Salvation
Do you know for certain whether or not you're going to Heaven?
If someone were to ask you, 'what must I do to be saved,' what would you say?
Do you believe that someone who believes in Jesus can ever lose their salvation?
Do you want to know how to go to Heaven according to the Bible?
If you want to know, the Bible is very clear about what it takes to be saved and to go to Heaven. Before we discuss what it takes to be saved, it's important to understand why you need to be saved.
The Bible says that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God: Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" and that the wages of our sins is death: Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death."
What is sin? Sin is breaking any of God's commandments, such as stealing or murdering. Revelation gives us some examples of sin:
Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Just as murdering one person makes you a murderer, so to does telling one lie make you a liar, and that one lie is enough to damn you to Hell. We have all sinned, and the wages for our sin is death and damnation in Hell - and it is an eternal damnation:
Revelation 20:10: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
Even worse, there is no amount of work that we can do to save ourselves:
Ephesians 2:9: "Not of works, lest any man should boast."
This is the bad news. We are sinners, the wages of our sins is death and damnation in Hell, and we can't save our selves.
The good news, God is merciful. God loved the world so much, that He gave us an opportunity to be saved from the wages of our sin. Do you know who and how that opportunity came about? It came from His Son, Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made in our stead:
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, died the death we deserve to die for our sins - for the wages of sin is death. A death sacrifice had to be made, and instead of us paying that price, and burning in Hell forever, Jesus made that sacrifice instead.
But, Jesus did not stay in Hell:
Acts 2:31: "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption."
Jesus died and went to Hell for us, but he didn't stay there; He rose again from the dead on the third day, not just spiritually, but also bodily:
1 Corinthians 15:4: "And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
Through Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection, He paid the price for your sins, so you don't have to go to Hell and burn forever. Now salvation through Jesus is available as a free gift to you:
Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
How then do you receive this free gift? There is a person in the Bible who asked this very same question, and the answer is to believe and trust in Jesus Christ and the work He did to save you:
Acts 16:30-31: "And brought them out, and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.'"
The Bible is telling you that you have believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and trust Him; for it is only through God's grace (mercy), and your faith in Jesus and His sacrifice that you are saved, not of yourself:
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."
Even better, once you believe in Jesus Christ, not only are you saved from eternal damnation, you are given eternal life:
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The good news doesn't end there. By receiving Jesus, God in turn adopts you as His child:
John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."
And every child of God is saved and has been given the gift of eternal life:
1 John 5:13: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may Know that ye have eternal life."
So: We have all sinned. Our sin damns us to Hell forever. We can't save ourselves. We need Jesus to save us. God is merciful and loved the world. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die and suffer in Hell in our place. Jesus did so, thus paying the price for our sins through His death, burial, and resurrection. Now He is offering salvation and eternal life as a free gift to you, and all you need to do is accept the gift by believing in Jesus.
These are the things which you must believe in to be saved and to go to Heaven:
1 John 5:10-11: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."
How long is everlasting? It's forever. How long is eternal? It's forever. If God takes away this gift, was eternal? No. Even if God takes it away 1000 years from now, that still isn't eternal, it was just a very long time - and that's not what God promised you.
Everlasting is without end, just as God is without end.
If God made you work or pay for your salvation, is it a gift? No, it's not a gift no matter how cheaply it may cost you or how little you worked to earn it.
Gifts are not earned, nor purchased, they are given freely.
Is there anything then that you can do to lose your salvation and this gift? No. You may reject the gift, and elect to not to receive it, but in that case, you never accepted it, and thus are not saved. But, once you accept the gift, salvation and eternal life are yours.
What then if you commit an egregious sin - such as murder, theft, or suicide? Won't then God revoke your salvation? No. If He revokes your salvation, then that would make Him, and Jesus, a liar, and Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and Jesus is without Sin:
John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'"
Hebrews 4:15: "...but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
Jesus cannot be The Truth and a liar simultaneously, since that would be a contradiction.
Jesus cannot be a liar because lying is a sin and He is without sin.
Further more, Jesus Himself said no man can pluck you out of His hand, nor God's hand:
John 10:28-30: "'And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.'"
You are a man, and you are not greater, nor stronger than Jesus or God the Father. You can't pluck yourself out of God's hand. Even if you let go, He still has you:
Hebrews 13:5: "...for He hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'"
So: The gift of God is salvation through Jesus Christ, by His grace, through faith, not of works, not of yourself, and if you believe on Jesus you can never lose your salvation - no matter what.
Is this then an invitation to sin? NO!
While we are saved, we are His children, and just like a good Father, if we sin now, He will punish us, here on this earth, but not with hellfire and damnation:
Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Hebrews 12:6: "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."
If, after reading this, you believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was sent here to die on the cross, that He was buried, and that He rose again, thus paying the price for your sins. If you believe that through Jesus you have eternal life and shall never perish and you trust Jesus 100%, just as He died for you 100%:
Romans 10:9-10: "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."
Then there is but one thing you need to do, say the following:
Dear Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner, and I deserve to go to hell, but I believe that you died for me, you were buried, and rose again. Please, save me and give me eternal life. I'm only trusting in you, and not in my works. In Jesus's name I pray.
Amen.
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