Slugging great Babe Ruth had a career batting average of .342 (9th best all-time), Ted Williams batted .344 (7th), and Ty Cobb holds the highest career batting average at .366. That means that the best players in baseball history found success less than half the times they came to the plate. Even with all their experience and skill, no player has ever come close to perfection.

Baseball players are imperfect because perfection is humanly impossible. Humans are flawed and inconsistent even at their best. There was only one man in all of history who could claim perfection, and that is Jesus Christ. It's debatable how Jesus might have batted had He played baseball, but in a sense He did pinch hit for you and me once, and He nailed a grand slam.

Since creation God's standard has been sinless perfection, but that is an impossible goal given our human sinful natures. It would be similar to trying to bat 1.000 for an entire career, never taking a strike, and never hitting the ball foul! Knowing this, God sent Jesus Christ to take our place in the batters box.

With Jesus in the game, the rules are simple...

To reach 1st base:
Know the game...
God loves you For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

To reach 2nd base:
Admit your error, and know the effect...
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

To reach 3rd base:
Look to the bench for your teammate...
And being found in appearance as a man, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death. (Philippians 2:8)
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

To make it home:
Ask Christ to be your pinch hitter...
Everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

As God's Son, Jesus is uniquely qualified to turn the whole game of life and death inside out. Since He is God, He has all of God's character and ability. When He died on the cross to pay for our imperfections, He opened the way for us to make it onto God's team. Any of us are qualified. The only requirement is that we accept Jesus as our saviour.

You can sign-up with God's team through a prayer like this:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know my life is full of errors, and there is no way I can bat 1.000 on my own. I need You to pinch-hit for me, and to cancel the penalty of my sin through Your work on the cross. I accept You as my Savior, the One who forgives my sin and gives me eternal life. Amen.

If you would like to talk to someone directly about accepting Jesus, the people listed below would be more than happy to spend time helping you with this important decision.