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Eric asked an important question in Bible study.
What is getting saved?
At first, I thought it was a strange question for a young man raised in the church. However, it is a question that we all should be able to answer.
Today the church is made up of many individuals who attended all their lives. However, going to church does not save people. It is faith in Jesus as the Son of God who paid for our sins on the cross.
As I explained to Eric, salvation is not automatic when you come to church. You are not saved because your parents or grandparents were. Salvation comes from accepting Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who came into this world and paid the price for your sins.
To be saved, you must accept several things clearly explained in the Bible. They are so crucial that we will spend a little time on each point.
First, saved from what?
As I told Eric, the first question we need to understand is why you need to be saved. You are living a good life and going to church every Sunday and other church activities. You may even be teaching the Bible to others.
The problem is SIN! Sin is not obeying God. When Adam disobeyed God in the garden, sin came into the world. With sin came physical death. Often Adam’s first sin is called the original sin, and it affects all of us. We die!
Paul speaking of Adam’s sin in Romans 5:12 NKJV, said, 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
But Paul does not stop there, earlier in Romans 3:23 NKJV, He tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
All have sinned
Eric, you notice that it says, “all have sinned.” Yes, that means you and me. Even though we are living good lives and people say that we are good. The truth is that each of us disobeys God on many levels.
John goes even further, in 1 John 1:10 NKJV, when he says, “10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
You see, Eric, the problem is that we have all sinned, and sinners cannot enter into the presence of a righteous God. All stand condemned to physical death by Adam’s sin and are separated from God by our sins.
God has a zero-tolerance policy. He knew from creation that we could not live in perfect obedience, so He planned for our redemption. Someone had to pay the price for our sins, or we could not stand in God’s presence.
He provided the way
So Eric, God knowing that we could not live a sinless life, planned a path to Salvation. His Son would come to earth and pay the price for our sins. His Son would live a sinless life and offer Himself up as payment for our sins.
You probably know John 3:16 NKJV, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus’ reason for being born was to fulfill Scripture and die on the cross for our sins. I love the song that says, “I owed a debt I could not pay. He paid a debt He did not owe.” It illustrates what Jesus did when He was nailed to the cross. He paid for our sins with His blood!
God loves us so much, Eric. He made “getting saved” so easy anyone can do it. Our Lord only requires that we have faith in His provision and follow Him. One of my favorite verses is Romans 5:8, NKJV 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So the answer to the question, “What is getting saved?’ is very simple, but we must all seek it for ourselves. The key is this verse in Romans 10:9 NKJV, “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Jesus did the hard part. Now it is up to us to believe and accept what He did…AND follow His commands.
Salvation accepted
Now, Eric, you know why you need to get saved. It is because of sin in your life or, in other words, rebellion against God. You have not done everything He has commanded in His Holy Word. So you, along with all the rest of us, are sinners.
So, how do we accept what God has done for us through His Son Jesus?
There is what we call the sinner’s prayer. Once we know that we are sinners and that God has prepared salvation for us, we need to ask Jesus to come into our hearts and change us.
Many in many different languages say this simple prayer as the first step in their walk with God.
Dear God, I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. Jesus Christ, I believe that you shed Your precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to change and turn from my sin. Lord Jesus, I now invite you, to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior.
This simple prayer, prayed in faith, brings you into the family of God. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
You and I can become the sons of God! We can inherit all that our Father in Heaven has set aside for us. His great love for us genuinely blesses us now and forever.
Conclusion
So, Eric, it is now up to you to make a decision. Will you accept what God has done for you, or will you reject His gift? God will even give you the faith you need to accept Him.
God constantly seeks to save that which is lost. He has shown us why we need salvation, and He has given us the way through His Son Jesus.
Today is the time to ask Him into your heart.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV