How
To Be Saved
A Phillipian jail keeper once
asked one of Jesus' disciples what is probably the most important
question for all of mankind, "What must I do to be saved?"
Jesus said that there is nothing more valuable than a
person's own soul. He concluded it was more valuable than anything in
all the world, even more valuable than the whole world itself. The jail
keeper was wise to try to discover what was required of him to escape
the condemnation of a Holy God.
What the apostle Paul told the jail keeper was amazingly
simple. All that was required of the jail keeper was that he had to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
To many people, that seems too good to be true. It sounds
too easy. Certainly there must be a good deed, or several good deeds,
that are required of us to receive the forgiveness of our sins from God.
There is this mistaken assumption that we have to 'earn' our forgiveness
from God.
But God says in the Bible that we could never be good
enough to earn his forgiveness. Our good deeds are like 'filthy rags' in
his site. The best we can offer God isn't good enough.
That puts mankind in a dangerous predicament. We are guilty
before God and are powerless to do anything about it. But God loves us.
And even though we can not do anything to help save ourselves, he can.
And he has.
God Almighty became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He
came to Earth to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He bore the
wrath of the Father in our place. While Jesus was on the cross dying for
us, the scripture says that God poured out his wrath on Jesus. Jesus
willfully took the punishment that should be ours.
And now all of mankind has the opportunity to accept Jesus
as their savior, their substitute. We can each rightfully suffer for our
own sins in a godless hell, or we can give our lives to Christ and
accept him as our savior.
The following is a brief outline explaining what each of us
has to do in order to have our sins cleansed, and lives changed, by
Jesus Christ.
I John 5:13
That these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that
you
may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8
But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9-13
That if thou will confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in
your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shall be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture says, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. |
