Guide To Salvation
What Is Salvation?
Salvation is quite simply a rescue from eternal damnation because every single person is a sinner. There is not one person that doesn’t need salvation. Not the best pastor, not the president, not the best world leader, not the most charitable giver, not your favorite movie star, not your favorite athlete, not you, not me. Not one person lives up to the glory of God.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
-Romans 3:23
The Bible tells us that all have sinned and all come short of the glory of God. That is why we need salvation. The Bible tells us God isn’t going to hang out with sinners.
4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
-Psalms 5:4
Read on to find out how to obtain salvation….
Why Do You Need Salvation?
You need salvation so you do not burn in the lake of fire for eternity. You also need help to obtain salvation because you cannot do it yourself. I know this is very hard to hear and seems harsh, but it is the truth. This is what the Bible has to say about it.
8 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
Notice that the unbelieving are on that list. All unbelieving people are thrown into the lake of fire to burn for eternity. It’s unimaginable to us how bad it is going to be. Here is another verse about it:
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
-Revelation 20:15
Believers are put into the book of life. All unbelievers are cast into the lake of fire for eternity. And it is for eternity. There is no get out of jail free card. Here is a verse confirming it is for eternity:
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
-Matthew 25:46
Another confirmation of eternity….
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
-Matthew 25:41
And more confirmation…..
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
-Jude 1:7
And more confirmation….are you getting the point yet?
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
-2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
By the way, if you want to get a small taste of what hell is like, read Luke 16:19-31. This is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man did not believe in God, but Lazarus did. When they both died Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom, essentially heaven, and the rich man went to hell and he burned and burned. The rich man is being tormented and he gets to see Lazarus being comforted. So there is the idea that if you go to hell you are going to see the people that didn’t go to hell and have massive regret as you burn for eternity.
Keep reading to learn how to avoid this fate...
What Are Some Misconceptions About Salvation?
There are some misconceptions about salvation and ways to get to heaven that are FALSE. Here are a few I’ve heard.
I’m a good person so I get to go to heaven.
I was baptized as a baby/toddler so I am saved.
I was baptized as an adult.
There is a purgatory after I die so I’ll just have to wait it out there until I get another chance.
God loves his creations. He wouldn’t let them go to hell without giving them another chance after they die.
I did a lot of good works on earth so I earned my way into heaven.
Every last one of these misconceptions are not ideas in the Bible and are false. They are excuses made up by people to make themselves feel better while on earth. Please do not be fooled or mislead.
Read on to find out what the ONLY way to get to heaven is(Hint: it includes none of these misconceptions)...
How Do I Get Salvation?
I know this paper has been very harsh and included a lot of really bad news. Fortunately, the rest of this paper is going to be really, really, really good news! There is only one way to obtain salvation and fortunately for us, it’s as easy as accepting a gift.
God, in his amazing grace and love, sent His only son, Jesus Christ(God in human form), down to earth to give us the gift of salvation. Jesus was tortured and executed on a cross in 30 or 33 A.D. He died, was buried and then was resurrected three days later. When this happened it gave us humans a way to be saved through Jesus’s blood! He took the punishment we deserve for us. All we have to do to obtain eternal life is accept Jesus’s amazing gift of salvation by repenting of your sins and believe/have faith in Him.
16 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
That is the deal of a lifetime for us. How extremely fortunate we are to have such a loving God to give us eternal life and all He asks is for us to believe in Jesus. That’s it!
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:30-31
And just so you know that this is the only way you can go to heaven Jesus told us.
3 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
Notice Jesus said you have to be born again or you will not see the kingdom of God. To be born again you must confess with your mouth Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
9 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.
-Romans 10:9
So that dispels the notion that you can be saved as a baby with a water baptism because you can’t speak by then. It also dispels the notion that getting baptized saves you because you can get baptized without confessing that Jesus is your Lord.
If you want to be saved you must confess with your mouth and believe in sincerity:
That Jesus is your Lord.
That Jesus is the son of God.
That God raised Him from the dead.
That He came to save you from your sins that you will in earnest try to turn away from.
And just in case it isn’t clear to you from the proceeding verses that Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation, Jesus says it himself.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
-John 14:6
I hope you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now and if you are, then sincerely say the prayer in the next section or something similar and you will be saved from eternal damnation.
Prayer For Salvation
The Sinner's Prayer (by Dr. Ray Pritchard)
Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.
Next Steps
If you sincerely said the sinner’s prayer in the proceeding section, congratulations!! You are now saved. You are now about to embark on an amazing journey in your walk with Christ. To make your experience as best as it can be I suggest doing the following things at a minimum:
Read the Bible every single day. If you cannot afford one contact me and I will send you one, subject to availability of Bibles I have.
Go to church every Sunday. I’d also suggest going on Wednesdays too. It’s very important to go to church so you can learn more about the Bible, have fellowship with other Christians, and worship Jesus. He is the head of the Christian Church. Why wouldn’t you want to go and honor Him after what He did for you? Note: Be sure to find one that preaches the Bible faithfully. This is one of the reasons step 1 is so important. If you don’t read the Bible then you won’t know if a church is preaching the Bible faithfully. Unfortunately, there are a lot of false teachers out there right now so you must be careful.
Pray daily and often. You have a direct line to God and you should use it. He wants to hear from you. I suggest reading Matthew 6. Jesus gives you a beautiful framework for prayer.
Join a Bible study group or start your own. It helps you learn the Bible more deeply as well as have fellowship with other Christians, which is important.
If you do all of these things faithfully, you are going to notice some big changes in your life. You are going to change for the better as the Holy Ghost inside of you works on sanctifying you. You are going to see signs all the time of God working in your life. You will likely see signs and miracles happen.
Keep in mind this is a bare minimum list of things that I suggest. There are other things you should do too and you will discover them as you read your Bible daily, learn to listen to the Holy Ghost inside of you, and go to church.
If you have any questions, need a prayer, or need a Bible please contact me at: southwesthendersonbiblestudy@proton.me
If you want to read the Bible online you can go to:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10 to download it in text, Kindle, or ePub files.