In the beginning of the world, Adam sinned by eating fruit from the tree that God had forbidden him to eat from.  Sin is disobeying God and doing wrong things.  As a result of his sin, Adam died spiritually and lost the ability to see and talk to God face to face.  As Adam's descendants we have inherited this and his sinful nature.

The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of God's glory (His perfection and standards - Romans 3:23).  As a result, the Bible says you cannot see the kingdom of God unless you are "Born Again" (John 3:3).  Being "Born Again" means that God has given you new spiritual life by His Holy Spirit and made you into one of His children.

When someone gets "Saved" it means that they have put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord.  Jesus is the Son of God, and He will save us from everlasting punishment in Hell after we die.  Saved people will not go to Hell, but instead receive everlasting life.  This means that they will go to Heaven and live there forever with God, Jesus, the angels and all saved people.

Jesus came to earth as a human person, and died on a cross at Calvary to pay for the sins of all people.  God then raised Him from the dead at the Resurrection, proving He has power over life and death.  The Bible says that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will not perish, but will have everlasting life (John 3:16).

We are all sinners and that sin brings death (Romans 6:23).  God won't allow sin into Heaven, so people need God to cleanse them from their sins before they can live in Heaven with Him.

God has already made this easy for us by allowing Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross at Calvary.  By believing in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we can have salvation and avoid going to Hell.  Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and is the only way to God. This is the gift of Eternal Life.  But you have to receive this as a gift as you cannot buy it.

The Bible says that we must repent from our sins (Luke 13:5).  This means that we must turn away from our sinful habits and go God's way.  The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Born-again Christians are people who have done this, and then told a friend that they have made Jesus the Lord of their lives.  They sincerely believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and the Bible assures them that they are saved.

Whereas most people have no real knowledge of God, through knowing Jesus as our Saviour, we can know the Father and have a new relationship with Him.  This relationship is where God knows our names and puts His love in our hearts.  We can speak to Him, God speaks to us through reading the Bible, and we enjoy His presence.

As our relationship with God grows, the Holy Spirit works in our lives changing us into God's Children.  Our new relationship with God is characterised by the love which exists between the Father and the Son.  And we find this same love in friends who are Christians.

Yes, dear teen, God loves you very dearly and wants to be your Heavenly Father, and Jesus wants to be your Saviour, Best Friend and Lord.   You can be saved today if you pray a prayer like this, and really mean it:

Dear God,
I'm a sinner and I need Your forgiveness.  I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, and rose again to be my Saviour.   Jesus, please make me clean inside with Your precious blood.  Come into my heart as my Saviour, Lord and Friend.  Help me to please You in all I do and say, and to tell others about Your love.  Amen.

God Bless!