“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31
Becoming saved, that is having your sins forgiven by Jesus, is pretty easy to do. In fact, it is so simple that people have trouble accepting that, so they sometimes make it extremely difficult for a person to accept Christ as their personal Saviour.
I’ve been told that there were certain words that must be said or certain things that must be done in order to be saved, but I have not been able to find anything mandated for us to say or do to earn our salvation. In fact, the Bible says just the opposite.
The Bible states that to be saved the only requirement is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who is He? Jesus is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin as was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Jesus lived as a man without sin for about 33 years preaching and teaching people about the need to repent from sin and follow God. Eventually, He was crucified and then buried in a tomb. Three days later, He rose from the grave, victorious over death and sin, fulfilling God’s plan to redeem us. Jesus proved that He is the Saviour of the world, and only He can forgive sin and give us eternal life. All we have to do is ask Him!
That’s it. Once you determine in your heart that what the Bible states is true, and you believe it, you simply need to call upon the name of Jesus for salvation, and He will forgive you of all your sins, past, present, and future. You then become a child of God, and your future in heaven is secure.
Nothing else will save you. Not anything you can do, for the Bible tells us that our works are as filthy rags. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) Baptism doesn’t save you; church attendance doesn’t save you; tithing doesn’t save you. Works will never save you. Jesus said the only way was through Him. John 14:6 records the words of our Saviour. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
In fact, the Bible specifically says that we are saved through His grace alone. Ephesians 2:8,9 states, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” It is God who gifts us with salvation if we but believe in the work of His Son, Jesus. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,” (Titus 2:13)
It also doesn’t matter where you are when you get saved. You can be in a church, your home, your workplace. I even know a person who got saved while sitting in a deer tree stand! Remember the thief on the cross who asked Christ to remember him? Jesus forgave him on the spot, and that thief had never done any works for his salvation. He simply believed that Jesus was who He said He was (Luke 23:43). Salvation is a free gift from God to all who choose to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Another thing that is irrelevant is your age. Children can get saved; teenagers can get saved; young adults can get saved, and the elderly can get saved. Jesus even said we were to come to him with the faith of a child! Matthew 16:3 records Jesus’ words. “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” When a person understands that his or her sins need to be forgiven, they are able to ask for Jesus’ forgiveness no matter what their age.
If you want to be forgiven of your sins, all you need to do is believe in Jesus and ask Him to save you. When you do that, He will forgive you and become your Lord and Saviour forever! From that point on, He will always be with you, and His Spirit will help you grow as a Christian through the Word of God.
Accepting God’s gift of salvation is the most important thing you’ll ever do! It’ll change your life forever, and you’ll never regret it!
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(from “Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry)
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
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If you have questions about salvation, feel free to leave me a note. I would be happy to answer them (or find out the answers if I don’t know them!).