How Can I Be Saved?
by Tim Chaffey
Jesus Christ said in John 14: 6 that He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" and that "no man comes to the Father except through" Him. In other words, the only way a person can spend eternity in with the Father is by going through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. It does not matter how "good" you have been or how often you attend church. The only thing that matters when you die is whether or not you have placed your faith [trust, belief] in Jesus Christ to save you from the penalty of your sins [eternity in the lake of fire].
Unfortunately, billions of people throughout the world believe that they will go to heaven because they are not so bad. God's standard for entering Heaven is to be perfect. That means if you have ever committed one sin then you have fallen short of God's standard. Romans 3: 23 reveals that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory God." Romans 6: 23 states "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Every one of us knows that we have sinned. All you have to do is measure your life against the Ten Commandments. If you have every lied, stolen, lusted, been angry without cause, etc. then you are guilty of breaking one or more of the commandments. Jesus said that if you break one commandment you are guilty of breaking them all.
So what now? If you cannot earn your way into Heaven then what can you do? Jesus came to the earth 2,000 years ago to be sacrificed in our place on the cross. He died the death that we deserve so that we can spend eternity with Him. His death paid the penalty of our sins. Since God is perfectly loving He must be perfectly just. The only way to satisfy God's justice was for a perfect man to atone for the sins of mankind. Only Jesus fits the bill and He came to earth to fulfill that purpose on the cross. Three days later He rose from the dead to demonstrate that He has the power over death. Because of this we can have confidence that we will live after we die. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest event that has ever occurred and it is undeniably true. Want proof? Listen to this.
Ephesians 2: 8, 9 tells us that it is by "grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." This verse demonstrates that we cannot earn salvation. It can only be attained by trusting in Jesus' sacrifice in our place. The key in this is understanding your position before God. Prior to trusting in Him, you are at war with God and His wrath abides on us. You need to understand that you have broken His laws and deserve death and eternity apart from Him in the lake of fire. Call on Him to save you. Just pray a sincere prayer and tell God that you recognize your sinful state and your need for Him to save you. Repent of your sins and commit yourself to turn from your them once and for all. Ask Jesus to save you and to change your heart.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3: 16). Romans 10: 9 tells us that if you "confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." In Acts 16: 30 - 31, the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas, "'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...'"
If you have truly repented (feel sorrow for committing sins and have turned from them) and asked Jesus to save you then He will. He will change your heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. He will send the Holy Spirit to dwell in your heart to guide you into all truth. Your desires will begin to change. You will develop a hunger for His Word (the Bible) and a desire to fellowship with His people (the Church). He will save you for all eternity. You can have confidence that you will spend eternity with Him because nothing can now separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 38, 39).
Find yourself a solid, Bible believing church to help you grow in your new faith. Be careful in choosing a church because the majority of them do not affirm the Bible as God's infallible and inerrant Word. Find a church where God's Word is faithfully proclaimed week to week and is placed as the authority over manmade traditions.
If you need help in this decision or have questions about anything on this site please contact us: email@midwestapologetics.org
May God bless you in this decision. This is the primary reason that Midwest Apologetics exists. Please pray for us and for those that will be reached through this ministry.