How Can I Be Saved?
Because all have sinned, all are sitting on death row, whether we realize it or not. There is hope though! But only if I ask Jesus to intervene.
How did God demonstrate His love toward us?
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
What was God’s desire for Adam and Eve?
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God did all He could to give Adam and Eve the very best start. Everything He made was very good and designed to bless and make their life in the garden a joyful and invigorating experience.
What change occured once they sinned?
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Sin introduced feelings of shame and guilt into Adam and Eve’s life, which created a separation between them and God and caused them to hide from Him presence, the Giver of life.
What does sin lead to?
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Sin started the process of decay and death on the earth that would affect not just Adam and Eve, but every other living thing on it. Death was now a part of life becase they were separated from the Giver of life. Furthermore, the Bible defines sin as the transgression of God’s law, and the penalty for breaking it is death.
Is there anyone who has not sinned?
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
All have succumbed to sin because once Adam and Eve sinned, it weakend their human nature and made it harder for them, and every succeeding generation, to resist it.
Is there a solution to our predicament?
Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous.
God did not leave us in our sin, but promised us a path back to life and reconciliation with Him by offering His Son, Jesus Christ, as a substitute for us so we could be justified and made righteous by His perfect life.
Are there multiple solutions to the sin problem?
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is only one road that leads to salvation from sin, and that road is Jesus. Any other way cannot save us.
How did Jesus redeem us from the condemnation of the law?
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Christ took our sins upon Himself and suffered their penalty on our behalf.
What did this curse involve?
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
The penalty for sin is death, and Christ's death on the cross paid that penalty for every single person.
How can I receive forgiveness of my sins?
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Forsaking my way implies turning around and going in the opposite direction—from running away from God toward sin to running away from sin toward God. If I repent and have a desire to leave sin behind, the promise is I will receive forgiveness.
Is there a sin too powerful for God?
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
How exactly am I saved from my sins?
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
There is nothing I can do to earn salvation; it is a free gift that I receive through faith in His love, His forgiveness, and His victory on the cross.
What happens once I accept God’s free gift?
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Once I turn away from my sins and accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I’m no longer condemned because I’m covered by His perfect life and forgiven.
What privilege do those who have received Christ have?
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.
Christ’s death on the cross restored the rift that occured between God and the human race when Adam and Eve sinned, and we can now once again be called sons and daughters of God!
Is it possible to know that I have eternal life?
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
What role does choice play in salvation?
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
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.
God’s way of salvation has always been about respecting freedom of choice. He gave Satan the option to rebel, and He did not immediately destroy him when he did. God permitted Adam and Eve to rebel too. Likewise, I am free to choose whether I want to serve Him or not. Jesus wants to save every person (1 Timothy 2:3, 4)—He wants me to choose Him—but He will not force Himself on anyone. In fact, this is a daily choice; I can choose, anytime, to leave Christ and go in another direction, which is why it’s imperative to reaffirm my decision and recommit myself to Him on a daily basis (Luke 9:23). Every single day is a gift from my Creator, and it’s my privilege to give it back to Him.
What does it mean to accept Jesus as Savior and as Lord?
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Both are a fundamental aspect of salvation, but there is a difference between the two. Accepting Jesus as Savior means being saved from the penalty of sin (death) because He offers forgiveness for every sin that I’ve genuinely confessed and decided to forsake. Once forgiven, He credits me with His own righteousness so that my imperfect life is covered by His perfect life.
Accepting Jesus as Lord, on the other hand, means surrendering my will to Him, thereby making Him the ruler of my life. This is a decision that takes place daily (Luke 9:23) because our natural desire is to do and live as we please, but the Bible calls this way of life sin (Isaiah 53:6) because our human nature, by default, is contrary to the law of God (Romans 8:7). The truth is God knows what is best for us better than we know ourselves, and He wants us to trust Him enough to allow Him to rule our lives, which, in turn, gives Him permission to mold us into Him image (Ephesians 4:13). This surrender is crucial, because without it He does not have the right to transform our characters to reflect the beauty of His character.
What is God’s desire for me?
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.