Salvation
If you were to ask your friends how to get to Heaven, you would probably receive as many answers as the number of friends you have. Someone would probably suggest that you should keep the Golden Rule; someone else might say that you need to live up to the Ten Commandments; others might advise that you should pray, or give to the church and the poor, or that you should “just do the best you can.” But when you are dealing with something as important as eternal life and Heaven, you need more than just the opinions of friends. You need the truth of God’s Word!
- The Bible teaches that no one can gain entrance into Heaven by good works or even religious practices. To become a Christian, a person must first come to the realization that he/she is “lost” (totally estranged from God; separated from God by a sinful nature). We encourage you to get a Bible, which details the history of God’s relationship with humanity. Read Romans 3:23.
- A person alone cannot reconcile the lost relationship between himself/herself and God. To provide a remedy, God sent his only Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life God demands. Jesus came from the glories of Heaven to enter the human race and pay the penalty for our sins, and this is the extent of God’s love for us! Just as a body without physical life is declared physically dead, so any person separated from the life of God is described in the Bible as spiritually dead. Separated from God, dead in our trespasses and sins, we cannot hope to enter Heaven. We need new lives, cleansed from sin and its penalty. We need to be restored to fellowship with God. We must be born into a new life; we must be born again. Read Romans 6:23.
- Although humanity through sin has separated itself from God, the sacrifice of Jesus bridged that gap. On Calvary’s cross, Jesus willingly bore all our sins and suffered the full force of God’s righteous judgment. By His death, Jesus provided for our salvation. By His resurrection from the dead, Jesus broke the power of death. Today, the risen Lord Jesus offers new life to all who will receive Him as Savior. Read Romans 5:8.
- God’s plan of salvation calls for individual person to repent of his/her sins, turn from them and accept the sacrifice Christ made on the cross for those sins. If you will respond to the Son of God by receiving Him as your Savior, you can have everlasting life. On the basis of God’s Word, you can have the assurance that Jesus Christ has totally suffered the penalty of sin for you. And you can be born again into the family of God, knowing that one day you will dwell eternally with your Lord in Heaven. Read Romans 10:9.
- God promises in the Bible that anyone who accepts Christ as Savior shall be saved. Your part is to willingly receive God’s gift of salvation. His part is to save you from the punishment of sin. If you will do your part, He promises to do His part. If you are ready and willing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can say this or something similar: “Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and cannot save myself. Right now I turn from my sin and accept You alone for my salvation. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Read Romans 10:13.
If you have repented of your sin and sincerely meant that prayer (or one like it), know that by faith, God has heard you and forgiven your sin; that’s His promise. And if you’ve followed these steps and made this commitment with your entire heart, mind & soul, then you are now a Christian!
NOTE Salvation is NOT just your sins being pardoned or a get out of hell free card. It’s a call for us to: #1 – Yield ourselves completely to the glorious God who has redeemed us and #2 – Delight ourselves in serving Him.
Salvation is a gift that must be received by empty hands. Empty hands are hands that no longer grasp the things of the world. Yes, Jesus died to forgive everyone, but everyone has a responsibility to personally receive Him to partake of His eternal forgiveness. The Gospel isn’t if you said the forementioned prayer or if you do this or that, then this happens. The Gospel is in the end, you get Christ! And that is enough! He’s the goal, He’s the pursuit. Obedience to the scriptures and a lifestyle that brings forth good fruit are signs of a true conversion.
Please contact us and let us know about this life-changing decision you’ve made. We want to celebrate with you and assist you in the next stages of your walk with Christ.