How To Personally Discover God’s Love In Christ

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What You Are About To Read…

In essence, understanding the wonderful gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and His saving grace, involves a acceptance — acceptance concerning the reality of who I am without Him and who I must become in Him if I am know His love, forgiveness and grace.  

With that in mind, take in this quote I created especially for this post and then enjoy the rest of what is here! 

Acceptance In Jesus

Please Note…

This short, one verse presentation of the Gospel is something I developed years ago.  I used it in my seminary classes and also taught it as one method of sharing the gospel while serving as an outreach pastor in a local church setting.  

So… why share it here?  For two reasons: 

  1. First, if you happen to be in the process of some level of “a God search” such as I was some years back, this presentation will lay out for you what I found to be very, very freeing in my personal life.  “How long did you search, Lee?”  About three years or so.  I looked into things and found my answer in Jesus. 
  2. Second, if you are a faith-based individual and would appreciate a way to share the gospel with someone in a simplified manner, this could help.  

A Few Notations…

Think of this as a conversation — hence the quotation marks throughout the presentation. 

Also, you may notice the copyright notice on it: that certainly does not mean that you cannot share it!  Use it to learn yourself, to share with people who are searching, and for giving it to others in some sort of a “training” capacity. I would appreciate it, however, if you would keep the “© Lee Wise” like it is listed directly below.  However, that’s certainly not “a major” as they say!  The main thing is, well, the gospel!  

A One Verse Gospel Presentation
© Lee Wise

“May I share with you one verse from the Bible which means a lot to me and tells about God’s great love for us?”

“Thanks!”

The verse I would like to share with you is this… 

‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’”  (Romans 5:8)

“There are three simple truths found in this verse.  The first truth is that God loves us — that’s found in the first part of the verse.  ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us…” 

This simply means that “God cares for you and me.  He has given Himself in order to meet our greatest needs.  Our greatest needs are: 

  1. To be forgiven of our sins
  2. To become members of God’s family
  3. To live for God like we should
  4. And to live forever in heaven after we die.”

“The reason we need to be forgiven is because we are sinners.  That is the second truth taught in this verse.  It says, ‘while we were still sinners…’”

“Being a sinner means that you and I have thought, said and done things that God does not want us to think, say or do.  And because of this we are guilty.  Like a person is found guilty before a judge, so we are guilty before God because of our sin.  

And being a sinner is serious because sin separates us from God.  If we have not been forgiven of our sins, we cannot

  1. Become members of God’s family
  2. Live for God like we should
  3. Or live forever in heaven after we die.  Instead, we will be punished by God forever in hell.”

“So, being a sinner is Bad News for us.  But … the Good News is that Christ died for us.  And that’s the third truth taught in this verse — the truth that “Christ died for us.”

“This is how God demonstrated his love for us.  God became man in the Person of Jesus Christ.  He gave Himself in order to meet our greatest needs.

Jesus Christ died in our place.  He took the punishment we deserved as sinners so that we could have our sins forgiven and …

  1. Become members of God’s family
  2. Live for God like we should
  3. And live forever in heaven after we die”

“Do these things make sense to you?”

Would you like to know for certain that your sins have been forgiven and that you will live forever in heaven after you die?

“Great!!”

Let me ask you a few important questions, then.

  1. Do you believe that God loves you?
  2. Do you believe that you are a sinner and that you need to have your sins forgiven?
  3. Do you believe that God became man in the Person of Jesus Christ to die in your place and take the punishment for your sins?
  4. Do you want to live for God like He wants you to?”

“Wonderful!  Since you believe these things and want to live for God, then why don’t you tell Him in prayer what you just told me?”  

Would you like to pray and tell God that you are trusting His Son to forgive you of all your sins and take you to heaven when you die?  I can pray with you — and even lead us in prayer if you would like.”

That’s great. 

“I’ll lead us, and you can follow me as I pray.  

‘Lord, I thank you that you love me.  I know that I have sinned against you.   I do believe that Christ died in my place so that I could have my sins forgiven, live for you like I should, and live forever in heaven with you after I die.  I now trust in Jesus Christ to forgive me of all my sins and take me to heaven when I die.  Help me to live for you while I am on this earth.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.’” 

“I want to read you two important verses which tell about how we are to live in view of God’s great love for us.”  

“They are in the same book of the Bible where the one verse I just shared with you is found.  There are three basic ideas in these verses.  The verses tell about two things God wants us to do and one thing God doesn’t want us to do.  I would like to share those verses with you.”

Here are the verses.  

‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve of what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.’  (Romans 12:1,2)”  

“And here’s what these verses teach us … 

  1. “First, God wants us to be holy and please him.  That is one thing he wants us to do.”
  2. “Second, God doesn’t want us to live like everybody else.  He doesn’t want us to pattern our lives after people who don’t live like God says he wants them to live.  
  3. “And third, God wants us to be transformed by renewing our minds.  That simply means that he wants us to think and act more and more like Him as we keep on learning about Him in the Bible.” 

The Bible, God’s Word, tells us how to be holy and please Him.  It tells us about God’s pattern of living.  The Bible is the book that teaches us about God.  When we study and obey the Bible we grow and become more mature people — like God wants us to.”  

**Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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© Lee Wise All rights reserved. You may freely distribute this article.
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Written by

Following about a three year search for God, Lee trusted Christ as Savior in 1967 as young Marine. He has served as an outreach pastor and a church planter. The Lord also led him to serve as the Director of Internships at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA where he served for over 20 years. Lee loves to write, has a strong desire to be a positive influence for Christ in our world, and is passionate about family. And speaking of family, he and his wife Sherry (who served as a Director of Elementary Education for many years and recently retired) praise the Lord for being married 44 years, their 3 daughters and son-laws, and 7 grandchildren! Lee and Sherry would say: "We've been abundantly blessed."