SALVATION
Since we know that we are created by our Creator as eternal spiritual beings, with a soul, living in an earth suit, that will some day pass on…
Where will we spend eternity?
If you were to die today, are you positive that you would go to heaven?
How do you know?
These two questions can be puzzling to many people, but they don’t have to be. Did you know that the Bible tells you not only how you can go to Heaven, but how you can know it for sure? You don’t have to guess or wonder or wait until the end of your life to find out. The Bible declares, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)
Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
Here’s how you can be saved . . .
ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE SINNED.
There is no one that is perfect. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10); and also, that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one has met God’s standard of perfection. Sinning is doing something that is wrong, and everyone has done it. This is relatively easy to admit, but the next step is a little more difficult:
ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN A SINNER.
REALIZE THE PENALTY OF SIN.
The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death . . .” (Romans 6:23a). Because all people have sinned, all people are worthy of death. This is eternal separation from God in a terrible, but real place called Hell, a place reserved for all those that reject God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke and warned about hell more than any prophet or disciple.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, ““Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Some hope that their good works will make up for their bad works, but the Bible says that “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10). Any single sin is breaking God’s law, and it must be punished. In order receive the remedy for your sin that allows you to escape Hell, you must first admit that you deserve Hell.
Since no person deserves to go to Heaven, in order for them to get there, it must be given to them by God. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Going to Heaven is a gift from God that cannot be gotten by works, or else it is no longer a gift. Here is how to accept the gift:
BELIEVE THAT JESUS HAS PAID THE PRICE FOR YOUR SIN BY DYING IN YOUR PLACE ON THE CROSS AND RISING FROM THE DEAD TO CONQUER SIN AND DEATH.
The Bible says that “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). God loves you and doesn’t want you to go to Hell. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived a perfect life and died in your place. He paid for your sin so you wouldn’t have to. He then rose again and is alive in Heaven. But there is one more thing that is necessary for you to have this eternal life.
BELIEVE THAT JESUS PAID THE PRICE FOR YOUR SIN.
RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD & SAVIOR.
The Bible says, “They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31). To believe on Jesus Christ is not just to believe the facts about Him, but to trust in Him and His death for you as the payment for your sin. And that you may also share this gift with your family, friends and all who would have an ear to hear the Greatest Gift & News Of All Time! The Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). “For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(Romans 10:13). To call on the name of the Lord is to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and to save you from eternal separation from Him. This is the only way to go to Heaven. It is not through a religion or a system of good works. Jesus said, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Simply knowing that you are a sinner and worthy of Hell and even that Jesus died for you is not enough. You must call on Him, asking Him to forgive you and save you.
If you would like to do this, you can, in your own words, pray to God. Tell Him that you have sinned, confess that sin and that you understand that without God’s redemption through Jesus you would be separated from God forever.
Then, tell Him that you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again, and ask Him to forgive you and to allow you to spend forever with Him in Heaven.
The moment you do this, God (based on the promise He made to you that He would save you) gives you the gift of everlasting life in heaven, a gift that can never be taken away.
If you could lose it, it would be temporary life and not everlasting life. But you must repent with a complete surrender to Jesus to become both your Lord and Savior. Repent literally means to turn away from the direction you were going and go in the opposite direction. You go from death to life. This doesn’t mean you are never going to ever commit any kind of sin again or make another mistake, but it does mean that you now have the Holy Spirit inside you to help you conquer the temptation of sin as you grow stronger everyday!
Now you can begin living a new life in Him, a life with new purpose, meaning, and direction. Part of this new life is finding a good church to join (where the ‘whole Bible’ is believed and preached), and reading, and meditating on the Bible and talking to God every day building your relationship with Him and not a religion of do’s and don’t legalism. Focus on renewing your mind and becoming a disciple of Christ.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE
We hope it has caused you to seriously commit to the most important decision of your life, which is to receive Jesus Christ and eternal life in heaven and eventually the new earth He will create that He offers. If you need prayer, have any questions, or would like to talk about this decision, please contact us. God Bless you!
​
- Jason and Paula Lohrke