ords can sometimes hinder communication rather than facilitating it. There are a number of key concepts that we need to understand if we are to be successful in our quest for truth, but some of the words that are used to express these concepts have become loaded with religious connotations to the degree that, for many people, the very sound of such words is a major turn-off. This is extremely unfortunate, but it is a fact of life which we must face and with which we must deal. In what you are about to read it is most important that you do not allow yourself to be side-tracked in any way, or put off, by what may seem to you to be out-dated religious terminology. At Christmas time, or on birthdays, it is the gift that is important, not the wrapping. If you should find that you have a problem with the terminology that I am going to use, please bear this in mind. It is the concept - the principle behind the word - that we need to lay hold of. Once you have grasped the concept and understood the principle, the word itself will become your friend.

he first of these concepts that we need to consider is the concept of sin. This word is no longer found in day-to-day speech, so we need first of all to have a working definition. Chambers English Dictionary calls it, "moral offence or shortcoming; condition of so offending; an offence generally". Offence is possible only when there is someone to offend. We may offend against our fellow man, or we may offend against God. In our quest for truth, our concern must be primarily in relation to the latter, since it is only God who is able to bring us to the place of enlightenment, and if we have offended him in any way, then that offence presents itself as a major hindrance to our progress.

For most people, the idea of having offended God is ridiculous nonsense, especially for those who have been brought up to be honest, decent, law-abiding citizens who mind their own business and do what they can to help those less well off than themselves. In fact, for most people the suggestion that they are sinners is in itself an offence, and probably evokes a fairly hostile response. It is for this reason that we need to understand what is meant, so let me explain.

We sin against people in different ways, dependent upon the relationship that we have with them. If we take as an example the relationship between a parent and child, we can see that it is the responsibility of the parent to care for the child, and it is the responsibility of the child to submit to and be obedient to the parent. By nature, we recognise that if the child is in control, everything is topsy-turvey; and if the parent is negligent or, worse, abusive, the child will suffer damage. A parent who fails in their parental responsibility sins against their child; and the child who fails in their responsibility of obedience sins against the parent. He may be an otherwise outstanding example of virtue, but the relationship at home is tense and strained because he is in rebellion against the proper authority of the parent. Most parents of teenage children understand what I am talking about.

Now, what if there is an authority figure to whom we must all render submission and obedience? What if there is a King of kings and a Lord of lords and a President of presidents and a Father of fathers who, by his very nature, deserves to be honoured and obeyed by all human beings? If there is such a one, and I am not submissive and obedient to him, am I not in rebellion against him, and therefore sinning against him? If I sinned against my earthly father by failing to recognise his authority and by going my own way, how much more guilty am I for failing to recognise the authority of the Father of all authority? Can you see that you may be in every respect a virtuous and morally upright person, but still be a sinner because of your failure to acknowledge the right of the Almighty to have your obedience?

he second concept, which follows on from the first, is repentance. Again, a word that has slipped out of everyday usage and has perhaps become associated with a certain form of religiosity. But the word simply means, "having second thoughts", or "rethinking". The idea is that you recognise that the way you have been going, or what you have been doing, is wrong and you need to change.

I recently flew to East Midlands airport in order to get to Nottingham. I collected my hire-car and set off. As I approached Birmingham, I realised that something was wrong. I pulled in to a service station and bought a road map. It didn't take me long to see my mistake. I turned the car around and began to retrace my journey to the point where I had made the wrong turning. I recognised my error, and I repented.

Similarly, in my quest for truth it became abundantly clear to me that I was going in the wrong direction. I was not making progress toward enlightenment, but instead I was moving deeper into darkness and despair. Instead of finding freedom, I was becoming more of a prisoner within my own depression. I had to stop and make a decision. The decision was that I must no longer try to achieve my goal by any form of personal effort, but that I must surrender to the only one who is able to lift me out of the mess that I was in and set me on solid ground.

Whether you come to repentance as a result of cold reasoning or passionate emotion is neither here nor there. It is a door that we all must pass through if we are to find truth, liberty, and our proper destiny. How you come to that door will depend upon who you are and where you are coming from. It is the door that matters, and not the journey to the door.

he third essential principle is that of forgiveness. The God of Truth is also the God of mercy and compassion. His desire is that everyone should be saved from their sinful condition and brought into a place of peace, joy, and eternal destiny. This can happen only by being in a right relationship with him. His desire is not to punish those who go wrong, but rather to draw them back into a place of intimate, loving relationship with him. He longs to be your father, your shepherd, your friend. This means that anyone who turns to him with an honest heart and a true desire to get things right will be accepted by him, welcomed into his fold, and freely forgiven of every sin that is honestly confessed.

his door is open to you today. It is open this very moment. You can pass through this door by means of a simple act of prayer. Perhaps you have never prayed before. Perhaps the idea of prayer is alien to you. You may feel awkward, even embarrassed. What if someone should come into the room and find you praying? What if nothing should happen? Would you not have made a fool of yourself? Well, God, in his wisdom, has chosen that we must become fools if we are to become wise; and we must embrace the folly of prayer if we are to approach the Throne of Mercy.

The best prayers are those that rise spontaneously from the heart, but you may not be in that place at the present time where you are able to pray in such a way. If you like, you may use the prayer below as a pattern. If it helps you, good; if not, ignore it. The important thing is that you will pray to the one who loves you, who reaches out to you, and who longs to bring you into the place where you can know the truth and be free.

ear God, I don't know how to pray, but I do know that I want to get things right between you and me. I'm so aware that I've spent my whole life doing things my way, and I've hardly given you a thought. Please forgive me for sinning against you the way that I have done, and please help me to be the person that you want me to be. I know now that I can't do it on my own, so from now on I'm going to live life your way. I surrender to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, who died for me so that I might live for you. Thank you, Father, for hearing my prayer. Thank you, Lord, for forgiving my sin. Thank you, Jesus, for taking me as your disciple.

f you have prayed that prayer, or one similar, with an honest heart, then you have taken the most important step that you will ever take - you have become a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ. You may have felt something, or you may have felt nothing. It's not what you did or didn't feel that matters, it's what you meant in your heart that makes the difference. The Lord Jesus also gives you this assurance:

am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise them up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the son and believes in him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John's Gospel chapter 6 verses 35-40)