Salvation

Have you ever wondered if you can know FOR SURE that you are going to heaven when you die? What does it take to get to heaven? These are some of life’s most important questions, and the Bible answers them for us very clearly.

God

Because God is absolutely holy and just, His standard to enter into His presence is absolute perfection. His character will not allow Him to be polluted by sin. He has given His commandments as the standard for human behavior. God’s only just response to sin is to punish it and cast it out of His holy presence.

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Habakkuk 1:13a

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Nahum 1:3a

Man

We have all failed to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives because of our sin. Each one of us has chosen to disobey God and has broken God’s commandments. Our sin choice has caused us to fall short of God’s glory. Our sin leads to spiritual death and eternal separation from God.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. James 2:10

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Christ

God is merciful and desires to pour out His grace upon us. He has made a way for us to be restored to a right relationship with Him. Because He loves us, God sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a man. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved so that we do not have to die for our own sins. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead proved His power over death and sealed for us the gift of eternal life.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1 Peter 3:18

Response

We must personally repent (turn away) from our sins and place our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. We must agree with God that we have broken His commands and TURN AWAY FROM every known sin in our lives. We must also transfer our trust from religion, good works, or anything else to TRUST JESUS CHRIST ALONE to save us from our sins. Through prayer we must call upon the name of Jesus and confess Him as our Lord (ruler) and Savior.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10

If God is drawing you to turn away from your sins and to commit your life to Him right now, you can pray something like this to Him:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner. I believe you died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay for my sins. Right now, the best I know how, I turn away from the wrong things that I have been doing and place my trust in You alone for my salvation. This is the first step in my new life with You, and I want to follow You in obedience from this day forward. Thank you for giving me eternal life according to Your word! Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer in your heart today, we would love to rejoice with you and to talk with you more about your new life in Christ. Please call the church office at 817-431-2545 and ask for the pastor, or e-mail us. Read more of what the Bible says about your conversion experience.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. John 6:47

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

A true conversion experience affects every area of our lives from that moment forward. Your first step should be public identification with Christ and His church through baptism. Your daily life will be characterized by obedience to Christ. You will also maintain a vital relationship with God in prayer and Bible study, and you will be willing to endure hardship and suffering because of your commitment to Christ.

All Bible quotations here are taken from the New American Standard Bible (Copyright The Lockman Foundation).