Salvation
What does it
mean and why do we need to be saved? We
will see in God’s Word that Salvation is the result of being “Born Again”. The term “born again” is also used by the world
to describe someone who has had some sort of positive emotional or life
changing experience, hence they have been “born again”. But I can assure you that unless your “life
changing experience” (however positive it may have been) was directly connected
to God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and Gods Word then you are in this world without God
and without hope.
That at that time ye
were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Ephesians
2:12
Jesus answered and
said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. John 3:3
Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:7
Being born again, not
of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1 Peter
1:23
Some
people have been misguided by either tradition or their religion. They believe
because they faithfully go to church every Sunday or they belong to one of the
mainline denominations, they are Christians and are also saved. This can be a very dangerous
assumption. Faithfully going to church
or belonging to a particular religion does not guarantee that you are saved.
Going to church is obviously a good thing. But Jesus did not come to teach us a
religion, but a way to life. The bottom line is this. If you have not actually asked
Jesus Christ to come into your life and believed in your heart that he will be
your Lord and savior. Then you are not saved! You are not Born Again!
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9,10
The Kingdom of God talks
about being born again this way. “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). When you were born into this world you experienced your first
birth, a physical birth. When you are
“Born Again” in the way God teaches.
You will receive a second birth, a spiritual birth that will give you a
new spirit and a new spiritual life in Christ Jesus. You will also receive eternal life with God after you leave this
world.
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; Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God. John 1:12,13
There is no way to truly have
fellowship with God, to know the truth and to have life except through Gods
only Son Jesus Christ. Jesus said in
John 14:6, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me”.
When you were born into this world, you came in with sin. It’s not your fault. You can blame Adam and Eve for that. Nevertheless it is sin that is keeping you out of the kingdom of God. Somehow you need to get rid of your sin. You need to be forgiven of all sin in your life. You need a clean slate, and a way to start over again, regardless of your age. Almost sounds like being “Born Again” doesn’t it? Well thank God, through Jesus Christ, you have the chance to do just that! Here is a very important thing you need to know. It makes no difference what you have done in your life, or how rotten you may think you are. You may feel very unworthy or that God would never forgive you. But he will! We are serving a very big God and he loves YOU!
Here is another very important bit of news. The penalty for your sins has already been paid in full by one who has never sinned!
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose
stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I
am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John
10:10
Now
it is up to you to accept what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross. Come
to him just as you are. This is just
between you and God now. Talk to God in
prayer by saying the following.
Congratulations! If you prayed that prayer, you are a new person,
you have been Born Again with the salvation of God living in you! You
have a new spirit and eternal life with God!
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember no more. Hebrews 8:12
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature;
old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. II
Corinthians 5:17
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21