Get To Know The Savior
Jesus Christ is the central figure in Christianity and his life, message and ministry are chronicled in the four gospels of the New Testament. His name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew-Aramaic word “Yeshua,” meaning “Yahweh is salvation.” A great way to get started on your salvation journey is to get to know your Savior, Jesus Christ.
S To Attain Genuine Salvation
i. Acknowledge that you are a sinner. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23.
Stop shifting the blame for your sins on others. Sin is a nature we all inherited from birth, hence everybody is born a sinner.
God knows we cannot help it, by that inherited nature we must sin, hence He sent Jesus into the world to rescue all sinners.
ii. Settle it in your mind that you cannot help yourself.
Except you do that, you will still continue to look for what you can do for yourself to get out of the situation.
That may result to trying some of the steps listed under what salvation is not above.
iii. Agree that you needs Gods help. This is what will help you to turn to God and seek Him diligently in order to get out of a sinful life.
Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Jews knew he needed help.
He too needed answer to that all-important question what is salvation according to the bible.
He knew that what he has is not the answer to that question, hence he secretly came to see Jesus in the night in order to get the right answer, and he got it.
iv. Confess your sins to God.
Just tell it to God the way it is. All what you have been doing in the secret that are contrary to His will.
He will forgive, no matter how bad the sins may be.
v. Ask Him for mercy. When God shows you mercy, He will be more than willing to wipe away your sins.
vii. Never go back to your sins. Do not nurse the idea that you are still under the bondage of that sin.
The Meaning Of Salvation
To define Salvation from the Biblical Christian point of view, we can look to the Holy Book for answers.
The meaning of Salvation in Christian terms is to be delivered or saved through faith from eternal death as brought by sin. What’s surprising is that there’s no action you can take to be protected from the fires of hell, as Christ Jesus has already done it for you.
In the dictionary, Salvation means ‘rescued from peril,’ which draws a parallel line to the meaning we get in the Bible teachings. Salvation has three aspects: why God saved us, where he is saving us to, and what He is saving us from.
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A Christian’s Definition Of Salvation
If there’s one word that can define Christian salvation, it’s deliverance. Deliverance is an integral part of the Christian life because we all fall short of the righteousness of God.
Salvation breaks into two crucial components in the New Testament- delivery from eternal death, which is the penalty of sinning , and being delivered from the mortal shackles and enjoying eternal life .
Salvation plays a massive role in the present and the future. It can dictate how a believer should live to reap the rewards of going to heaven.
Compatibility Of Differing Theories
Some theologians maintain that “various biblical understandings of the atonement need not conflict”.Reformed theologian J. I. Packer, for example, although he maintains that “penal substitution is the mainstream, historic view of the church and the essential meaning of the Atonement… Yet with penal substitution at the center”, he also maintains that “Christus Victor and other Scriptural views of atonement can work together to present a fully orbed picture of Christ’s work”.J. Kenneth Grider, speaking from a governmental theory perspective, says that the governmental theory can incorporate within itself “numerous understandings promoted in the other major Atonement theories”, including ransom theory, elements of the “Abelardian ‘moral influence’ theory”, vicarious aspects of the atonement, etc.
Anglican theologian Oliver Chase Quick described differing theories as being of value, but also denied that any particular theory was fully true, saying, ‘if we start from the fundamental and cardinal thought of God’s act of love in Jesus Christ … I think we can reach a reconciling point of view, from which each type of theory is seen to make its essential contribution to the truth, although no one theory, no any number of theories, can be sufficient to express its fullness.’
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How To Explain Salvation To A Child
Explaining salvation to a child is a bit technical. Children may not be able to grasp the biblical concepts and implication of salvation.
The preferred method on how to explain salvation to a child is to tell them stories of your journey of being a Christian.
Also, it is necessary to tell them about the impact of the love of Christ in John 3:16. Make an illustration about how God so loves us to have sent his only son to redeem humanity. It is like a kid giving up his favourite toy to make another kid happy. It is not an easy decision for kids.
Jesus loves little children and wants the best for them. He befriends who are obedient to their parents and do good to all those around them.
What Do We Need To Do To Be Saved
Gods plan of salvation is very simple. We have to admit to God that we are a sinner.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ESV
Accept the gift of God in Jesus Christ His Son who died for us so we can spend eternity with Him.
Romans 10:13 "For, 'Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved,'" NIV
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ESV
If we genuinely do this, we are now saved and a follower of Jesus Christ. Scripture says,
Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. NIV
God wants everyone to come to Him. There is no one that is unacceptable. It doesnt matter what someone has done, God is waiting with His arms wide open.
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Is There Only One Salvation
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. ESV
The Bible says that no one is righteous.
Romans 3:10-12 as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one no one understands no one seeks for God. All have turned aside together they have become worthless no one does good, not even one. NIV
God cannot look on sin. So how can we come to God? Good works? According to God we have none. He cannot look on sin. His plan takes care of that. We need someone without sin to stand in our place. Jesus died for our sin so we can have fellowship with God. Jesus Christ is the only way. John 14:6
The Gospel Of Salvationpauls Vocation
The opening verse of Romans announces Pauls own vocation, the work that God has called him to do: proclaiming the gospel of God in word and deed. So what is the gospel of God? Paul says that it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith as it is written, The one who is righteous will live by faith . For Paul, the gospel is more than wordsit is the power of God for salvation. He emphasizes that this salvation is not for one group of people only but is intended to help anyone on earth to be among the people of God, by faith. Romans, then, is above all about Gods salvation.
