This post on understanding salvation will help you know why you should believe in Jesus Christ, our Messiah, and all that He did for you. Do you mind if I ask you this question? Have you thought of your need for a Saviour? You are aware of what you need to be saved from, right?
Let’s take this in simple terms. It is my goal to reiterate this truth, allowing you to have a full understanding of salvation. Your spiritual growth depends on this, as does your eternal destination.
Table of Contents
Understanding Salvation: What It Is NOT
Understanding salvation begins by explaining what salvation is not.
Salvation is not:
- a way to escape the fires of hell while continuing to live in sin.
- a ‘feel-good’ message that will save you from hell.
- Nor is it earned by doing good works to get into heaven.
- a gift that can be exploited.
- playing both sides of the fence, living like a saint one day and the next day, living and practicing sin.
- And you can’t consider yourself saved because your mother or spouse is born again; that doesn’t make you automatically a Christian. Also, if the country you live in is considered a Christian country, that also does not make a person a Christian.
Does that sound too harsh? I hope not. It is meant as points of truth, so you aren’t caught up in the deception of thinking you are saved when you are not.
In years past, I have seen many times at church family camps, or in services where people would go to the front to pray the prayer of salvation, but then nothing changed in their lives. In other words, they continued to live as they always did without any inner change.
Given that they may have said the salvation prayer, however, nothing changed in their hearts. We could question if they were saved or not, but instead, I’d rather look at their fruit. The Bible says that if they are still living like the world, chances are the prayers they prayed were empty words and not from a heart of sincerity, and therefore, they are not saved. You might need to ponder that for a while.
Understanding Salvation: What It IS
I’m sure you have heard the term “get saved” or “be saved.” This is a reference to salvation resulting in being saved from an eternity spent in hell.
Quite simply, salvation means to be saved from peril, or everlasting separation from God.
The Bible speaks of such peril as being saved from our sins and the resulting penalty of spiritual death and separation from God.
Salvation is gained when we repent of our sins and believe the gospel. When Jesus presented the gospel, He said, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15
Here’s the truth: Salvation is a one-time “event” for lack of a better word. When you decide to believe in Jesus, your salvation is by faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross for you.
There have been times when believers will recommit their lives to Christ, but this is different than being born again. Great news, once you’re born again, you’re born again!
When we repent of our sin, that is, we turn away from it, we are saved FROM:
- our sins, past, present, and future.
- eternity in hell with fire and brimstone.
- a life of guilt under the curse of the Law, Deuteronomy 28.
We are saved TO:
- a life of forgiveness from all our sins, past, present, and future.
- eternal life in heaven to be with God forever.
- a life of freedom from guilt and shame for our sins.
We are saved BY and FOR:
- Jesus Christ for a life of reconciliation between God and us.
Understanding Salvation by Faith
Salvation is part of the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus died a horrible death on the cross to give people everywhere the opportunity to believe in Jesus, John 3:16.
Simply put, Christians are people who have taken that step to receive salvation by faith. This is a gift of God to us. This gift, however, cost Jesus His life, and yet it is given to us freely. We do not have to do any work to earn it. Salvation is not a reward system for all the good things you have done.
Here’s the thing about understanding salvation: you don’t have to earn it. All of your good works, the good and kind things you have done for others, will not be your guarantee of a place in heaven. The Bible clearly states that we are saved by grace and not by works, Ephesians 2:5,8-9.
By the way, the Book of Ephesians is a great book for the new believer to read, as it encapsulates so much truth that you can relate to in six chapters. For example, you’ll even discover your identity in Christ!
God Loves Us The Same
Parents may have a favourite child, but God does not play favourites with His children. He does not prefer me over you, or you over someone else. We are on the same playing field with God. He loves us all the same and desires to give to us the things that we need, and God judges us all the same, Romans 2:11.
Not only does God love us the same, but we all also have the same opportunity to know Him. The Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and often uses other people to plant a seed, inspiring us to believe in Jesus. What we do with that seed is up to us. We will pursue to learn more about Jesus, or we won’t.
Simply put, we cannot deny the truth that Paul wrote in Titus 2:11, that by His grace, salvation has appeared to all men. Each of us needs to make a decision on what to do with this gift of salvation. The decision is ours alone, for heaven to be our eternal destination or not.
Understanding Salvation Means to Believe in Jesus
In the book of Leviticus, the priest made sin offerings for the people by sacrificing an unblemished firstborn yearling bull. This was a regular offering to God for the forgiveness of their sins. This went on for hundreds of years until one day, when God’s perfect plan came to fruition.
From before the beginning of time, God planned for a ‘final, once-for-all’ offering to take place. His Son, Jesus, would be the final offering for the sins of mankind, Hebrews 10:10.
Jesus lived on earth for the express purpose of dying for our sins. Not just your sins and my sins, but for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2, John 3:16.
He paid the penalty of death, that is, spiritual separation from God, by offering His life in your place, Romans 6:23. He did this because we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23.
The Sin That Keeps You Out of Heaven
There is one sin that will keep you from gaining entrance into heaven. What it boils down to is simply this: the sin of unbelief.
Many people say they will believe it when they see it, but most don’t really mean it.
For example, Jesus went from village to village teaching and healing many from their sicknesses. And yet, there were still many people who did not believe Him, Matthew 13:58 & Mark 6:6, basically stopping Him from continuing to work in their midst. They saw the miracles, yet they did not believe in Jesus.
Let me reiterate, not believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died a horrible death on the cross, was buried, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven is the sin of unbelief, and it will keep you out of heaven.
Let’s look at what is needed before you decide to believe in Jesus. If you decide without knowing what you are believing in, more than likely you won’t stick with that decision. So, let’s see what you need to know about salvation by faith.
