Salvation

Salvation is Simple

Salvation is simple! In fact, Jesus said that you must become as a little child to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:3) The gospels that tell the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection share the good news that:

^“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Whosoever is YOU! And the only step you need to take is to receive this gift of eternal life is to open your heart to Jesus, confess that you are a sinner, and ask Jesus to come into your heart and life.  And He will come in – He has promised that!

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

The Dying Thief

Remember the story of the thief on the cross?  As one of the thieves crucified next to Jesus was dying, he turned to Jesus and asked Him to remember Him when He came into his Kingdom.  Jesus replied: “Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”  (Luke 29:39-43)

The dying thief had never been baptized, he did not go through a catechism or attend temple services.  He knew that he was a sinner, and he proclaimed his belief that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior of the world and the Son of God.  And at that moment he was saved!

Salvation is for Everyone

And think of Saul, who had persecuted the Christians, and even had them killed.  He met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and when he confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, Saul became Paul – the primary builder of the Early Church. So the gift of eternal life is available to all people, all the world!  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13)

^“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.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

We are Saved by Grace, Not our Own Works

Salvation is a Gift that was Received At Christ’s Expense:  GRACE

Jesus paid the full price for our salvation when He died for us on the cross.  And there is nothing we can do, or need to do, to receive salvation – God’s gift of eternal life – other than to accept Jesus and ask Him and His Holy Spirit to come into our heart and life.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“He saved us, not because of our works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” (Titus 2:11)

Salvation is Forever

Jesus not only saves you, but He keeps you saved. “The gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23), and once you have received eternal life, you cannot lose it. Even when you fail and make mistakes, Jesus promised, “Whoever comes to Me, I will never cast out” (John 6:37). You will always be His saved child, for He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

From “Got Questions”
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-lose-salvation.html

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A Christian is not simply an “improved” version of a person; a Christian is an entirely new creature. He is “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be destroyed.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The word redeemed refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. We were purchased at the cost of Christ’s death. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase of the individual for whom He paid with the precious blood of Christ.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To justify is to declare righteous. All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared. Those absolved of guilt would have to be tried again and found guilty. God would have to reverse the sentence handed down from the divine bench.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is the promise of spending forever in heaven with God. God promises that if you believe, you will have eternal life. For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be redefined. The Christian is promised to live forever. Does eternal not mean “eternal”?

Would you like to ask Jesus to give you His gift of eternal life?   You can ask Him to come into your heart right now by praying this prayer:

Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God, and that You took my punishment and died for me. Please forgive me for all my sins. Jesus, I know that I can never be good enough to save myself, so I ask You to please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit, and give me Your free gift of eternal life. Amen.