For readers that are saved, unsaved, or unsure of the meaning of salvation.
Remember that I am by no means perfect; rather I am merely one beggar telling other beggars where to find bread'. Like I tell those of you in CBU and Redeemer Bible Studies - I am speaking to myself in all aspects of my teaching.
My question to readers is simply, “Are you saved?” Now in my spiritual walk, I’ve had the opportunity to share Christ with fellow high school and college students alike and this is always a question I like to ask, almost always preceded by the question, “Are you a Christian?” People usually say, “Yes, I’m a Christian, I believe there's a God and I’m a pretty good person and I go to church, so that must mean I’m saved,” but does that equate to being Biblically ‘saved’? Unfortunately the answer is ‘no’, but the good news is that the Bible tells us directly how to be saved and more importantly, it tells us that there is only one path to being saved- through Jesus Christ. The Bible gives us the Four Spiritual Laws that clearly instruct us on how we can invite Christ into our hearts and our minds.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
By ‘the world’, John the Baptist means ‘YOU’. “For God so loved YOU (substitute your own name)…” that He is willing to save you from the punishment of your sin, an eternity of pain and suffering in hell, and assure you that if you died right now, you would go straight to heaven. He will save you if you are willing to trust Him.
In order to trust Jesus Christ, you must first admit that you are a sinner, for...
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
We’ve all lied, cheated, stolen, and or boasted at some point in our lives. And by acknowledging that we’ve at some point committed one, many, or all of these sins, we, by our very own tongues, admit that we are liars, cheaters, thieves, and or boasters. We are all guilty of sins of commission (things we aren't supposed to do, but did do) and sins of omission (things we are supposed to do but didn't do).
Second, you must forsake your own self-effort, realize that only God the Father can save you, because...
"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" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There are no carnal (secular, worldly) means that can release us of our sin debt. No good actions, and no religious rituals will ever satisfy the debt of sin. Therefore, we must realize that only the Father and his son the Lord Jesus Christ can redeem us of our wrongdoing.
Third, you must recognize that Jesus Christ paid your sin debt with His blood when He died on the cross, since...
"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Since we can not satisfy the conditions of our sin debt, we must realize that only the Father loves us and sent his son the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross and offer us redemption of our wrongdoings and our shortcomings.
And lastly, realizing that Jesus Christ has paid a debt that you yourself are unable to pay, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Place your faith and believe with all your heart that Christ and Christ alone saves you and gives you the gift of salvation.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Jesus says,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6).
There is nothing unclear about this statement. Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.
If you are not yet saved and have made the most important decision in your life to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you must pray to your Savior in heaven, because He will hear you, for
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).
If you’ve made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior, use this following sample prayer to genuinely and sincerely invite Him into your heart and to change you into the person He wants you to be.
“Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I’m a sinner and that I’m lost. I know that I need to be saved. I realize that I can not save myself, but yet You love me and sent your only son Jesus to die for me. I trust You. Please come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. Father I wish to give You my life today. Amen.”
Accept the gift of salvation today! If you have never been saved, I encourage you to do so now, because it is the single most important decision you will ever make! Yesterday has come and gone, and tomorrow may never come, so today is the best day to know that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The question is not whether or not you know Jesus. It's a matter of whether Jesus knows YOU.
So if you are unsaved, I hope that you will choose Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. If you are saved, I hope that you'd be reminded of the glorious gift that God has given us in the sacrifice of his sinless son - the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty. Reflect upon the price that was paid because there is a God in Heaven that loves you. On Tuesday at a Bible study, I discussed the difference between a religion and a faith, and I posed the question to the group, "Is Christianity a religion?"
The answer is no. Rather it is defined as a "faith". You see, a religion is a defined as "a set of carnal rituals performed by human beings in order to elevate themselves towards God or deity". Christianity is exactly the opposite. There's a God in Heaven that knows that we can not save ourselves. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) In God's economy, we owed a debt for our sins - a debt we couldn't pay ourselves. So God gave us the GIFT of salvation through Christ so that we would not have to suffer the "wages of sin - death" (Romans 6:23). Death being eternal separation from a loving God that is the author of all goodness and mercy. So if you're saved, meditate upon the beauty of God's G.R.A.C.E.
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
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