Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly!" (John 10:10) This wonderful, abundant life comes directly from God. In the Bible book of James, we find out that "Everything good and perfect comes down from the Father of lights, who never ever changes." (James 1:17) If He was a good gift giver once (John 3:16), He's a good gift giver now and always will be. He loves you and wants to bless you beyond anything you can imagine! He wants to fill your life with love, joy, and peace, and so much more! (Galatians 5:22-23)

Unfortunately, our sin blocks the way into this abundant life where God can bless us. "The wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:23) and we don't deserve anything but punishment and eternal separation from God. To make matters worse, there is nothing we can do about it! Everyone has sinned, the Bible tells us. (Romans 3:10, 3:23) And God says that "All the good things we try to do to make up for our sins are like dirty rags," (Isaiah 64:6) and "by doing good things, no one will be made righteous in God's sight." (Romans 3:20)

But here is some great news! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that those who believe in Him [Jesus] would not die but have eternal life." (John 3:16) So, the only way to enter the abundant life is through Jesus. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) That's good news, because everyone who believes in Jesus will immediately be given eternal and abundant life! "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23b)

The Bible, which is God's message to all people, tells how you can have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through this relationship, you can be completely forgiven of your sins past, present, and future and begin to truly live an abundant life now and forever in God's presence. Coming to know Christ isn't complicated, but it can be difficult as you must face your own sin and acknowledge that there is nothing you can do to save yourself. But the good news is that you don't have to do anything, because Jesus has already done it all for you. All that remains is for you to trust Him and accept the free gift of forgiveness and life that He offers to you.

Keep reading to find out how to get this wonderful life for yourself right now!

Below, you will find simple, step-by-step directions about how to accept God's free gift of salvation and begin to access the wonderful, abundant life God wants to give you! If you have any questions, we'd love to talk with you and help you as you seek to know God and His son, Jesus Christ. Please don't hesitate to contact or visit us!

1. Understand that you have sinned

Some people think they are pretty good, but reality is that each one of us has sinned and done things that we should not have done.

"All have sinned, and fallen short of God's glory!" (Rom. 3:23)

"There is none righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10)

2. Understand that the penalty for sin is death

This can be hard to accept, but it is true. God is holy and righteous and He cannot tolerate sin. Without God's forgivness, even one "small" sin will separate you from God and His goodness forever.

"The wages of sin is death!" (Rom. 6:23)

3. Understand that there is nothing you can do to save yourself

Our natural tendency is to try and work off our sins and live a good life. That won't work.

"All our good deeds are like filthy rags!" (Isa. 64:6)

"By grace you have been saved... Not of works!" (Eph. 2:8,9)

4. Believe that Jesus paid for your sins by dying on the cross and He rose from the dead

This is the good news! On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for all of your sins! There is NOTHING left for you to pay if you accept His free gift of forgiveness and everlasting life!

"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures... and He was buried and rose again." (1 Cor. 15:3,4)

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!" (Acts 16:31)

"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." (Rom. 10:9)

5. Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and accept His free gift of salvation

Believing is essential, but you must also trust Him and let Him save you! Don't try to save yourself. Trust Him to save you, and He will!

"The Gift of God is eternal Life in Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 6:23)

6. Pray and ask Jesus to save you

If you truly believe that Jesus is God's son, that He died to save you and He rose again, and that if you trust Him to save you He will, then go ahead and ask Him to do it! We've included a sample prayer below. It's best to pray in your own words, but if you don't know what to say, and if you mean it when you pray, you can follow this prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus! I know that I have sinned and done many wrong things and that there is nothing I can do to pay for or work off the bad things I've done. I believe that you are God's son and that you came to earth and died in my place on the cross. On the cross, you took all my sin and paid the penalty in full. You died, were buried, and then on the third day, you rose again from the grave, victorious over sin and death! I know that you are the only one who can save me and give me eternal life, and I accept your free gift! Please, Lord Jesus, forgive my sins and save me! Thank you so much, Jesus for saving me and giving me new life! I now look forward to living with You in heaven forever! Amen.

"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." (Rom. 10:9)

It's time to grow and produce fruit! In John 15:5-8, Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

If you want to grow and produce fruit, Jesus said you have to "abide in" Him. How do you do that? Here are 3 basic ways that will get you started on the right path:

1. Read your Bible!

As a Christian, the Bible is your guidebook, your food, and your window into God's heart. Reading your Bible is one of the most important ways to abide in Jesus! As you read, God's Holy Spirit will reveal to you things about Jesus: who He is, what He is like, what He wants you to do in your life, and more.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

"But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"" (Luk. 4:4)

2. Spend time praying

Prayer is your lifeline to God. It is a two way communication channel that not only allows you to bring your requests and concerns to the Lord, but it is a time that He will often speak to you in a still, small voice. Spend much time in prayer with Him if you want to grow and produce fruit! For more about prayer, please see our prayer page.

