Why do you need salvation?
Why exactly does one need to be saved? Well, the Bible tells us that we are all sinners:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)
We have all done things wrong. Maybe you have told a lie or maybe you've stolen something (even if it was small like a piece of candy). The Bible, God's Word, tells us that those things are sins. Sins seperate us from the love of God and brings death:
"For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23)
You may say, "Well, I'm pretty good. I give to charity, I don't cheat people, I am a moral person. So, why do I need salvation? I am good enough." But the Bible says:
"...and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6)
Even at our best, we still fall short of the ultimate measuring stick, God's Word. If you have realized your need for a Saviour, then please continue reading.
What sin does
As I mentioned in the last section:
"For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23)
Because of our sin, we will die. Not only will we have a physical death some day, but because of our sin, we have a spiritual death as well. We read:
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)
We all know the story, God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and gave a consequence if they did. This consequence was death. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of this tree. But they didn't die. But God said they would! He even said in the very day they ate of the tree, they would die! So what happened? Well, they did die that day. No, not physically, but they died a spiritual death. The same happens to us as well, because we sin.
Now, as we have discussed, sin seperates us from God's love. And because of this, when we die (physically), we will spend eternity seperated from His love in a place called Hell.
What is Hell?
Hell is the place that the lost (those in need of salvation) will spend the rest of eternity in. But what is Hell like? I mean, it can't be that bad, right? Well, let's see what Jesus said Hell is like:
"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." (Luke 16:23)
This verse is found in a story that Jesus was telling. It was a story of a rich man, and a beggar named Lazarus. In this story, both of these two men—the rich man and Lazarus—die. Lazarus is taken to be with Abraham (maybe you've heard of Abraham before) while the rich man is taken to Hell. Jesus says that this rich man "lift up his eyes, being in torments".
People often joke about Hell. They say things like, "In Hell, we'll have a never-ending party!" However, this could not be further from the truth. I believe that if the rich man Jesus told us about could come back to Earth for even 10 seconds, he would beg you to get saved so you didn't have to go to Hell. He was in torments, possibly thinking back to when he was on Earth and he didn't believe. Maybe he was even thinking about the times Lazarus had told him. Later on in the passage we see this verse:
"And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." (Luke 16:24)
Again, we see another aspect about Hell. There is a flame, an unquenchable flame. A flame that will burn forever and ever. There is no water to give any relief from the pains of Hell. I know what it's like to go most of the day without water, but imagine knowing that you will never get any water, but having a great thirst for it.
When we die, there are two possible places for us to go. There is Hell, and there is Heaven. The Bible says that those who die without Jesus will go to Hell, and later to a place called the Lake of Fire—the second death:
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
Let me ask you, which place do you want to go? If your answer is Heaven, in these next sections, I will tell you how to go there!
What can keep me from Hell?!
The Bible teaches that those who are saved do not come under condemnation:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
Wow! No condemnation! Those who are saved are not condemned because they have Jesus' blood applied to their sin debt. "Jesus' blood?" I hear you asking. Yes! Jesus' blood. What is the importance of His blood? Let's look at a verse:
"...and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22)
The remission (purging) of sins comes through blood. But not just any blood. You cannot go cut yourself until you start bleeding in order to pay for your sins. It has to be the perfect blood of a sinless man, the man Christ Jesus. It is only through His blood that we can find redemption!
When you have Jesus' blood applied to your account, God will no longer see your sins on judgement day. Instead, He will see the blood of Jesus! Would you like to know why it has to be Jesus' blood?
Why do I need Jesus' blood applied?
Well, first, let's look at Jesus Christ. He was God in the flesh:
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..." (1 Timothy 3:16)
Yes, you heared that right. God came down to Earth. Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life. He never sinned, not even once! Now, what is so significant about Jesus living a sinless life? Well, a sinful person cannot pay for someone else's sins because they themselves need someone to pay for theirs! But since Jesus never sinned, He was able to be a sacrifice for all mankind:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth. Why would He do that? He did it because of His love for us. God loves people so much that despite Him knowing many would reject Him, He sent His Son anyway. He didn't just send His Son for no reason, He sent His Son for a purpose. That purpose was for Him to die on the Cross. That is why Jesus came. He lived, died, and rose again so that we could have redemption through Him.
Jesus did that just so that we might have a way to have our sins forgiven. Wow! What love! As we saw in the pervious section:
"...and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22)
Remission of sin only comes through the blood of Christ, which He shed on the Cross at Calvary. In the next section, we will finally discuss how you can actually have this blood applied to you, so that you might receive the gift of salvation.
How do I receive salvation?
First, we need to realize that the Bible tells us that salvation is a gift. Let's look at the end of a verse we referenced earlier:
"...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
A gift, wow! What exactly is a gift? Well, a gift is "something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation" (Merriam Webster Dictionary). You see, we cannot do enough good to deserve salvation, yet Jesus offers it freely. There is no amount of money you can give to gain salvation—Jesus had to pay the price.
The question is, will you accept that gift? There are only two options: to either accept that gift, or to reject it. I hope you want to accept this free gift. So, how do you receive it? Well, in the Bible it says:
"[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
By simply placing your faith in Jesus Christ, you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour and He will apply His blood to your account. Some of my favorite verses in the Bible deal with this:
"[30] And [the jailer] brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? [31] And they [Paul and Silas] said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:30-31)
You must accept the Gospel (good news): That Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that He rose from the dead three days later. By trusting in His shed blood, you receive salvation.
"[3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" (Romans 3:25)
Nothing is required on your part besides just accepting the gift that is offered—a gift not a single person deserves. Will you accept the Lord Jesus today? Don't wait until tomorrow, don't wait until next week, get it settled right now.
"...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Please, friend, don't let another day go by before you trust in Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour.
After you are saved
If you have accepted Jesus as Lord today, congratulations! You are now saved, and are a child of God. I would like to just tell you a few things before I end. Now that you are saved, you need to realize that no matter what you do, you cannot ever lose your salvation:
"[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:28-29)
You see, when we get saved, we are placed in the hands of God Himself. No man, including ourselves, can remove us from there. We are kept saved by God. Let me show you another verse:
"[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
Friend (and fellow brother- or sister-in-Christ), nothing in this world and nothing in Heaven can take our salvation away. We are sealed in Christ Jesus:
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)
Now, you may ask, who is the "Holy Spirit of God?" Well, I haven't got room on this page to explain everything, but basically, God is one being but three persons. Those persons are: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost). When you get saved, the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, begins to dwell within you and He will never leave you nor forsake you.
What are your next steps as a new Christian?
You should start by finding a good, Independent Fundamental Baptist church near you. Once you find a church, you should attend it on Sundays and on Wednesdays/Thursdays (whenever that church has its midweek service). We are told to be in church in the Scriptures:
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
Once you find a church, you should talk to the pastor about getting baptized. Baptism is the first step of obedience in the Christian walk.
Lastly, you should get yourself a King James Bible, and read it.