Two things are true of a person who does not believed in Jesus Christ:
(i) His sinful nature binds him like a strong chain so that he is unable to free himself from sinning.
(ii) He cannot please God by his good deeds because he refuses to come to God in His way.
To be able to please God, you must do two things:
(i) Repent of your sins. This means that you make up your mind to stop living as you like, in defiance of God.
(ii) Have faith in Jesus Christ. This means that you trust Him alone to save you, by His death on the cross.
Forgiveness and acceptance by God is based on what Jesus Christ has accomplished on the cross, not on your good deeds. That is what is meant by “grace” – God showing mercy to undeserving sinners. Does that mean a Christian can sin as he likes? No, definitely not!
A person who truly repents and believes in Jesus Christ will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The power of sin over his life is broken. The Holy Spirit begins to take control of his life, giving him holy desires and the ability to obey the Bible’s teaching. Although sin will not be totally erased from his life, he will increasingly show characteristics of change such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control. When he arrives in heaven, all sins will be removed and he will be perfect.
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