Salvation

Salvation?  What is it and why do I need it?

All right, lets cut to the heart of the matter.  Who is this Jesus guy?  I mean, I heard he was just some prophet, but somebody else said he was the Son of God, but who is he really?  How do I know the truth?

Instead of listening to what other people say, lets go straight to the Bible for the answer on this one.  The Bible is a record of God, people, and Jesus, and the things Jesus did for us.  Check it out:

Jesus is the one born son of God:

Mark 1:9-11 says "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.  And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

John 3:16 also describes Jesus as the "only begotten son" of God.

Not only is Jesus the Son of God, He is God:

Matthew 1:23 says "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." 

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, being born of the virgin Mary, as well as fulfilling over 60 other prophecies foretelling his coming as the Son of God.  If you really want to get an in depth look at those prophecies, check them out here.  Also don't be afraid to take a look at John chapter 1 to read about how Jesus is God.  It says that the Word was with God in the beginning and the Word was God.  It describes the Word as a person who is a light, and goes on to describe the light as Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 3:16 also says, "God was manifest in the flesh."  The first four books of the New Testament, known as the Gospels, are all about how Jesus came down to earth and was 'manifest in the flesh'.

Recap: Jesus is the Son of God, and Jesus is God.  Ok, so we know who Jesus is, now what?  

What's Jesus got to do with me?  Well, here's the really cool part.  See, Jesus isn't just the son of God.  Jesus came to earth as a man to pay the punishments for our sins.

What's a sin?  Are you telling me I'm a sinner and I'm a bad person?

No.  Being a sinner does not mean you're a bad person.  A sin is breaking one of God's laws or rules.  God set all kinds of rules out for how people should live.  He made rules on cleanliness like washing your hands (yeah, he really did), he made rules like not murdering people, not telling lies, and not stealing people's stuff.  Just like our government makes laws today, God made hundreds of laws for people to follow.  When you don't follow one of these rules, you're missing the mark God set for you.  That's what sin is.  All of the laws God made for people to follow are in the Bible.  God doesn't expect you to follow them all or be perfect, and He knows you'll miss the mark, that you'll sin.  The problem is, sin resides in the flesh.  That means it lives inside of you.  Kind of like permanent marker on a wall... you can paint over it but it's still there.  God can't let sin into heaven, but He wants you to be in Heaven with Him when you die, so he sent his only born son to die for your sins and wash them clean.  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 didn't just let Jesus stay dead though, after three days he brought him back to life.  You can read about all of this in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Check it out:  Jesus was sinless.  Jesus is God, and God doesn't break his own rules.  He never sinned.  God sent Jesus down to earth, to take the punishment for our sins, so we wouldn't have to.  The bible refers to Jesus as an advocate for us, kind of like a lawyer.  It's almost like we're in court to answer for our breaking of the rules, and we have to pay the consequences for our actions.  Just as the judge (God) is about to hand out the consequences, Jesus walks in and says, "I'll pay the price.  I'll take the consequences."  You can't believe it, you're stunned.  Who is this guy?  Why would he do this for you?  The answer is simple: He's Jesus, and He loves you.  So what do you have to do to let this guy take the punishment?  You just have to accept his free gift to you.

What does the Bible say about all of this?

1John 2:1-2 "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 6:23 - See more at: http://christianbiblestudyblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/salvation-our-gateway-to-heaven.html#sthash.JlRqxrOY.dpuf

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 6:23 - See more at: http://christianbiblestudyblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/salvation-our-gateway-to-heaven.html#sthash.JlRqxrOY.dpuf

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved."

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me."

Did you get that?  We're all sinners, we all break the rules God set for us sometimes, but God still loves us and wants us to be with Him forever, so he sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our rule breaking.  The one and only way to Heaven is through Jesus, because that's the way God set out for us to get there.  You just read above in Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved," but what's that mean?  How do I call upon the name of the Lord?  This is the easy part of it all.  Jesus' sacrifice for you was a free gift.  You don't have to start being a good person to get that gift, you don't have to join a church or get baptized to get it, you just have to ask him for it.  Basically reach out your hand and take it.