Four Steps to Understanding Salvation
Let me show you that in understanding salvation, you need to hear about the One who provides salvation. Once you have heard the Gospel message, you are able to complete the next steps. It’s kind of like ‘informed consent,’ and it allows your decision to be sincere.
Step 1 – Hearing the Gospel Message Helps You
The Holy Spirit’s role is to draw people to Christ. So, the first step in understanding salvation is that you need to hear about
- God and that He is holy and just, righteous and yet full of mercy.
- God does not tolerate sin of any kind
- Sin is not allowed in heaven
- Sin is a barrier between mankind and God
- All mankind has sinned and falls short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23
- The penalty of sin is spiritual death, Romans 6:23a
- sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give you the gift of eternal life, Romans 6:23b
- Jesus Christ,
- Why He died on the cross for you, John 3:16
- What His death on the cross provided for you, Matthew 26:28
- How, through His death, He obtained the keys of hell and death, Revelation 1:18.
- His resurrection, how prophecy was fulfilled, and He now sits at the right hand of His Father, Almighty God, Ephesians 1:20.
- Provided the gift of eternal life by being your substitute when He died on the cross in your place, Romans 6:23b, Romans 3:25
- Holy Spirit,
- Came to dwell in believers after you believed in Jesus, Ephesians 1:13
- Sealed you with the promise of His coming, Ephesians 1:13
- He is your Comforter, Counselor, Teacher, and more
This is the finished work of the cross that we all need to know and accept as we believe in Jesus, Acts 16:30-33. If you had to shorten the gospel message, it would be:
Jesus died, was buried, He resurrected on the third day and He ascended to heaven.
These four points will help you to expand on the full details as you share the gospel with others.
Step 2 – Believe in Jesus
Now that you know what the Gospel is about and why it had to be done this way, the next step is to believe in Jesus and the finished work of the cross.
It would be difficult to say that you believe in Jesus with no idea of who He is or what He has done for you. So, yes, finding out about Him is the first step, so you can make an informed decision to believe in Jesus. So, if you’re not sure, read Step 1 again and click on the Scripture references provided.
Very quickly, the next step will fall into place.
Step 3 – Repent of Your Sins
Once you have decided to believe in Jesus, the next step is to repent of your sins. The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin, and when He does, let Him move you to the admission that you are a sinner in need of saving.
While we know that Jesus’ death provided the forgiveness of our sins, this doesn’t mean that we don’t have to repent of them.
Repentance means to turn away from the direction we were going. In other words, the life of sin you lived needs to be left behind while you begin to walk in a new life of truth and strive to be holy as He is holy. This is also known as living for Christ.
So, the new believer needs to acknowledge that she is a sinner, though now, she is a saint. All mankind, since the fall of Adam and Eve, who passed on the sin gene through the generations, means that we now need to repent of our sins and move forward to a life of obedience in Christ.
Upon your repentance, Jesus forgives you of your sins. His death on the cross provided that forgiveness and has wiped away your sin as far as the east is from the west, Psalm 103:12. That is, past, present, and future sins have been forgiven on the cross of Calvary!
By the way, you may wonder why you have to repeatedly repent of your sins. The answer is that we sin all the time, and because of that, we need to repent for our daily sins. This post, If All My Sins Are Forgiven, Why Must I Continue to Repent by The Gospel Coalition explains this in detail.
Step 4 – Confession of Your Faith in Christ
The fourth step is to tell others about your decision to believe in Jesus and what He has done for you, Romans 10:9-10.
This isn’t a decision you can keep to yourself; it needs to be told. Why? Because this is exciting news for you, and you will want to tell everyone! Your life is now different, old things have become new, and you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
However, I know that there are times when telling others will be difficult. Your family and/or friends may not appreciate your good news and may make things hard for you. Stand firm in your decision and pray for the Holy Spirit to give you courage as you tell others of your new life in Christ.
Once you have done these three steps, the next thing you will need to do is to begin living your life in obedience to God.
So, Are You Ready to Decide?
Are you ready for eternity? Are you ready to accept the finished work of the cross? Today is the day of salvation. Are you ready to believe in Jesus and all that He did for you?
If you are, then you need to pray what is called the prayer of salvation. There is no one prayer; each is different, as there is no ‘formula’ for a salvation prayer.
However, all salvation prayers have some common key elements
- Believe in Jesus, that He died, was buried, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven
- Accept that He substituted His life for yours on the cross, Romans 6:23
- Acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of salvation
- Express thanksgiving for the forgiveness of your sins, past, present, and future
Let’s pray together with sincerity of heart:
Father God, thank You for Your Son, Jesus, coming to earth to die in my place for my sins. Thank You, Jesus, for the sacrifice You made on my behalf. Thank you for the forgiveness of all my sins, past, present, and future. And thank You that I am forgiven and am now being made brand new in Jesus. I am now a new creation in Christ Jesus. You have set me free from the penalty of death, and I can now live a life pleasing to God. Thank You for salvation in Jesus Name. Amen!
If you prayed this prayer with a sincere heart, the angels in heaven are singing and rejoicing (Luke 15:10) that you have decided to come home!
Congratulations on your decision to believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour! I’m so happy for you because the angels in heaven are rejoicing over your decision!
Next Steps for Understanding Salvation
Like a newborn baby who needs his mother to care for him, you need to be cared for as well. You must make time to learn about God through reading your Bible. This post, 6 Vital Steps for the New Believer will help you with the next steps after you decide to follow Christ.
After all this Bible truth just shared with you, I trust that you now have a better understanding of salvation and that you can confidently say that you know what it is all about.
In conclusion, I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me
- if this is the first time you have heard of the gospel message, or
- if you have a better understanding of salvation now.
In Him We Live,
~ Cindy
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