New Life Begins With Salvation 

Until you have been saved by Jesus, you’re the walking dead. Trapped in your sins. Spiritually unconscious. Separated from a Holy God. 

Jesus came to earth, died on a cross, and was raised to life to rescue you from sin, make you alive, and bring you into eternal relationship with God. Salvation is not only a matter of life after death, but also the way to live an abundant life on earth with Jesus, here and now.

Simply put, Trusting in Jesus is salvation, and salvation is life (1 John 5:12 - He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.). 

When you are saved, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you!

So, what is salvation? Why do I need salvation? Who can give me salvation? What is the true salvation experience? These are the questions every person should want the answers to. The answers are found only in the Word of God, The Holy Bible. Salvation comes only from God the Father through the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for all sin. God has done the giving, but we must believe on and in Jesus the Christ.

Salvation Doesn't Need to be Confusing

Depending on your family background or religious tradition, you may have heard a variety of ideas about salvation.

Perhaps you think it’s what happens when you walk an aisle, pray a prayer or get baptized. Maybe you believe salvation is only for "good people,” or that salvation is something you have to earn with good works or something you can lose if you do bad things.

You don’t have to wonder or doubt. Jesus wants you to know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God).

That’s why the Bible — God’s Word to us — is clear about every aspect of salvation:

Common Questions:

What is Salvation?

First, we need to understand the need for salvation. And to do this we have to understand that God is a Holy God. So therefore, God cannot remain Holy if He allows sin to go unpunished. Since we all have sinned, we all deserve Gods punishment. (Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.")

Salvation is payment for your sins by someone other than yourself. You can not pay for your own sins, for the simple reason that death is the payment for sin. How many sins have you committed? If you were to pay for your own sins you would have to die for each one and then you would have to bring yourself back to life each time for your sin. As dumb as this sounds, you and I both know this is an impossibility. And no amount of good deeds on your part can erase the fact that you are a sinner. Fortunate for us, God has a plan. Salvation is a GIFT from God.

How Are You Saved?

Jesus saves you when you repent and trust in His power and authority to forgive your sins. Your salvation is God's gift to you. It is NOT earned by anything you do.

(Eph. 2:8-9 - v8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: v9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.)

Jesus Christ has paid for your sins! (Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" ) and

(1 John 2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.")

You see, although fully human and experiencing human temptations, Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, being the Son of God, and not the son of Adam. And yet he willingly gave his life for all of us sinners, dying on the cross to pay the price for our sins, so that we don’t have to. Furthermore, having lived a sinless life, Hell could not hold Him because it justifiably had no claim on Him. So on the third day, HE AROSE !! This resurrection is what gives Jesus the power and authority to forgive sins. Thanks be to God for the blessing of salvation. Amen

Who Can Be Saved?

Salvation is for all people. No one’s sin is greater than God’s grace.

Jesus’ desire is for everyone to be saved. (2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.)

(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.)

When is a Person Saved?

God loved us so much that He sent His one and only son into the world so that when we believe, we are given eternal life. We are saved when we believe and receive the truth of the Gospel.

What is the Gospel?

The word “gospel” means “good news.” It's the good news message that mankind can be saved from the penalty of their sin and receive eternal life in Heaven with God through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How Do We Know We're Saved?

If you’re reading this, perhaps God is convicting you of your sins, in your heart of hearts. You should already know you’re a sinner if you’ve ever lied, stolen, lusted, or any number of others sins. We all have sinned, all of us, and therefore genuinely deserve eternal damnation by Gods decree. But there’s HOPE. If you truly feel guilty of and are convicted of your sinful past, then REPENT of those sins and ask God for forgiveness. God is always faithful to forgive our sins when we ask in repentance.

(1 John 1:8,9 - v8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. v9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.).

As a result, you can freely accept Gods gift of salvation. It’s as simple as that. We simply need to trust that Jesus has already paid our sin debt. The result of that acceptance is that we become born-again, meaning we are free to start a new life in Christ. Additionally, further evidence of our salvation is what happens inside our heart. Jesus gives every believer the Holy Spirit, which gives us a desire to live for God and the ability to hear, recognize and respond to God’s voice calling you away from sin and towards Him. You will also want to be baptized in water. Although this is a command from God as an outward expression of your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin, your salvation is not contingent on the baptism ritual. Your salvation is assured from the moment you repented in earnest and asked God to come into your heart for to serve Him.

(Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.)

To love God, to want to trust and follow Him, to enjoy His presence, to hear God’s voice in Scripture, and to feel conviction of sin and the need for repentance are all common experiences of those who are saved :

(John 10:3-5 - v3 T o him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

v4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

v5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

v6  This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

v7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

v8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

v9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.)

Do You Want To Be Saved?

Perhaps you’ve felt unworthy of salvation because of your past. Perhaps you’ve thought good works and keeping rules saved you. Maybe you thought you were saved because you were baptized or prayed a prayer, without experiencing a change of heart.

The good news is that Jesus is calling you to trust and believe that he has done all the work. Jesus' death, burial and resurrection means we can be forgiven and set free to live an abundant life with God here on earth and in eternity.

If you are ready to believe and receive God's gift of salvation, simply talk to God and commit your life to Him: Pray the following with a contrite heart and ask Him to forgive you:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I’ve fallen short. I’ve sinned and need your forgiveness. I believe that You lived, died for my sins on Calvary’s cross, and rose again so that I could be connected to God. I confess you as my Lord, recognizing that you have paid my sin debt on the cross, and commit my life to You. I give you my past, present and future. Take my life and use it. I give it to You. Amen."

If you have prayed this prayer and have accepted Jesus as your Savior, please seek out and become part of a Bible believing church and Christian community! The goal is to grow in Christ, to earnestly study God’s Word - the Holy Bible, and to learn from other fellow Christians. Remember to pray every day and to be a witness for Him, telling others how He has forgiven your sins and changed your life. (Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.)