Four Immediate Benefits!
Okay, so you’ve asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and be the Lord of your life! Now what? It is important that you begin to grow in your relationship with God! He is waiting for you to get to know Him better!
Let’s start at the beginning! There are four wonderful things that happen when you first become a Christian: Your sins are forgiven, you become a child of God, you receive eternal life, and Christ lives in you.
1. Your sins are forgiven.
Colossians 2:13 tells us,
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins” (NLT).
And 1 John 1:7 says,
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (NIV).
How many of your sins are forgiven?
A:___________________________________________________
Is there anything about this concept of forgiveness of sins that is hard for you to accept or understand?
A:___________________________________________________
1 John 1:9 instructs us,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (NIV).
If you do sin, what should you do? Feel guilty? No, your sins have been forgiven! However, the verse in 1 John tells us that we must confess our sins to God. You must agree with God that you have sinned, and thank Him that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, you are forgiven!
In today’s world, many people do not want to talk about sin. It makes them feel uncomfortable, or sad, or angry, or guilty. But God wants us to confess it to Him, and simply let Him have it! Our sin does not need to haunt us …God has forgiven us. Confess your sin and let it go!
Take a few minutes right now to confess your sin to God … and then know that He has forgiven you!
2. You become a child of God.
John 1:12 says,
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (NIV).
What is our part?
A:___________________________________________________
What is God's part?
A:___________________________________________________
Ephesians 1:3-7 encourages us with these words,
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins”(NLT).
What does it mean to you to know that you are God’s child?
A:___________________________________________________
3. You receive eternal life.
Eternal life … a life with God forever after you die! Imagine, spending time with God forever! How do we know this? The Bible is very clear!
John 3:16 says,
“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” (NIV).
And 1 John 5:11-13 tells us,
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son! Whoever has the Son has life; whoever 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” (NIV).
What do these verses teach you about eternal life?
A:___________________________________________________
If you have eternal life today, is it possible for you to lose it tomorrow?
A:___________________________________________________
Hebrews 13:5 tells us,
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (NIV).
In what way does the verse from Hebrews answer the previous question?
A:___________________________________________________
What does this mean to you personally?
A:___________________________________________________
4. Christ is in you!
The Bible tells about a miraculous event that occurs when we trust Christ for our salvation. He actually comes into our lives and takes up permanent residence.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ” (NIV).
Is there anything in your life you can already see that is becoming new?
A:___________________________________________________
Being a Christian means you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not a“religious system” or a list of rules, or an inventory of do’s and don’ts.
It is a living faith in a living person, God himself.
Now that Christ is in your life forever, you will want to know Him more intimately, and to please Him by the way you think and live.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 tells us,
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (NIV).
This a very important verse for you to think about!
What are some ways that you have lived for yourself?
A:___________________________________________________
What are some ways that you can live for God?
A:___________________________________________________
God created us to be His children. He desires us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven; however, our sin nature would have prevented that from happening. That is why God sent his only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, in our place, so that we who put our trust in Him can be forgiven.
When we accept Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, we will experience an abundant life on earth, and then eternal life continuing in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the only one who can bring us to God. Those who don’t put their faith in Christ will suffer eternal separation from God.
Application:
What excites you most about your new life in Christ?
A:___________________________________________________
Related Lessons From Series Two:
Empowered by Christ
God’s Great Love for You!
It’s hard to imagine that the God of the universe cares about each one of us individually, but it’s true! God’s love extends to each and every person … and that includes you!
(Go to lesson)
God’s Purpose for Your Life
Your life matters! God has given you an identity in Christ and has a plan for your life!
(Go to lesson)
