What Is Salvation?
(Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.
Congratulations on your decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!!! Understanding the meaning of salvation is as easy as ABC. First, realize that salvation is not about getting a feeling of ecstasy when you pray or when you read your Bible. It is not about working hard to get right with God by efforts to stop doing bad things. Salvation is a gift from God to those who will receive it. God is offering us the opportunity to be forgiven of all our sins. He is showing us grace and mercy as the scriptures declare, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8) So, what do you need to do?
1. A= ADMIT I’m A Sinner
A. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23; 5:14,19)
B. “But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:9-10)
C. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives.” (I John 1:8-10)
2. B = Believe Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, the Only Way to Almighty God.
A. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)
B. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
C. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men – the testimony given in its proper time.” (I Timothy 2:5-6)
D. “And this is the testimony; God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (I John 5:11-12)
E. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so no man can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5)
3. C=CONFESS Jesus is My Lord
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”. (Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
It’s That Easy!!! Now what?
After, we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it is important to be baptized.
A. Baptism is important! “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
B. First, believe, then be baptized! “…And the eunuch said, see here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Phillip said, if thou believe with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” (Acts 8:36-38)
C. Jesus is our example! “…Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.” (Matthew 3:13)
D. What does baptism symbolize? “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”. (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12)
Once you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the next step is to join a local church that will help you grow in your faith and build a relationship with Jesus through consistent prayer and study. Welcome to the Body of Christ. We are excited about meeting you.