I never knew how to bring this up without offending you or seeming weird. I mean…I had every intention of telling you this at some point, but the words never seemed to come together. I guess I was scared about what you may think of me or how you’d react. Looking back on all of our conversations, you and I have talked about so many things…our favorite movies and music, our pasts, our likes and dislikes, and we’ve even had some deep conversations, but there is something I have been holding back. I’ve left out a very important part of my life. So, here it goes. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Not too long ago, I became aware that my sin and disobedience had caused me to remain far from God and in danger of His judgment (Romans 6:23). I immediately attempted to justify my behavior by trying to convince myself that I wasn’t as bad as others (Romans 3:23). I even began doing some good things to make up for my shortcomings. For a while I felt better about myself, but then I realized that my sin had kept me separated from God and that no amount of good deeds could repair my relationship with Him (Ephesians 2:8-9). I began to search for something which could remove the guilt and shame my sin had caused, but no hope could be found…that is, until I came across this verse found in the Bible, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). For the first time in my life I realized that Jesus Christ was sent to earth to take my sin upon Himself so that I could be made right with God. Then I read in Paul’s letter to the Romans which says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). At that moment, I abandoned my useless attempts to find forgiveness through my own good works, so that I could embrace the work which had already been done on my behalf by Jesus Christ.
My life dramatically changed when I put my faith in Jesus Christ. Although I am far from perfect and have countless weaknesses, I know my sins have been forgiven and that I’ve been made right with God. This forgiveness of sin and right standing before God was a gift given to me by God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and I wanted to let you know that God wants to forgive you like He forgave me.
