|
God’s Gift of Salvation  Can a person know with 100% certainty that when they die they will go to heaven? Yes, absolutely. The Bible says, “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.” 1 John 5:13. So, it is possible to know for sure! Let us look at some gospel verses dealing with this most important subject in life: 1. WE ARE ALL SINNERS. (Rom 3:10) “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”The one thing everyone needs in order to get into heaven is righteousness. Yet God says NONE of us are righteous on our own, not even ONE of us! Why? (Rom 3:23) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Sin is disobedience to God’s commands. All of us have sinned against God. These sins make us guilty, condemned, and lost. We cannot hide our sins and God will not forget them. They must be forgiven by God. 2. GOD HAS PLACED A PRICE ON OUR SINS. (Rom 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death…” Sin must be paid for, and the price God has set is death. There are two deaths in the Bible: physical death, and eternal death (called the second death). If we die physically while unsaved, we will suffer eternaldeath in hell. (Luke 16:23) “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…” (Rev 20:14-15) “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” God loves you, however, and doesn’t want you to go to Hell. Hell was created for the devil and his fallen angels, not for man. God has made a way for you to be saved and have eternal life. (2 Pet 3:9) “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 3. JESUS DIED TO PAY THE PRICE FOR OUR SINS. (Rom 5:8) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”God loves you so much, that He gave His only Son to die on the cruel Cross for your sins! Jesus, as the sinless Son of God, took our place and died for us. He became our substitute, “the Lamb of God.” His blood was shed for the atonement of our souls. Who did Jesus die for? “Christ died for US.” That means that everyone needed the same salvation. All of us are sinners, and all sinners need salvation. (John 3:16-17) “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. {17} For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” 4. SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT. (Rom 6:23) “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” A gift cannot be bought or earned – it is given and received freely. Even so, the gift of God is not earned through religion, morality, good works, church membership, or baptism. It is by grace. What is the gift? “Eternal life.” Where is eternal life at? In Heaven, forever! How do I get this gift? Is it through a certain church, religion, or deed? No, it is through Jesus Christ alone! (Eph 2:8-9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast.” 5. YOU MUST RECEIVE THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE THE BIBLE WAY. (Rom 10:9-10) “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. {10} For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10:13) “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Jesus died and was buried for 3 days, but then He arose from the dead and ascended back to heaven! We have a living Savior Who is inviting sinners to call upon Him for salvation. He will not force you to be saved – you have to choose to receive His gift. The very moment that you open your heart up in repentance and faith, trusting Christ as your Savior, God has promised that you “shall be saved.” God cannot lie – we can trust His promise! Wouldn’t you like to trust Christ as your Savior? Why not now? The Bible is clear that God is willing to save us anywhere, not just at a church. But He wants to save us today, because we have no promise for tomorrow. If you are sorry for your sins against God and would like to trust Christ as your personal Savior, why not say this simple prayer: “Dear Lord, I confess I am a sinner and I need to be saved. I believe that Jesus died on the Cross to pay my sin-debt. Please forgive my sins, come into my heart, and save my soul. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. Amen.” Now read this verse again: (Rom 10:13) “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Did you call upon Christ’s name for salvation? What did God say He would do if you did so? Can God lie? Then what did God do when you called upon Christ? Whether you feel any differently is not relevant. What did God say you would be? Saved! Isn’t that wonderful! Now read this verse: (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…” Did you believe (trust for salvation) on the name of Jesus Christ? Then what does God say you can KNOW that you HAVE? Eternal life! The Bible is also clear that once a person is saved, they are saved forever: (John 3:36) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” In this verse we find two groups of people: those who believe on Christ and those who do not believe on Christ. Which are you? If you believe in Christ, trusting Him as your Savior, what does the Bible say you have? Everlasting life! (Jude 1:24) “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…” Some people worry about falling from grace and losing their salvation. This verse says clearly that we are kept by Christ, Who is able to keep us from falling, and will one day present us faultless before God in heaven. Now, what should you do after you are saved? You should attend a Bible-believing Baptist Church this Sunday. You should attend Church out of gratitude to Christ for His salvation. It is in Church that you will grow in grace as a Christian. When you visit, tell the Pastor that you were recently saved. If you have received Christ as a result of visiting our website, please email us and let us know! |