How can I get right with God?

TL;DR:

Sin stands in the way of our being right with God. We can get right with God by repenting of our sin and trusting in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. By doing so, we receive forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life.

what does the bible say?

The way to be in right standing with God was the same in the Old Testament as in the New Testament—by faith. Before Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, God gave His people the Law to point out sin, to reveal God’s holy standard, and to show humanity their need for a Savior. The Law served as a guide to lead people to Christ, highlighting their inability to achieve righteousness, or right standing, through their own efforts. The Law pointed them to the necessity of God's grace and forgiveness.

Scripture exhorts us to repent of sin and to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior who is the path to eternal life. Paul makes it clear in Romans that no person can get to heaven by his own effort. All sin is an infinite offense against God and deserves God’s wrath. We need to be made righteous to be in right standing before God. Right standing with God is attained through faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. The barrier that keeps us from being right with God is sin. In spite of our sin, God made a way for us to be in right standing with Him, to be declared righteous, to be freely justified by God’s grace, to be forgiven of our sins through the work of Jesus Christ, and to be granted eternal life. The only solution to being right with God is trusting in Jesus as our Savior.

from the old testament

Abram (Abraham) was righteous, or in right standing before the Lord, because Abram believed in Him (Genesis 15:6).
God offers cleansing of sin to those who obey and believe in Him (Isaiah 1:18–20).
By turning to the Lord and believing in Him, we can be declared righteous, be justified before Him, and be saved (Isaiah 45:21–25).
Righteous people who are in right standing with God believe in Him and live by His faithfulness (Habakkuk 2:4).
God calls those who have turned away from Him to repent of sin in order to be in right standing with Him, and He promises that He will be gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness (Joel 2:12–13).
Everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved and in right standing with Him (Joel 2:32).

from the new testament

Right standing is given through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22).
Humans sin and do not measure up to God’s perfect standard, but those who believe are given the free gift of grace through Jesus (Romans 3:23).
Our sins lead to death, but God gave us the free gift of His son, so we can have eternal life (Romans 6:23).
We can be right with God and saved from eternal death by declaring that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
Jesus took on the world’s sins at the cross so that all who believe would be made righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Righteousness comes through faith in God (Philippians 3:9).
God gave us His Son so that all who believe would not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
If we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that He is our Lord and Savior, we are justified before God (Romans 10:9–10).
We need to confess our sins to be in right standing with God (1 John 1:9).
It is by grace through faith that we are saved and are thus in right standing with God (Ephesians 2:8–9).

implications for today

If you are asking this question, it likely means you feel the burden of your sins. Our sins lead us to death, but take heart—God gave us a way to be forgiven of our sins and to have eternal life!

How can you receive eternal life? Jesus taught that eternal life comes by faith: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). You must believe in Jesus to escape death and the punishment for your sins and to have eternal life in heaven with Jesus. Genuine faith leads to repentance and a commitment to follow Christ. Salvation is not earned by good works but is a gift from God that is received through faith.

God loves you and created you to have a relationship with Him, to reflect His glory, and to fulfill His purposes. However, sin separates us from God, and we cannot bridge this gap on our own. Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death. By trusting in Jesus and accepting Him as your Savior and Lord, you can receive forgiveness for your sins and the gift of eternal life with God.

There is no special prayer you must say to get right with God. However, if you would like to accept Jesus as your Savior and know for certain you have eternal life, you can tell God with a prayer similar to this:

"Dear God, I realize I am a sinner and could never reach heaven by my own good deeds. Right now, I place my faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son, who took the punishment for my sins on the cross and rose from the dead to give me eternal life and restore me to rightness with you. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life."

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Bottom of Form

understand

Sin separates us from God; faith in Jesus makes us right with Him.
Getting right with God has always come by faith, not works.
Jesus’s death and resurrection offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who will believe.

reflect

How have you seen the weight of sin affect your relationship with God, and how does faith in Jesus bring hope?
What does repentance look like in your daily life, and how can you make it a genuine practice?
Have you fully trusted in Jesus for your salvation, or are you relying on your own efforts to be right with God?

engage

How can we explain the significance of faith over works in being right with God to someone unfamiliar with the gospel?
What Old Testament examples, like Abraham’s faith, can help us illustrate the consistency of God’s plan for salvation?
What role do we play in helping others get right with God?