"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" - John 3:16

In the beginning, God created us for companionship. The Bible says that after God created the world and filled it with all of the other creatures, God created Man in His own image. He later took from the man to make Woman. These first two people were to tend the paradise Garden of Eden and take care of it. They actually walked with God, face to face. But Adam and Eve were given a stern warning by God; in order to maintain paradise and a close relationship with Him, they must obey his commandment to stay away from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But Adam and his wife fell to temptation by Satan and chose the hard way, the way of sin. They disobeyed God and ate the fruit of the Tree. Their innocence was lost, and their eyes were opened to right and wrong, which they had not known before. Because of their disobedience, they were cast out of Eden and the presence of God. Adam and Eve and their descendants would have to struggle for their existence on this world without direct help from God.

Why, you might ask, did God set Adam and Eve in the garden, then give them a tempting choice in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? When God created man, He did not want merely a puppet, a being he could totally control with no free will whatsoever. He made us to have a will, to make choices, to be able to meaningfuly communicate with God. God wanted to see if His creation would choose to remain good, or turn to evil. It was a simple choice. Stay away from evil and live forever, or choose evil and die.

When man chose evil, that seperated us from God. God hates sin, and will not tolerate it in His presense. Man, now full of sin, was cast out of paradise, and out of a face-to-face relationship with God. God still sought to have a relationship with Man, but without atonement and repentance for sin, that relationship could not exist.

In those days after the Fall, God required an animal sacrifice, the shedding of blood, as atonement for our sins. But God knew that eventually this would not be enough to atone for the corruption of mankind. He knew that a sacrifice that would atone forever for the sins of man and make up for their imperfections would have to be made.

Jesus, the Son of God, was that sacrifice.

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

These words from Romans are an indictment of every single person who has ever lived, or will ever live on this planet. God is just and Holy in His ways, and because of sin, we will never be able to measure up God's standard. Without atonement and repentance for our sins, we can never stand in the presence of God. We needed someone to stand in our place for us, to set the perfect example of how we should live, and to bear the weight of our sins in selfless sacrifice before God.

Jesus Christ came to this earth to be a sinless, perfect sacrifice for our sins. He came in the form of a man to experience the joys and tribulations of being human. He was born, he grew, and he experienced physical death just like we do. He experienced the same emotions as us, and same sicknesses that afflict our fragile bodies. But the difference between Christ's physical existence and ours is that although He was tempted by the same sins as we are, He resisted them and walked in perfect communion with God during His time on this earth. And in walking a perfect, sinless life, He was made acceptable before God as a substitute sacrifice so that our souls may be saved.

"...If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - Romans 10:9-10

You must believe with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is the sinless, virgin-born, crucified and resurrected Son of God, sent here to save men from their sins and eternal doom. You must testify as to your faith in this.

You must confess your sins before Jesus and ask for forgiveness. A Christian life is only sincere if an honest confession of wrong doing is followed by repentance. Repentance is sorrow for the sins of the past, but it is also commitment to follow the will of God so that the same sins are not repeated.

You must ask Jesus to come into your heart and become Lord of your life. You must relenquish control of your life and the situations in it to God. It is not enough to merely become a Christian, you must walk daily with the Lord and commit yourself to following His will in your life.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new." - II Corinthians 5:17

You are now a child of God. All of the old things in your life have been swept away, and as far as God is concerned, you have started over with a clean slate. But now is a most vulnerable time for you. You were not aware of Satan controlling your life before you came to Christ, but you will be now. Satan does not wish that anyone should be saved, and he will do everything in his power to get you back under his control. Temptations will come your way, thoughts of your old life, sins of the past he will show to you in hopes of getting you to give up your new life in Christ.

But you are not powerless. You are not alone. Whereas before it was only you against the world and you could not resist it on your own, God is on your side now. You have all of the power of Christ at your disposal if you would only ask it of Him. You do not have to ever go back to your old way of living, no matter what your surroundings or circumstances. In order to drive Satan away and grow and mature as a Christian, you need exercise your faith in God by doing these things:

Pray to God each and every day.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everthing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God". - Philippians 4:6

Prayer is the way that we communicate with God. Through daily prayer and meditation on His Word, we can discern the will of God for our lives. A good starting point in learning how to pray is found in Matthew 6:9-13. Otherwise known as the Lord's prayer, this prayer that Jesus gave His disciples shows the outline of how we should pray to God.

Read the Bible daily.

"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe" - Hebrews 5:13

You are what is called a babe in Christ. And as with all babies, you need the food that is easy to digest in the beginning of your new life. The Bible is that milk. Only through reading the Bible can you find answers to what God's will is in your life. Start with Matthew and read through the four Gospels. Get better aquainted with Jesus and His teachings. Then go on to read Acts and Romans and the rest of the New Testament at your own pace. Then begin reading the historically relavant Old Testament. You will find that the more time that you take to read, the more you will begin to understand.

Follow the example of Christ and be baptized.

"..."Permit it to now be so, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, emerged from the water, and the Heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God decending from Heaven like a dove..." - Matthew 3:16

Some people just don't understand why Christians practice immersion in water as part of being saved. Water baptism is a way of saying that the old person has died, and along with him/her the sins of the past. The new person has been raised up as a child of God. Baptism is also a symbol representing Christ's death and resurrection. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist to set the example for the rest of us to follow. After being baptized, God proclaimed of Jesus "This is my son in whom I am well pleased".

Get involved in a Christian church.

"...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:25

The Bible says that we should gather in the name of Jesus for praise, worship, and prayer until He comes again. Members of a church can strengthen one another in times of failure and need, and can lift each other up. The pastor can provide guidance on how to live your new life. The church is also involved in Christ oriented activites. Get involved, whether it be food pantry for the hungry, singing or playing an instrument, ministering to the elderly or childrens ministries.

Share your faith with others.

"And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." - Mark 16:15

Something as wonderful as Salvation in Christ cannot be held inside your heart. Christ commanded that we should share our salvation and witness to the glory of Christ to others to bring them to salvation. Your faith will grow when you witness to others and give your testimony about how God has changed your life.

Take the time to listen to God.

"My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word. - Psalms 119:148

Taking our needs to God in prayer each day is only half of praying. The other half is meditating, or listening for the Holy Spirit. Find a quiet spot or "prayer closet" and take the time to leave all other situations and things of this world behind for a few minutes to listen to God. He will reveal much about what He has planned for you, if you will just be still and know that He is God.

Never turn back to your old life.

As was said before, you are a child of God now. The way of a Christian is not always smooth in today's world. But then again, it never has been. God never promised us roses and honey all of the time after we became a Christian. But serving Christ is way better than living in the world, and eternal life is well worth whatever suffering we may endure on this earth. The Apostle Paul proclaimed that to live is Christ, but to die is gain. This meant that we should live our lives here no matter what in a Christ-like manner, but if the world seeks to take our lives, then we will be in a far better place.