The Bible says:

Romans 1:9-10 "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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Step 1 is believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins and rose again and confessing it with your mouth (even if you just say it out loud to yourself).  Step 2 is confessing your sins to Jesus.  Pray to Jesus and let him know that you're a sinner, and you  need his help to get to Heaven.  Ask him to wash away your sins.

If you're not sure what to pray, then pray this to God (though you don't have to pray these exact words):

"Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and that I need your help to save my soul. I know that you are the Son of God, and I want to thank you for dying on the cross for me so that I don't have to pay for my sins, and so that I can have eternal life through you. Please come into my heart Lord and save me. Please forgive me for my sins and help me to repent and be a better person for you. I love you Lord and thank you for your sacrifice. In your name Lord, amen." - See more at: http://christianbiblestudyblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/salvation-our-gateway-to-heaven.html#sthash.JlRqxrOY.dpuf

Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and that I need your help to save my soul. I know that you are the Son of God and that you died for me and rose again, and I want to thank you for dying on the cross for me so that I don't have to pay for my sins, and so that I can have eternal life through you. Please come into my heart Lord and save me. Please forgive me for my sins and help me to repent and be a better person for you. I love you Lord and thank you for your sacrifice. In your name Lord, amen.

There's one more important thing we have to talk about concerning salvation (or going to Heaven).  See, your salvation is by the grace of God, not by your own good works (not by being a good person).  Does God want you to be a good person?  Yeah, but it's not required to get His salvation, that's why it's called grace.  Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Some people will tell you that after you've gained salvation by the Grace of God, that you can turn around and lose that salvation by being a bad person, but it's just not true.  The Bible never says anything like that and in fact speaks to the contrary.  When it speaks about salvation it generally says 'eternal' meaning forever.  If it's forever, you can't lose it.  1John 2:25 "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life."  God doesn't just give you the gift, but he promises you that it's eternal.  The Bible says it's eternal over and over and over again.

The Bible also says that it's impossible to lose your salvation, because the salvation Jesus offers is a free gift to everyone, and if you lose it, it means you can gain it again, but that's like killing Jesus all over again and that's not possible.  See, when Jesus died, God said, "It is finished."  Not it's finished for now until we have to do it all over again later for those people that lose their salvation.'

 

John 19:30 "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

 

Hebrews 6:4-6 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

 

If you could lose your salvation, and gain it back again later, you'd have to crucify Jesus again, and thus "put him to an open shame."

 

Jesus put a down payment on you when you accepted Him into your heart.  He's not going to leave you here or send you to Hell after you're saved just because you stumble or commit a sin.  Be ready for people to try to persuade you different though, or even to get mad at you.  A lot of people like to take ownership of their salvation, basically saying that they're 'good enough' to be saved, or in other words gain salvation by doing good things or being a good person, instead of getting there through Jesus and the grace of God.  If you earn your salvation by grace (the only way to earn it as you've read in the scriptures), then you cannot lose it by sinning or doing (bad works).  I just wanted to throw that FYI out at you so you can be strong hearted in the face of adversity.  You're not alone though.  As common as it is for people to believe you can lose your salvation, it's just as common to find people who believe their salvation is eternal.  

 

The important thing is to read the Bible for yourself so you can know what it says instead of just taking everybody elses word for it.  Seriously, don't take my word for it.  You can read the Bible for free here.  Start in the New Testament if you want to start reading about Jesus right away.  God has preserved His word for you to read, because there's important things he wants you to know, like knowing how to get to Heaven by accepting Jesus.  He wants you to be steadfast and strong and not just listen to what people say.  

 

Too often I hear people say, "well my pastor said this..."  or, "the famous guy who wrote this Christian book says..."  what they say is not important.  They can be good jumping off points for study, but what's important is what the Bible says.  Read and study it for yourself so you can know.  Unfortunate as it is, there are people out there who will twist the words of God, taking them out of context to try to get you to believe as they do.  But if you're reading the bible often, you'll see them coming a mile away and know what the Bible really says.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1John 1:9 - See more at: http://christianbiblestudyblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/salvation-our-gateway-to-heaven.html#sthash.JlRqxrOY.dpu