HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
FIRST: One must come to the realization that he or she cannot save themselves,(Ephesians 2:8,9/Titus 3:5). The Bible teaches, “If righteousness(salvation) come by the law(religious works), then Christ is dead(crucifixion) in vain(for nothing)!”(Galatians 2:21). Further, the KEY element in the saving act, is WHAT…or rather…WHO you TRUST for your ultimate salvation! You would be surprised to find out how many people are TRUSTING something or someone other than the finished work of Christ on Calvary and His resurrection for their salvation. Here is a short list of things people are WRONGLY trusting to bring them into a saving relationship with God:
~Their church
~Their baptism
~Their goodness/good life
~Mary, the mother of Jesus
~Their fraternal order
~The saints
~Their religious leader
~Their generosity/philanthropy
~Their love of God
~Sincerity of heart
~Repeated/recited prayers/Rosaries
~Monastic asceticism/what they do without!
~Some concept of a “post-death” second chance
~AND ON AND ON THE LIST COULD GO….
NONE OF THESE THINGS CAN SAVE…THE PERSON DOING THEM MAY BE “SINCERE,” BUT BEING “WELL-MEANING” IS NOT ENOUGH EITHER! A bumper-sticker once read: “If you can earn it(salvation), why did He(Jesus) die?” The FIRST step to salvation is realizing that ONLY the living Lord Jesus Christ, personally, can save. ANY trust that is put in ANY OTHER work, person, church or act apart from Him will ultimately prove to be in vain!
SECOND: Every man, woman boy or girl must understand that they have sinned against the perfect law and rules of God; and that God will not tolerate such sinful behavior…it must be punished! The same Almighty and Merciful God also knows that such perfection on man’s part is impossible. He therefore decreed, a clear, Bible-revealed, METHOD for men to gain the salvation they cannot earn. And that simple, yet profound, METHOD, (begun in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve), is still enforced by God today:
“Forgiveness of sin can only be granted on the basis of man’s FAITH in the Divinely ordained BLOOD SACRIFICE of God!”
The punishment earned by our sins can be passed…or transferred…onto the Divinely acceptable Sacrifice and ONLY through this operation can anyone be saved,(Hebrews 9:22)! This simple, yet eternal principle of redemption was established in the Garden by the “coats of skins,” and supremely completed in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary,(Acts 4:12)! Thus, OUR FAITH, in the Blood shed by Jesus is the only vehicle by which we may be saved today. Not the church, not our works, not our goodness, not religious acts…ONLY the Blood of the Living Savior, Jesus.
THIRD: Turn to Jesus in repentant prayer and accept the free offer of His salvation. This need not be done “in church” or some spiritual service. Salvation is a personal act, and as such your physical location is unimportant. What IS important is the condition of your heart and the honesty of your prayer to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy,(Romans 10:13). When I was saved in 1972, it took place in the privacy of my own bedroom after reading a prophecy magazine about the second coming of the Lord Jesus. At the close of that magazine, the author presented a “model prayer” that could be read and prayed to receive Christ. The author went on to say, “If you do not feel comfortable reciting the prayer that is presented here, use your OWN words…but know…within YOUR prayer must be the elements of (1)acknowledging your sinfulness, (2)realizing that you cannot save yourself, (3)that Jesus WILL save you if you ask Him to, (4)that the punishment for failing to accept Christ would be hell, and (5)that it is with the “mouth” that “confession is made unto salvation.” I felt at that time that I needed to pray MY words and did, accepting the Lord Jesus Christ on May 10, 1972. For this same reason, I now offer to you the same proposal that was made to me in that prophecy magazine. Below is supplied a “model prayer,” but if you wish to use your own words you may, keeping in mind the (5) elements previously listed!
PRAYER TO ACCEPT CHRIST: “Dear Lord Jesus, I understand that I am a sinner and that I have violated your law. I realize that without you, I cannot be saved. Please forgive me of my sins against your holiness and grant me the mercy of your loving grace. I know that I cannot save myself and that the Lord Jesus Christ died as my sacrifice on Calvary and arose from the dead to be my eternal Savior. I now open my heart to you and humbly ask you to save my soul from wrath…In Jesus’ Holy Name…Amen.”
FOURTH: Finally, realize that your salvation experience may or may not be an emotional one. The salvation transaction was emotional for me, but there is nowhere in God’s Word where it says it must be. With or without “tears,” God has PROMISED He will save if we but ask. However, certain changes in one’s newly saved life WILL become evident, if the person getting saved was sincere: (1)They will WANT to get with other believers who desire to learn about the Bible. (2)They will WANT to obey the Lord Jesus, and be baptized, by immersion, in a Bible-believing local church. (3)They WILL begin to feel convicted by the Holy Spirit about certain behaviors they may have been doing before they accepted Christ. And lastly, (4)They WILL be given by God “the gift of discernment,” whereby certain bad acts, false doctrines and incorrect previous beliefs become clearly evident and seen as hostile to the teaching of the Scriptures.
IT IS MY HOPE THAT THIS SIMPLE PRESENTATION OF SALVATION WILL BE BOTH MOTIVATIONAL AND ENLIGHTENING. IF YOU DESIRE TO SHARE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF CHRIST WITH ME, HAVE QUESTIONS OR NEED A RECOMMENDATION TO A GOOD LOCAL CHURCH IN YOUR AREA….PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO WRITE VIA THE "CONTACT ME" PAGE OF THIS WEB SITE.
