How to Be Saved

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, or if you are unsure if you are saved, you need to read what the Bible says about how we can be saved from the wrath of God and go to heaven, instead of being condemned to hell. Please consider the following analogy:

Original Problem: If God is a just and good God, He could not forgive you because the penalty for sin (breaking God's law) MUST be paid... (BUT here's some very good news...sufficient payment for your sin has been made, thus you can be forgiven if you receive the free gift of salvation.) Read on!

Think about it; you would not consider a judge to be “good” and “just” if in court he knowingly lets someone who got caught speeding 100 km per hour in a 30 km per hour school zone go free without paying the fine. If he lets that person go free without paying the fine, he would not be a just judge. So it is with God. His very nature is good and just. Therefore, God must punish our sin unless the penalty for that sin has already been paid for on our behalf and the payment for the sin received by the sinner. Let’s say that you were the one caught speeding in the school zone, and the law stated that the penalty for speeding in a school zone is a $500 fine. Let’s say you are unable to afford the $500 fine, but someone steps in and offers you a $500 cheque to pay the fine for you. Now you have a choice. You can either gratefully receive the payment offered on your behalf and go free, or, you can foolishly refuse the payment on your behalf, which means that you will still have to pay the fine yourself some day. See, the Bible says that all of us have sinned, or broken God’s law. There is not a single one of us who hasn’t broken at least one of God’s commandments. The Bible tells us that stealing, even something as small as a pen, or lying, even if it was just a “white lie” is breaking God’s law. If God were to judge you based on the 10 Commandments, would you be considered innocent or guilty? The answer is guilty as every single person has broken at least one of God’s commandments. And if you are guilty, would God send you to heaven or hell? The answer is that God would send you to hell because, as I explained before, His very nature which is good and just, means that the penalty for sin (breaking God’s law) must be paid. BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS!! ...God made a way so that we CAN be FORGIVEN of our sin so that we do not have to go to hell. But as in the analogy, you have to receive His payment for sin (the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice) in order to be forgiven. To find out more, read on!

REMEMBERING THAT GOD IS JUST AND GOOD...CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

1) All of us have sinned “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

2) There is a coming Judgment Day where all men must give an account of himself to God “…for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (Romans 14:10)

3) The penalty of sin is death and eternal separation from God in hell, the “fire that shall never be quenched”, according to Mark 9:43 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5)

NOW HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS!

1) Jesus Christ, who is God, came as a man and lived a sinless life
(Referring to Jesus) "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
(Jesus said) “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30)
“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." (John 1:14)

2) God Made a Way for man to be forgiven and reconciled to God. We can be forgiven for our sins and saved from God’s wrath because Jesus shed his blood and died on the cross in our place “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:8-11)
“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

3) But Jesus did not stay in the grave! He rose again and defeated death! "... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ... he was buried ... he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ... he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
"knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. "(Romans 6:9)

MORE IMPORTANT POINTS

1) Jesus is the only Way to God "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

2) We are saved by grace through faith alone (We are NOT saved by doing good works, "trying hard" to follow the Bible, going to church, following tradition or rituals) "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." It is ONLY by grace we can be saved. If we are just "trying hard" to do the right thing, then we are depending on our own good works and not on God's grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

3) It is not good enough to just believe there is a God "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" (James 2:19)

SO...WHAT MUST YOU DO TO BE SAVED??

1) The Bible tells us clearly "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. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 10:9-11)
"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10) Repentance means to change your mind and turn from your sins

NOW...IF YOU ARE TRULY SAVED, THERE WILL BE EVIDENCE

1) You will live differently as you are a “new creature” and are “born again.” "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

2) You will have the Holy Spirit, who will live in you, seals you in Jesus, guides you, and bring conviction to your heart about sin in your life. The Holy Spirit convicted your of your sin and drew you near to God before you ever received Him. “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6)
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:25-26

3) You will also want to obey God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will help you with this. Obeying God does not save us, but it is evidence that we truly love God. "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17)


I pray you will consider what the Word of God says. If you have made a decision to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, please email me at homemakingpilgrim@gmail.com or tell someone you know who is a Christian so that you can find a Bible-believing church where you can grow in your faith and be supported by fellow Christians and perhaps take the next step in your Christian walk by obeying Jesus's commandment to be baptized, which is a symbol of your decision to follow Him and your identification with Him in his death and resurrection.