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As we begin Day 1, I strongly believe it is not by accident that you are reading this right now. Wherever you find yourself in this moment, whether in the jungles of Ecuador, in a business office in Shanghai, China, in a village in Odisha, India, at home in Kabul, Afghanistan, or in a coffee shop in Abilene, Texas (USA). Some questions transcend culture, language, time, and background.

Questions like:

• Why am I here, and who am I really?
• Why do I feel so alone and feel so much shame?
• What is my purpose in life?
• Why do we die, and what happens after life?
• Who can I really trust?
• Why is there so much pain, suffering, and injustice?

These are honest questions we all ask ourselves, but rarely can we find complete confidence in our search. Maybe you've already searched for answers. In a relationship that promised to complete you. In a career that was supposed to give you purpose. In philosophy, self-help, or even religion. And yet the questions remain. If that's where you find yourself, I want you to know you're not alone. For some of you, even reading this carries risk. Know that your courage does not go unseen by God as you wrestle to find truth.

That's why I want to introduce you to a God who describes Himself as the way, the truth, and the life. If you stay with me over the next 25 days, I want to take you on a journey where we unpack the truth about a God who loves you and desires all humanity to be reconnected to Him. As we begin, you don't have to look far to see a world filled with injustice, brokenness, and suffering. As we start, we will discover why this brokenness exists.

God desired to create a family, and the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were placed in a perfect world with one clear boundary, not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When the serpent, whom we know as the devil or Satan, tempted Eve and then Adam, their choice to disobey God's command changed everything. Genesis 3 describes the fall of man, the point where sin entered the world and became infused into human nature.

The consequences of sin were immediate and devastating. Humanity’s nature became corrupted, and our relationship with God was shattered. The world fractured, now marked by suffering, shame, guilt, and death over all humanity. Not only physical death, but eternal separation from a holy God, what the Bible calls hell.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ.

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

So, what is sin? Well, sin is lawlessness. That means acting against God’s revealed law and authority. The Bible clearly defines sin as lawlessness.

1 John 3:4 - "Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

Sin is failing to live according to the standard of a perfect and holy God. This includes both internal and external behavior, including thoughts and desires, that violate God’s perfect order. Because God is holy, sin is anything that falls short of His holiness.

Scripture (The Holy Bible) gives us many examples of what sin looks like in life. One of the most well-known is the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:2-17. But Jesus takes it even further in Matthew 5:27-28, making clear that God looks beyond behavior to the motives of the heart. Jesus teaches that even looking at a woman with lustful intent is committing adultery in the heart. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, sin is consistently portrayed as rebellion against God's original design and order. This is why reading the Bible is important for those who want to understand what truly pleases God. Now that we have a clearer picture of sin, we can begin to understand what salvation is.

When sin first entered the world, its impact was felt throughout all humanity. The consequence of sin was death and separation from God. In God’s perfect understanding, He desired to restore what was broken, so He sent His very own son, Jesus, to Earth. Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, came to restore the broken relationship between God and man. Jesus took on our sins on the Cross as a perfect sacrifice and paid for the "debt" through His death, so we didn't have to. Salvation isn't just clearing a debt but being adopted back into God's family and having your honor restored before Him.
 
When Jesus overcame death (which is called resurrection), He conquered the consequences of sin once and for all. Everything about our faith depends on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is only given to those who confess and believe that Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead.
 
When we confess our sins and repent, we acknowledge our sins and choose to abandon them. By believing in our hearts, we are instantly restored to right standing with God. The process of being made right with God is called salvation. Christian author Bill Hull says it best when he states, "The point of salvation isn’t the finish line; instead, it’s the starting line for a lifelong journey." It’s important to note that this new life was given by God’s grace. We did nothing to earn it.

Our responsibility within this exchange for eternal life is that we confess, believe, and surrender ourselves to follow Jesus. Salvation is a gift freely given to us by God because of His love for us. Jesus gives us new purpose, identity, and eternal destiny. Ultimately, everything about our lives changes once we are saved. If we have truly confessed and believed in Christ, there is also a commitment to surrendering our lives, made by the believer, to embrace and follow their newfound faith. I call this C.B.S. Next, we will briefly introduce what faith means and why we need it.

Next, it's important to understand the concept of faith. Faith is defined as having complete trust or confidence in something or someone. Christian faith is a required element for anyone who has accepted Jesus as Savior. Apart from faith, it’s impossible to receive and experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Faith is also vital to anyone as they complete their spiritual journey on Earth. We will go deeper into this topic on Day 3, but these three verses are a good starting place to help build our understanding of faith.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Now that we understand faith, let's simplify our understanding of Salvation.

