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Salvation
The
Bible says salvation only comes through Jesus Christ. From the actual words
of Jesus, it’s clear that HE is the only way of eternal
salvation - the only path to GOD. In John 14:5-7 Thomas said to him,
"Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the
way?" Jesus answered, " I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Here
are a few supporting scriptures that give the same message: John 10:9;
Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 10:20. The Bible is Gods revelation to
mankind. Its message is without error and proves itself to be true through
many hundreds of fulfilled prophecy. The Bible
also states hundreds of times that Salvation (eternity with God in heaven)
only comes through Jesus.
What is a Christian?
In
today's American culture and thought, the word Christian has taken on a
couple of general meanings. One is more of a certain lifestyle such as
going to church, and following a generally accepted Christian moral code.
However, some people who say they're Christian don't really believe
everything that Christ said about himself and don't believe the Bible. The
other meaning of "Christian", true to its origin, simply means to
be a follower of Christ. This necessarily requires belief in what Jesus
said and belief in the standards set in the Bible - a divinely inspired
text that evolved from the Old Testament to the New Testament. To clarify
their beliefs as distinct from cultural Christians some people describe
themselves as Born again Christian, or Bible believing Christian, or
simply Follower of Christ. Being born again is the only way of
true Christianity and the only path to heaven, as Jesus Himself
stated. The Bible's Book of John Chapter 3, gives an account of
that.
The Book of John, Chapter 3:
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews:
2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do
these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How
can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again.
Why do we need Jesus?
God
is so magnificently perfect, fearfully holy, totally pure, and completely
just, that He cannot be in fellowship with sin. Sin literally means to miss
the mark. Sin is anything that goes against the standard that God set for
righteousness. This is a serious problem for mankind since every human has
inherited the sinful nature from Adam and Eve, which they received by being
born into the fallen state of the world after the Garden of Eden.
How does Jesus save us?
The
Bible says that even before God created man, He knew that man would sin,
and had a plan for man's redemption through His Son. While God is just, and
cannot ignore sin, He is also loving and has made a way to cleanse us from
our sins through His Son. The punishment for sin is eternal death. Jesus,
even though He was without sin, chose to die for the sins of mankind. Jesus
took this punishment in our place. Then Jesus, being the perfect God he is,
defeated death by rising from the dead.
Once
you accept Jesus as Lord over your life, his punishment is applied to your
sin, thereby freeing you from the cost of sin, which is death and eternal
separation from God.
How to receive salvation
Romans10,
verses 9-10 explain how believing in Jesus will save you, and states it
very simply:
"That 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.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is
with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
If you truly believe
these verses, here's a sample salvation prayer for you. (You can say these
words or something else like this):
"Father in
the name of Jesus, I come before you to accept Your free gift of salvation.
I renounce sin and want to live for You. I declare that Jesus is Lord and I
believe in my heart that Jesus rose from the dead. Therefore I am saved.
Thank You for loving me, thank you for keeping me, thank you for saving me.
In Jesus Name, Amen
God in His love for us made it very simple. We do not have to do lots of
good works to outweigh the bad. We cannot earn our way to heaven through
our own merit. We can never be perfect. Being saved simply means having
faith in Jesus Christ and making Him Lord over your life. When you do this,
Jesus death becomes the punishment for your sin. ALL of your sin, past,
present, and future, is taken care of by Jesus. But it is now your charge
to renounce sin and make a daily effort to live in holiness. When you fall
short, repent and ask God to strengthen your resolve. Believing in Jesus
makes you worthy of standing before God in Heaven because God will now see
His Son's righteousness in you.
For information or prayer contact
Terence & Pamela Wilson
email: jcd4u@earthlink.net
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