Salvation

WHERE SHOULD WE START?

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” If you were to look at the most beautiful buildings this world has, they would all have one thing in common. All of them have a foundation. Regardless of how beautiful the building looks, if it does not have a good foundation, then the building will be sure to fall. The purpose of our Bible study is to build up people that have been truly born again by receiving Christ as their Savior. Our goal is to provide and teach Bible truths that will help you become rooted and grounded in the word of God. But, before we can start to build, first, we need to examine the foundation.

YOU ARE A SINNER

Before you can ever find an answer, you must first know what the problem is. If you go to a doctor to find help with a sickness you are having, the first thing the doctor needs to do is find out what sickness you have. After he has found the cause of your problem, he can properly treat you. This same principle applies to your soul. The first thing you need to do is know what your problem is. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Again in Galatians 3:22, “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin…” Before you can ever receive the salvation that God has provided, you must first see your need. The Bible is clear that everyone in this world is a sinner. That means, at some point in your life, you have broken one or more of God’s laws. Breaking God’s laws makes you a sinner. (1 John 3:4) Regardless of which commandment you have broken, if you have broken God’s law, you are guilty! (Romans 3:19 and James 2:10)

YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SIN

Because you have broken God’s law, you need to pay for your sins. In the Bible, there is only one way to pay for your sins, and that is death. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…” The reason everyone dies is because everyone is a sinner. Something very important for you to understand is that in the Bible, there are two deaths. The first death everyone is familiar with because that is when the body dies. But the second death has to do with your soul. The Bible says in Revelation 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” When a person’s soul goes to the lake of fire, that is when they suffer the second death. This second death is an eternal death. That means that a person’s soul will burn and burn for all of eternity. Notice in Revelation 14:11 the Bible says, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night…” You have sinned against an eternal God; therefore, you owe him an eternal payment.

YOU CAN NOT SAVE YOURSELF

At this point, it is important that you are very honest with yourself. Please answer this question honestly, “Have you ever sinned?” The answer is obviously, “Yes.” Here is the next question. “How are you going to pay for your sins?” The Bible is very clear that there are no good works we can do in order to pay for our sins. Paul said in Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” Again Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For 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.” Going to church is a good thing. Getting baptized is a good thing. Helping others is a good thing. But good things do not save you, and they cannot pay for your sins! You are a sinner. That means you are a lawbreaker. You are guilty of breaking the laws of the Almighty God. God has already told you what your punishment will be, and that is death: both the first death (your body dying) and the second death (your soul dying in the lake of fire forever).

SOMEONE HAS MADE THE PAYMENT FOR YOU!

Jesus Christ knew about your problem even before you were born. Over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ came into the world. For 33 years, Jesus lived a perfect life without ever sinning one time! So the question must be asked, “Why did Jesus die?” The reason people die is because they are sinners. But Jesus was not a sinner, so why did he die? Jesus died for the same reason you will die one day…YOUR SIN! At the end of Jesus’ life, God showed us his love and mercy in a most incredible way. The Father took everyone’s sins and placed them on his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. After that, Jesus died and went to hell to pay for our sins. He was our substitute. Jesus Christ took the punishment that we deserve to get. Not only did Jesus die the first death, but the Bible says that Jesus’ soul went to hell. In Acts 2:31, the Bible says, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” Remember that the “wages of sin is DEATH.” That is why Jesus died. He was making the payment for our sins so that one day, we would not need to die and make our own payment in the lake of fire.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE

Now that your payment has been made, you have a choice. God has made salvation very easy. If you want to be saved, the only thing you need to do is receive the payment that Jesus Christ made for your sins. First, you should see your problem and admit you are a sinner, and you deserve to go to hell. If you admit you have a problem, then you should not have any trouble realizing you need Jesus Christ to save you from that problem. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” If you want to have eternal life, it is a free gift. There is nothing you need to do to earn this gift because it is FREE. That means it has already been paid for. If you want this gift, then simply receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. You can place your faith in him completely and ask him to save your soul from a burning hell. The Bible says in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you choose to try to pay for your sins in some other way, possibly baptism, attending a church, or doing any other kind of good works, then one day, you will still die and make your own payment for your sins in the lake of fire. As stated before, the choice is yours. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:3 there is simplicity in Christ. God has made things very clear for you. Either accept the payment Christ made for you or make your own payment!

ALREADY SAVED???

If you have already received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, then there is no need to receive him again. Jesus died only once, so you can be saved only once. If you have been truly and Biblically saved, then you have a solid spiritual foundation. (2 Timothy 2:19 and 1 Corinthians 3:11) What you need now is to grow and build yourself up in the most holy faith. (Jude 20)

 

NEED TO BE SAVED???
If you have not been truly saved before, then now is a wonderful time for you to trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour. If you would like to, you can pray this prayer and ask Christ to save you. Remember, though, if you do not mean what you pray from your heart, it means nothing at all. But if you are serious in your desire to be saved, then God will never turn you away. Right this moment, you can pray, “Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I know I deserve to die and go to hell to pay for my sins. But I do not want to go to hell. I know that You loved me so much you died in my place and paid for my sins. Right this moment, I am placing all of my faith in you as my Saviour, and I accept what you did on the cross as the payment for my sins. Thank you for dying for me and saving my soul. Please help me to grow now to be a good and strong Christian. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you have just prayed that prayer from your heart and trusted Christ as your Saviour for the first time, then we want to welcome you into the family of God. You have just been born again, and you are one of God’s children. The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “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.” You are now what the Bible calls a saved person. We look forward to assisting you as you grow in the Lord.