What does the Bible truly teach regarding salvation? What is the real purpose that God sent His Son Jesus to die? Does your church really “get it?”
Scripture says:
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Believe what? Saved from what? Understanding these distinctions is what makes up true saving faith.
First, you must believe that Jesus is who the Bible says He is. He is Immanuel, God with us. The evidences for the deity of the 2nd person of the trinity are many.
John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Later in the same chapter, John writes: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ”
Jesus was the Word. Jesus was with God the Father in the beginning and indeed was and is God. John 1 goes on to say all things were made by Him. Jesus made us. Jesus was there at creation, fashioning and forming this earth in its perfect state. He is fully and truly God; and, yet, He was able to do something that defies our minds, he became fully and truly man. 100% God. 100% man. Such is beyond our comprehension, but truly, don’t you think that a person with the intelligence and imagination to create all of the variety we find on earth might just be a bit beyond our intelligence and comprehension?
So, we believe that Jesus is God. And, we believe that He came to earth, to be born of a virgin (another non-issue for God). But why would He do this?
The most famous verse in the Bible says:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He came to bring salvation to those who will believe. He died to bring us life. He died to save us. But from what?
He died to save us from our sin. Sin often offends us; but, sometimes it doesn’t. We all think we are basically good people, not really “sinners.” But in truth, Scripture says that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Sin separates us from God. He is so pure. He is so spotlessly pure, that as one writer put it,
“God’s holiness is not simply the bes we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable…Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He IS that standard.” (A.W. Tozer, the Knowledge of the Holy).
You see, just because our sin doesn’t offend us, doesn’t mean it doesn’t offend God. His ways are higher and purer than we can even comprehend and Scripture says that sins separate us from Him.
Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
None of us, living the very best we can, can every live up to God’s standard of righteousness and perfection. And, even the good deeds we do are usually tainted with some inferior motive, at least in part (i.e.,I do this because I like to help people. It makes me feel good). Knowing that we could never live up to that standard, and knowing that the punishment for failing to live up to that standards was death and eternal punishment in a real place called Hell, God provided a way of salvation for those who would simply put their faith and trust in Him.
You see, we deserve the punishment that our sins bought for us. All of us know to do good, and yet, we still rebel. We are lawbreakers, and the supreme Lawgiver says our punishment is death. But, Jesus said that it doesn’t have to be that way. He provided, in his very own body, the sacrifice that would take our punishment for us. All He asks is that you put your faith and trust in Him and what He did for you.
What does this faith look like? Well, it is a turning away from sin and turning towards God. You can’t do this on your own. Jesus will give you that ability. But when your faith is truly in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, your want to will be to follow him. It is called repentance. It isn’t a work we do, but is a work that Christ does through us the moment we are saved. We have changed our mind about sin and have turned our hearts and minds towards Jesus Christ.
A prayer will not save you. Good works will not save you. Only Jesus will save you, and salvation is on His terms, as shown in Scripture, not on our own.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Call upon the Lord today. Turn to Him and pray to Him in your own words. Express genuine sorrow for the sins which you have committed and accept by faith what He did for You by taking your punishment on Himself. Allow Him to continually help you turn from sin and towards Him. Accept that He is Savior and Lord of Your life and mean it.
A sample prayer might be something like :
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner. I know that my sins are abhorent in Your sight. You are so holy and pure. Even the slightest speck of the filth of sin can not be accepted by You. I am sorry that I have rebelled against You. I ask You to forgive me and cleanse me of my sins. Through Your power, I now turn from my sins and declare that You are Savior and Lord of my life. You are my God, and You alone are worthy of my very all. And so, Lord, I ask You to take my life and make me what You would want me to be. Make me more like Yourself. Thank You for saving me from my sins. Thank You for taking my punishment for me. And thank You for the victory which is in You. I know that life will not always be easy, and indeed, I may have some very difficult times ahead. But, Lord, it is a comfort knowing that I won’t go through those times alone. You will be with me, just as You promised to. Lord Jesus, I love you and praise You, and it is in Your name that I pray all of these things, Amen.
Salvation is not difficult. God made it rather easy. And yet, we still resist.
If you would like to talk more about being saved, go ahead and post to this thread. I will try to help you with any questions you may have about the Lord I love.