Salvation and Eternal Life
Salvation and Eternal Life
Jul 29, 2014
Can you be sure you will go to heaven when you die?
Yes, in fact, the most important question anyone could ever ask is: “How do I get to heaven?” People have been asking this question since man was created. First of all, God wants you with Him forever! And fortunately He answers this life-changing question simply and clearly.
Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship with God. And from the beginning of Creation, God has wanted to have a relationship with His highest creation—mankind. But religion has confused the matter, and told people that they can earn salvation, or work hard enough to get it; or follow certain rules, and then God would accept them. But that’s not the gospel at all. "Gospel" means: Good news. And the good news is:SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT. Going to HEAVEN is a free gift! God offers this free gift of salvation because He is madly in love with YOU! He wants to be in a love-relationship with you.
That’s why He sent Jesus Christ to the earth, to die on a cross as a substitute for you and me; for our sins; and the sins of this world. Jesus paid the price to create a bridge between God and man. A perfect man, Jesus, took the place of imperfect man—you and me; and He exchanged His innocent life, for our guilty life.
Salvation is God's Plan for Eternal Life!
We understand God's plan of salvation through His explanation in the Bible. God has given us The Bible—His written Word to mankind—to communicate His amazing plan of salvation.
It contains 66 books, written over a period of 1500 years, by 39 authors, who were inspired by the very breath of God to write His Words. Its authenticity is validated HISTORICALLY, ARCHEOLOGICALLY, & PROPHETICALLY. Its truth and veracity are unrivaled by any other historical or religious document. The Dead Sea Scrolls are an example of its consistency in the process of passing down the letters, so that they maintain their original meaning and words.
The Bible can and should be taken literally, except where it states that it is speaking symbolically. Adam & Eve were real. Sin was real. The devil is real. The fall of man is real. And Jesus is REAL.
In fact, you are about to experience Him today, as you continue reading!
The PROBLEM:
The Bible makes clear in Romans 3:23 that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." The problem is clear: Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." So, simply put: we have all sinned (and were born into sin, because of Adam), and we all deserve eternal death. In God's universal justice system, someone has to pay the price for sin.
THE SOLUTION:
But the second part of Romans 6:23 GIVES US HOPE: "but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." So God offers us forgiveness. How? Through faith in His Son. Jesus pays the price, through His blood for our sins. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
One of the most well known verses in the Bible is John 3:16-17, where Jesus said:
God also states His plan of salvation very clearly in Ephesians 2:8-9.
8 "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."
See how simple God's plan of salvation is?
Grace, Not Works!
“What Must I Do To Be Saved?” someone asked in Acts 16:30. Paul's answer was simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your family.” No list of do's and don'ts? No way to earn or deserve it? No. Salvation is a free gift. A priceless gift, that no one could ever be good enough to earn or deserve. This free gift is referred to as "grace."
While we should obviously obey God's Word and live by sound moral code and conscience, none of that saves us. God explains that further in Titus 3:5-8
5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
You see? We are NOT saved by our good works, but since we ARE saved (by grace through faith) already… our desires change and we end up wanting to do what's right.
We do the good things out of a grateful heart for the gift we have received—not to earn the gift.
God's "grace” literally means “His unmerited favor” & “His undeserved love.” God makes clear that no one is saved, or forgiven, or justified by their good works. He offers you eternal
life as a gift. But that gift is found only in Jesus Christ. In Acts 4:12 Peter (talking about Jesus) tells the religious rulers, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other
Name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” I Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Jesus clearly said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.”
Through Jesus, God takes away our sins, and gives us His gift of salvation and righteousness. This gift of salvation is like an exchange. Many refer to it as, the Great Exchange. He exchanges your old life… for His new life. Your sin… for His righteousness! Many people try to get their life straightened out before they come to God. But we can't change spiritually, until we are born-again. (John 3:3). We could never get clean enough to stand in the presence of a sinless, spotless, holy God. That's why He cleanses us of our sin through the blood of Jesus!
I John 1:7-9 says:
You are Ready!
If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior & Lord, He invites you NOW. Revelation 3:20, says that Jesus is standing at the door of your heart--waiting for you to invite Him in.Just pray from your heart, out loud: “Heavenly Father, I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I receive the gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead. I accept your loving invitation to become born again and be your child. Though I was born a sinner, I believe I am born again NOW, and made righteous by You, through Jesus' precious blood. By your grace, I am now saved. I accept your Son, Jesus, as my Lord, and as my Savior. From this day forward, You will never leave me nor forsake me, in Jesus' Name” If you prayed that from your heart and believe it, God heard you and answered! You are NOW a child of God!
I John 4:15 says, "If you will confess that Jesus is the Son of God, then God will come and dwell in you, and you will dwell in Him."
- See more at: http://wordofpower.net/resources/articles/salvation-getting-heaven/#sthash.1enNZbIj.dpuf
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