What is salvation? That’s where you become a child of God by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It is also called being “born again” in the Bible. It’s like getting a second chance at life. It is a necessary experience in order to be part of God’s eternal Kingdom.
John 3:3 NLT Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
What exactly does God “save” you from? Hell and sin.
What is hell? It is not a fun place. It’s not a place to party with your friends. Hell is a place of forever darkness and separation from God. It was originally created by God as a place of punishment for the devil and evil spiritual beings called demons. The devil and the demons were once angels that rebelled against God. In fact, the devil, Lucifer, was originally in charge of worship in heaven. When they turned against God, He banned them all from heaven. Since then they have been allowed to roam the earth working to get people to turn away from God, to prevent those who don’t know God from ever knowing Him, and to just cause general destruction and evil in the earth. When the day of judgment comes they will be cast into hell forever.
Unfortunately, the devil and the demons are not the only ones who will reside in hell. Those who have not accepted the gift of salvation though Jesus Christ, will also spend eternity there. Why? Because sinners cannot be in the presence of God for He is holy! The Bible teaches that sin separates you from God. So you need to get your sin dealt with so you don’t end up in hell.
Fortunately, God is able to save us from our sin. What is sin actually? Sin literally means “to miss the mark.” Think of a target you are taking aim at. The way to hit the bull’s eye on the target is to obey the Word of God. The Word teaches us how to live in a way that pleases Him. That’s what it means to be holy. However, when we violate His Word, we miss the mark, we don’t strike the bull’s eye! No human being is actually able to live a holy life because we all sin. We disobey God all the time. But there is a solution to this problem.
When God created man He knew that we were going to sin. In His perfect love for us, He created a way for us to be saved from that sin by sending Jesus Christ, His Son, to take the punishment we all deserve for being sinners. This was a gift of grace from God. We did nothing to deserve salvation. Jesus did it all for us.
Titus 2:11-14 NLT For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. (12) And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, (13) while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. (14) He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
So when Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, the entire human race was given the opportunity to hit the mark, to strike the bull’s eye with God. How do we do that? The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
None of us will ever be perfect in this life, but we are made holy because of what Jesus did for us. Through faith in Christ we are made one with God again. When we turn to Him, we are instantly saved from sin and eternal separation from God in hell. Those who do not believe, will not receive the gift of salvation. Jesus said in Mark 16:16 (NLT) Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
God is reaching out to you in mercy and love to give you the gift of salvation that Jesus Christ made possible for you. Receive it and you will obtain a priceless inheritance in heaven, an inheritance that is yours forever. As you invest your faith into Jesus, that faith will protect you and keep you on track with God’s plan for your life until you enter into the eternal Kingdom.
1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, (4) and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. (5) And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
So what do you need to do to experience this great salvation from sin for yourself?
First, talk to God. He is able to hear you anytime, no matter where you are. Just talk to Him like you would any other good friend. He loves you and is waiting to listen to you.
Secondly, admit to Him that you know you are a sinner, condemned to death because of your sin. Ask Him to forgive you of all your sins, past and present. That’s all it takes. Just a confession, you admitting your sin to God. You don’t have to tell Him about each one you can think of. You can if you want to, but He already knows. The wonderful thing is that the moment you ask Him to forgive you, He does, immediately.
Third, repent. That’s different than confession. Repent means to turn from sin and turn toward God. Ask Him to fill you with the power of His Holy Spirit to enable you to turn your back on your sin and your past. Tell Him you want to live the right way, according to His Word, the Bible, from now on. The moment you ask for His Holy Spirit, He will fill you. From that point forward you have the opportunity to yield to His power and resist sin.
Fourth, receive. Tell God that you believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sin and that by faith in the Word you now receive the gift of salvation from sin. Ask Jesus to now be the Lord (ruler) of your life and tell Him that from this moment on you want to follow Him. Once you have spoken these things in faith, you immediately receive so thank Him for what He has done.
Here is a sample prayer if you need help:
Father, I come to you right now and and admit to you that I am a sinner, who deserves to go to hell because of my sin. Today I choose to repent from all my sin, to turn away from it and turn to you. Fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit so I can walk in your truth. I believe your Son Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sin, so I receive your promised gift of salvation right now. Jesus, I invite you to come and be the Lord of my life from now on. Thank you for saving me and filling me with your Spirit. I love you for what you have done for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have taken these steps, you are now a true Christian, saved from sin and born again to a new life in Christ. Please send me an email and let me know about your experience. If you have any questions about what is written here you can email those to me, too.
For information about your next step as a new believer in Christ, please read this article. It’s very important!
