Our Savior

The single most important question of your life is this:

Will you choose to surrender your life to Jesus?

No one can be undecided, because everyone is born with an answer. No one can give an answer other than “yes” or “no,” and everyone is born with the answer of “no.” No one can change their answer more than once, but everyone can change their answer before they die.

You can change your answer, but you need to make an informed decision before you do. Check out the FAQ’s below for answers to the most important questions to consider in your decision-making process.

“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”
Luke 14:28 (HCSB)

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to surrender to Jesus?

Surrendering to Jesus is the conscious act of giving up your personal will to accept a life lived according to His will.

Why are “yes” and “no” my only choices?

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” If Jesus is the only way to know God, you only have two choices. Either you accept His forgiveness or reject it.

Why is this the most important question in my life?

We were created to have a relationship with God, but that relationship was shattered by sin. In order to have an eternal relationship with God, you must surrender your life to Jesus. Eternal life depends on your answer.

Why do I have only one chance to change my answer?

Our surrender to Jesus must be complete and unconditional. Changing your answer to the most important quesion in your life means a lack of surrender.

Why do I need forgiveness if I’m basically a good person?

Sin, or choosing not to follow God’s standard, is something we have when we’re born. It’s part of our nature. People tend to look at sin quantitatively. We put a value on sins and rate them. We think of some sins as worse than others, or some sins being not such a big deal. God views sin qualitatively. Either you have sin, or you don’t. Because sin separates us from a relationship with God, He offers forgiveness through Jesus so that we can have that relationship.

What if I’ve done so many bad things that God won’t forgive me?

Many people struggle with the shame of their past, believing that they’ve gone too far to be forgiven. Not according to 1 John 2:2: “(Jesus) is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (NIV) Forgiveness is available to everyone for everything they have ever done. Sin is sin, and forgiveness is forgiveness. One size fits all.

What rules do I have to follow if I surrender my life to Jesus?

One misconception about Christian life is that it’s all about following a laundry list of rules that seem to be impossible to follow. In Matthew, Jesus summarized the Bible in two commands. First, you must love God with all of your being. That means placing God at the absolute center of everything you do. We often speak of our lives revolving around something. Jesus is saying that our lives should revolve around God. The second commandment says you must love your neighbor as yourself. Our neighbors aren’t just the people that live next door, but everyone that calls our planet home. Loving ourselves isn’t being self-centered. Loving ourselves in this case includes everything we do to stay alive. That type of love is expressed by helping people who need food, a place to sleep, a shoulder to cry on, or anything else we consider to be a part of our normal routine.

What will I have to give up if I surrender my life to Jesus?

Everything. Surrender to Jesus is unconditional. You don’t set the terms, you don’t get compromises, you don’t hold on to your life before Jesus. You don’t seek to live your life for you. You live your life for Him.

Do I need to get my life straight before I surrender my life to Jesus?

If we could get our life straight, we wouldn’t need Jesus in the first place. Jesus doesn’t ask us to come to Him in good condition. He calls us to come as we are.

How do I surrender my life to Jesus?

Talk to Jesus as if He was standing in front of you. Because He is God, He’s everywhere. You may not see Him, but He’s there and He’s listening. Tell Him you know that you’ve sinned, and you believe He is God. Ask Him to forgive you for your sin, and give Him the keys to your life. It’s that simple.

How do I know that God forgave me?

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” If you believe He is God, He will keep His word.

How do I get to know God?

Knowing God is a process much like making friends. Talk to Him through prayer, which is talking to Him as if He is walking with you. Read the Bible, because the Bible is a record of everything we need to know about God. Get to know other believers, so that they can share the ways in which they have come to know God since they surrendered to Him. All of these things are empowered by God through the Holy Spirit. When we surrender to Jesus, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, we have a better sense of God’s presence in our lives.

Do I have to join a church?

Joining a church isn’t a requirement for salvation, but it’s part of the process of getting to know God. A church also provides opportunities to put God at the center of your life and to love your neighbor. Obedience is easier when you’re part of a group of believers.

Does it matter what church I join?

Yes it does. You want to go to a church that is based on the Bible’s guidelines for living. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to a place that leads you to grow and enables you to follow those two commands mentioned above.

How do I join a church?

Joining a church depends on which church you’re attending. Our church uses a model provided by the New Testament. At the end of our worship services, we have something called the invitation. During that time you walk down the aisle and tell the pastor you want to join the church. If you’re already a church member, let the pastor know, and we’ll take care of the rest. If you’ve never joined a church, especially if you’ve just surrendered your life to Jesus, tell the pastor, and we’ll schedule a time for you to be baptized. In both of these cases, the pastor will introduce you to our congregation after the invitation is over. The church “votes” on you by saying “Amen” and introducing themselves to you after the service is over.

Do I have to get baptized?

Our church believes that baptism is about obedience. Jesus was baptized before His ministry began, and He calls us to follow Him in baptism. We view baptism as a symbol of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. We have a pool of water at the back of our sanctuary called a baptistry. During a worship service, you would step into this pool with the pastor. He would introduce you, and ask you if you have gone through the act of surrendering to Jesus. Next, he lays you back into the water completely. Some people are nervous about that, but our pastor says that he’s never drowned anyone. Going under the water symbolizes our old life being put to death, and coming out of that water is a symbol of being brought to life through Christ.

What do people do after they join a church?

Follow Jesus, love others, and serve the Lord. The ways you do those things are through bible study groups, opportunities to minister to people in need, and take part in missions opportunities to tell other people about the change Jesus made in your life.

What if I have other questions you haven’t answered?

Call our church office at (251) 342-3280, or email us at info@abbclife.org. We’ll do our best to give you any information you need to make this most important decision.

Airport boulevard baptist church

Obeying the Greatest Commandments and the Great Commission

6301 Airport Blvd., Mobile, AL 36608

(251) 342-3280

info@abbclife.org