon, He is returning to judge all those who have rejected Him!
The Bible says that every single one of us is a sinner (Romans 3:23); none of us are good, not a single one (Romans 3:10). We inherited this sin nature from Adam, the first man who along with his wife Eve disobeyed God, bringing His curse upon themselves and all of mankind to follow (Genesis 3 and Romans 5:12). This has been evidenced in our lives from the time we were old enough to talk. We've lied, maybe even stolen. We've not always obeyed our parents. We've committed blasphemy against almighty God, using His name as a cuss word. We've had lustful thoughts. We've envied. We've been jealous. We've coveted. We've been selfish. We've been angry with someone, even to the point of murdering them in our own heart. And the list of transgressions goes on and on. The Bible says "The soul who sins is the one who will die" (Ezekiel 18:20). Hebrews 9:27 says,"It is appointed for men to die once, but after this comes the judgment." Each one of us will be judged on an individual basis according to our own sins. And God knows every single sinful thing that you and I have ever done, not just our wrong actions, but also our impure thought-life and the ill intentions of our heart. Furthermore, the Bible says that if you are guilty in one part of the moral law, then you are guilty of it all (James 2:10). God's standard is absolute perfection, but none of us are perfect, not even on our best day! None of us pass the test and if we die in our sins, we will end up in a place called hell. That's the bad news! (See: How Bad Are You? - One Way Jesus)
The good news is that God is also a God of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness and the Bible says that He does not want anyone to perish, but wants them to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Two thousand years ago God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ to this earth to suffer and die on a cross to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He suffered and died so that we wouldn't have to. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah said of the coming Messiah, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). The New Testament says, "...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:4-5). Jesus Christ proclaimed that everyone everywhere must "...repent and believe in the gospel" in order to be saved (Mark 1:14-15).
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"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
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"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out..." (Acts 3:19). In brokenness and sincerity, confess your sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness. The Bible says that if you do this that God is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. God will grant to you the gift of everlasting life! "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Romans 6:23) Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross on your behalf satisfying God's wrath, Christ's righteousness is applied to your account. "And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). And the Bible says that as far as the east is from the west that God will remember your sins no more! (Psalm 103:12)
If you understand that you are a sinner and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ, here is a simple suggested prayer* you can pray to God:
"God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord, for saving me and forgiving me! Amen!"
*suggested prayer from GotQuestions: What is the sinner's prayer?