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How You Can Be Saved

The Gospel (“Good News”) of Jesus Christ

Every person needs to have a right relationship with the God who created us.

Perhaps in your own heart you have tried to explain away spiritual things, convincing yourself it is all superstition or fairy tales, but the questions just will not go away. Do you know why they will not go away? Because God created in every person the need and desire to know the answers… this need is evidence that God exists, and is reaching out to you.

You need to be “saved.”  Perhaps you do not understand that religious phrase. To be “saved” means to be rescued from some impending harm. You cannot really desire to be saved unless you are convinced there is something that you need to be saved from. What do we need to be saved from?

The nutshell is this: you are a sinner. The God who created you does not tolerate sin. Like a righteous human judge doing his duty, pronouncing punishment and penalty on wrongdoing, the Judge of the Universe – God – must pronounce eternal judgment on all those who have violated His perfect Law. That is the bad news. The good news is that God also has provided a way for us to be forgiven for those violations (sin).

  • But I’m a good person, you might say.
  • Are you really? Is it fair to call you a “sinner”? Most people would answer: “no, I’m a good person.” Let’s put that to the test.
  • Have you ever lied? Ever, even once? How many lies does it take to be a liar? One. You are a liar. So am I.
  • Have you ever stolen, cheated on your taxes, been lazy at work? You are a thief. So I am. So is just about everybody.
  • Have you ever lusted, even once?
    Ever take God’s name in vain (“g*d*m**t) or used His name casually as an expletive (“oh my god”)?
    Ever hated someone?
  • Those sins make you an adulterer (Jesus said lust is equal to adultery in your heart), a blasphemer (using God’s holy name without proper reverence), and murderer (Jesus said to hate your brother is the same as wanting to kill him).

See what I mean. We are not “good.” You (and every other person) are a lying, stealing, blaspheming, murdering, adulterer (and that is just a start. We are not even halfway through the 10 Commandments). 

You are a sinner. I am a sinner. We ALL are sinners. We all have a very real need for forgiveness by God. That’s what “being saved” means. We need to be saved from God’s righteous pronouncement of “GUILTY!” and His just sentence of “DEATH” for our sin. Just like a good human judge will pronounce “guilty!” and a penalty on someone  who has broken the law, God (The Perfect Judge) will do the same. Makes sense, right?

God mercifully provided a way for us to be saved. You cannot earn it, you cannot be good enough to merit it. You cannot demand it or obligate God to give it. It is a free gift given by God’s love even though we do not deserve it. Our salvation is unattainable except that God chose in eternity past to provide it.

Here are seven truths to help you find true Christian faith for yourself, based upon what God says in His Word – the Bible:

  • God Loves You: …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).
  • You Are in Trouble: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” — “You [God] are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with You the wicked cannot dwell.
  • Sin Brings Disaster: The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • God Has Provided the Answer – a Savior: God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
  • Repent* of Your Sin and Turn To the Savior, Jesus Christ: Turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus — To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.
    *To repent means to “turn away from.” It means to be sorry for your sin and truly not want to do it anymore.
  • Believing in Jesus and Receiving Salvation by Faith*: This is what the Bible says – God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son, Jesus. He who has the Son has eternal life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life — If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Have faith* Jesus will you.
  • Now Is the Time to Receive Him and Respond in Obedience:
    Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. — Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Obedience is the evidence of true repentance, faith, and belief. We must respond to God’s gift of salvation ON HIS TERMS by obeying what He commands.Confess that you are a sinner publicly. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the ONLY way to salvation. Be baptized – which symbolizes your old life of sin and defiance being put to death in a grave of water, and a new Godly person being born to a new life of righteousness and good.Find a group of Believers with whom you can serve, pray, and worship the God of the Universe.  Read your Bible. Love others. Obey God. Obedience is the EVIDENCE of GENUINE salvation.

*What is Faith?

You hear the word “faith” a lot in Christian conversation. Often it is used to simply mean “trust”, such as “trust God” (ie. have faith that God will care for you). But what is “faith” when it comes to being saved? Faith is putting your trust in Jesus to save you just like you put your trust in a parachute to save you when you jump out of plain. You believe the parachute exists, you believe in what it does. But you only have FAITH in the parachute when you are actually willing to put it on… and jump. We put on Jesus by faith and jump into eternity trusting He can save us from judgment and eternal punishment.