1) Sin has caused a separation between man & God. Romans 3:23 

2) The penalty for sin is death & separation from God, but Jesus died to make us right with God & to give us eternal life. Romans 6:23  

3) Jesus loves us & showed us by dying on the Cross while we had no hope of being made right by God. Romans 5:8 

4) If we confess & believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead & make Him Lord of our lives, we will be saved. Romans 10:9-10 

Very Important: Confessing and making Jesus Lord is more than a mere belief in God; it is a serious commitment. You are literally pledging allegiance to Him. This means surrendering every aspect of your life to Him as King and Master, placing your full trust and confidence in Jesus. The good news is this: by putting your life in His hands, He will fulfill your life much better than you or I could ever do on our own. John 10:10

As mentioned above, there are 3 major components that we all need to understand for salvation, which are all found in Romans 10:9, which says,

If you declare with your mouth (C),
Jesus is Lord(S), and believe(B) in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

C - Confess -  Declaring Jesus as Lord means acknowledging that we are sinful (repentance) & we need a savior. (Mark 1:15, 1 John 1:9) 

B - Believe - Faith is required to be saved. So by faith, we believe God raised Jesus from the dead. (John 1:12, John 3:16)

S - Surrender - Surrender is making Jesus Lord, King, and Master of your life permanently. (Luke 9:23-24, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 2:6)

Question: 
Have you ever accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior?

If you have never accepted Christ or you are unsure, follow the steps below to remove any doubt or uncertainty. To accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, you can simply pray to receive salvation. There is no magic, no pattern of words, and no special person who has to lead you in this. You can do this right where you are.

One encouragement, if possible, I would encourage you to find a quiet place. To pray, your eyes can be open or closed, but when you are ready, begin to pray, meaning physically speaking or whispering, this simple prayer. The most important thing is that you look deep inside and make this a serious moment to commit your life to Jesus.

You are welcome to pray this out loud:
"Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I need salvation. Today I want to make you Lord of my life, and I ask you to be King over me and that you would lead me all the days of my life. I believe that you are the one true God, and I surrender my life to you right now. I believe that you died on the Cross for my sins and rose three days later. Come into my life now. In Jesus name, Amen."

The next step after salvation is something called baptism. Let's walk through some details concerning baptism.

When should a person be baptized?
As soon as a person trusts Christ, he or she should be baptized. In the Scriptures, baptism is completed fairly quickly. I would encourage you to talk with your pastor or mentor this week about it, don't wait. This pattern of somewhat immediate baptism should be emulated. (Acts 22:16)

What does water baptism symbolize?

• The death & resurrection of Jesus. (Romans 6:3-5)
• The new life in which a Christ follower now walks. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• Cleansing and washing away of sin. (Acts 22:16)
• It’s a public step of obedience. (Acts 10:47-48)

Through Jesus's example, we see a few things.

• Jesus taught water baptism.(Matthew 28:19-20)
• Jesus was water baptized. (Matthew 3:5-15)

Additional Thoughts On Baptism...

1. Baptism is the first step of obedience to salvation, not a substitution for salvation.
Salvation comes through confession and belief in what Jesus Christ did for us (Romans 10:9-10, Romans 5:8). Once genuine confession and belief in Christ occur, that leads us to the next step of obedience, which is baptism (Matthew 28:19).

2. I was baptized as an infant or as a young child. Am I already saved?
Salvation can only occur when a person is able to acknowledge and understand their sins and recognize what Jesus did on the cross (Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). As you mature and grow in your understanding of right and wrong (sin), you will also come to understand who Christ is and what He has done. At that time, you must make a personal decision about sin and the person of Jesus. Therefore, being baptized as an infant or young child does not substitute for genuine salvation in your life. I think it is also important to note, for those with mental disabilities or for young children, the Lord knows their limited capacity for understanding. Because God is a just God (Deuteronomy 32:4), Christians believe that such individuals inherit the kingdom of God.

Baptism Explained:
Baptism is a public and symbolic gesture showing that you have accepted Jesus Christ to be your personal Lord & Savior (1 Peter 3:21). Going under the water represents you dying to your old life (Romans 6:3-4). Being raised out of the water represents a new birth (spiritual birth), and you are now raised to a new life with Christ. Not only does Jesus command us to baptize during the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20, but Jesus Himself was baptized as a model for us to follow.

Question: 
Have you been baptized?
If you haven't, I would encourage you to get with a pastor or spiritual mentor to discuss how. If you are in a place where your faith must remain private for now, know that God sees you and your commitment to Him is no less real.