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

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

3. Attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church

The church is called the "Body of Christ," so that should give you some idea of how important it is! It is a place to learn, grow, and worship together with other Christians. It's is God's plan for each Christian to be part of a church where she/he can worship, fellowship, and use her/his spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-12; 1 Pet. 4:10-11) to build up others. You will find it very difficult to grow and produce fruit as a Christian without being in church!

"Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually." (1 Cor. 12:27)

"[God] put all things under [Jesus'] feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Eph. 1:22-23)

This is a great question, because there are well more than 100 English Bible translations in print today! There are a number of good translations, but we would recommend that you pick one of the following as your "main" Bible for reading, study, and meditation.

New King James Version (NKJV) - An update to the classic King James Version. It is comfortably familiar, readable, and relatively accessible. A good all-around translation. There is some controversy regarding the manuscripts used for translation, but the footnotes address these issues fairly well.

English Standard Version (ESV) - The ESV is a good, all-around version for reading, devotion, meditation, and study. It is fairly literal, but the translators often change word order, which can be confusing for those used to the KJV or the NKJV.

New American Standard 1995 Update (NAS95) - This version is very literal and can sometimes have awkward wording. It is one of the more accurate translations and is great for study, but many do not prefer it for reading or meditation becaus of its sometimes choppy language. Note that we DO NOT recommend the current version of the NASB, updated in 2020.

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984) - The NIV is the least literal of the versions in this list. Unlike the translators of the NKJV, NAS95, and ESV, who followed a somewhat formal equivalence method (i.e., word for word translation), the translators of the NIV followed a dynamic equivalence method (i.e., thought for thought). This version is highly readable and can be useful for general reading and meditation, but we do not recommend it for in depth study. Note that we do not prefer the current version of the NIV, updated in 2011.

Prayerfully reading your Bible and meditating on its meaning is the best way to feed yourself spiritually! It can also be helpful from time to time to read books others have written about the Bible—although read with discernment to be sure they match up with God's word, the Bible. Below, we list several resources that may be helpful to you in your devotional Bible reading.

Our Daily Bread - A bite-sized daily devotional

Choice Gleanings - A bite-sized daily devotional calendar

My Utmost for His Highest - A challenging daily devotional classic by Oswald Chambers

The Pursuit of God - A Christian classic by A.W. Tozer (epub, Kindle, and online)

The following tools might be helpful to you as you study God's word, the Bible.

Bible Gateway - An online Bible search tool with more than 150 translations of the Bible

Blue Letter Bible - Dig into the biblical languages behind the English text online without expensive software. Also provides access to resources such as Bible dictonaries, charts, timelines, maps, topic indexes, and more.

E-SWORD - A free Bible study environment for PC and Mac

YouVersion - App that lets you read or listen to the Bible on your phone

There is a lot of excellent Christian music available today to feed your soul and help you keep your mind and heart centered on Christ as you abide in Him! There is far too much for us to list it all here! However, in the coming weeks and months, we hope to provide links to several quality resources to help you get started. Keep in mind that not every musical style is to everyone's taste, so this list is not meant to be an "authoritative" list in any sense of the word. In addition, you should always use discretion when choosing music: listen carefully to the lyrics and see if they match up with God's word, the Bible. If not, you might need to avoid listening to that music in the future.

Casting Crowns - Contemporary. Worshipful, biblical lyrics. This is a YouTube playlist of their albums.

Keith Green - 1970s and 80s. Devotional, challenging lyrics. This is a YouTube playlist of his albums.

Steve Green - Contemporary. Devotional, worshipful lyrics. This is a Spotify playlist of a selection of his songs. Also some in Spanish.

Maranatha Praise - 1974 to 1990. Praise and worship music. This is a Spotify playlist of their albums.

As you grow in the Lord and learn more about how wonderful He is, you'll want to share your faith with others! Here are a few practical articles that might help you.

Sharing Your Faith 101 - From the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

7 Tips for Sharing Your Faith - By Brian G. Hedges at Crossway

Evangelism: Sharing Your Faith with Others and How to Evangelize - From Focus on the Family

Basic Principles for Sharing Your Faith - From Harvest (Greg Laurie)

Below we list some personal sites and ministries from some members at Roxborough Bible Chapel (RBC). Please note that we list these here for your information only. The views presented on these sites are solely those of the individuals producing them are not necessarily reviewed or endorsed by RBC and/or its leadership or the congregation at large.

NEOEMETA: Think Change - A blog by Carmen DiLello

Randy Hulshizer - Randy's YouTube channel where he shares thoughts and teaching