What is salvation? Salvation is the work of God that sets human beings in right relationship with God and with one another. As we will see momentarily, what we are being saved from are broken relation-shipswith God and with other peoplethat unleash the evil forces of sin and death in the world. Therefore, salvation is first of all the healing of broken relationships, beginning with the healing that reconciles the Creator and the created, God and us. Our reconciliation with God leads to freedom from sin and a newness of life that is not limited by death.
In sum, salvation is the ultimate work of Christ in the world, the goal toward which believers always press on, as Paul puts it . Salvation underlies everything Paul and everything believers do in work and life.
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Can Salvation Be Lost
Salvation can be lost if it is not treasured and kept diligently.
This is what the devil is all out for. To make a child of God go back to his former life of sin.
He comes with all kinds of temptations and deceits to try to achieve this.
The Bible warns us not to be ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11.
Once saved is saved forever, is a common believe among many Christians today.
That is, once you have given your life to Christ, it does not matter what you do thereafter, you are already saved, even if you continue to sin.
That is a lie from the pit of hell.
It has given some people liberty to continue in sin, and pray that the grace of God should abound in their lives.
The Bible says God forbids. Romans 6:23.
You are to work out your salvation with trembling and fear while journeying through this world so that your garment will not be stained with sin.
The following steps will help you to keep your garment clean and remain rapturable until you see Jesus in glory.
D Obey Jesus’ Teachings
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.”
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Christ: The Center Of Salvation
But we are not expected to just believe and be saved, without any appeal to proof or reason. Certainly faith plays a part in salvation, but there is a difference between blind faith and justified faith. Even Acts 1:3, for instance, observes of Christ, After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive, while in Acts 26:25, Paul states that his Christian beliefs are true and reasonable.
When Paul and Silas said to the jailer, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved , they understand the centrality of Christ in salvation. The word translated as saved is charged with deep theological implications, meaning to save, rescue, deliver to heal to be in right relationship with God, with the implication that the condition before salvation was one of grave danger or distress
Christs death and resurrection offers every one of us an opportunity for salvation. When is the right time to accept His offer? As C.S. Lewis said, Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.
See, Human Beings: Rebels in Gods Image? NIV Exhaustive Concordance , electronic edition. Ibid.
One Must Come To Him For Salvation
The first thing that one must do is come to Christ for his salvation, no other person or thing can accomplish it.
In Acts 4:12 – Peter proclaims the exclusivity of the Christian Religion, there is no room for anyone else but Jesus.
And there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
This is so because no one else in history has done for man in regards to salvation what Christ has done. Many have lived good lives, changed nations, started religions, written wise words but no one has dealt with the sin of the world through an atoning and purifying death, and no one has ever been resurrected from the dead as verification that what he taught, did, and promised was valid. No one else has promised his followers a conscious, joyful, certain, eternal life and performed miracles to confirm the promises.
In Matthew 10:32 Jesus said that we must confess His name and the point He is making is that in order to be saved we must acknowledge that only He can save us.
…Jesus said that …
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What Does Salvation Mean
The simplest definition of salvation is to be delivered from peril. The word took a bit more of a shape when I figured out it was connected with the preacher telling us we needed to get saved. The most common meaning of salvation is to be saved by God from the consequences of our sin. But the Bible speaks of our salvation in a bit fuller terms than simply being rescued from hell.
When thinking about salvation its helpful to think about what we are saved from, what we are saved to, who we are saved by. Its also helpful to think about our salvation as a past, present, and future happening.
Whether you’ve accepted Jesus into your heart recently or have been Christian your whole life, the most important thing you can do from here is to grow your faith. for how to grow into a stronger faith filled with trust.
D Will Babies And Children Who Die Young Go To Heaven
The predominant belief among Christians is that God makes provision for salvation for those who, through no fault of their own, die before being baptized or being able to make their own choices about faith.
It used to be a common belief among Catholics that children who died without being baptized would end up in Limbo, an intermediate state between heaven and hell. However, this is the current teaching of the Catholic Church:
1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,” allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism…
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Misconceptions About Universal Salvation
Misconception: First Corinthians 15:22 teaches universal salvation by saying that in the Christ all will be made alive.
Fact: The context of this verse discusses the resurrection. So the phrase in the Christ all will be made alive simply means that all who are resurrected receive this blessing through Jesus Christ.John 11:25.
Misconception: Titus 2:11 teaches universal salvation by saying that God is bringing salvation to all people.International Standard Version.
Fact: The Greek word translated all in this verse can also mean every kind or variety. * Thus, the correct understanding of Titus 2:11 is that God is making salvation available to all sorts of people, including people out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.Revelation 7:9, 10.
Misconception: Second Peter 3:9 teaches universal salvation by saying that God does not desire anyone to be destroyed.
Fact: God wants people to be saved, but he does not force them to accept his provision for salvation. His day of judgment will include the destruction of the ungodly people.2 Peter 3:7.
^ par. 1 The Bible refers to a person as having been saved even though his or her actual salvation from sin and death is yet to come.Ephesians 2:5 Romans 13:11.
^ par. 5 The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yehoh·shua, which means Jehovah Is Salvation.
Receiving Salvation Is Simple
Romans 10:9-10 list the very simple steps that explain how to easily accept the gift of salvation.
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
I love this verse because it simply explains how easy it is to be saved. I would also like to add the importance of confessing and repenting of your sins according to Mark 1:15 and Romans 3:23. Lets dive into the steps.
1. Repent of your sins
According to Romans 3:23 we ALL have sinned and fallen short of Gods glory. We were born into a sinful world. At that point we needed redemption from that sin.
When Jesus first began His ministry the first thing He preached was repentance. Repentance is the recognition that we are sinful and live in a sinful world. We need Jesus Christ to cleanse our sins away and bring us back into oneness with God.
Sin is what separated us from God starting in the garden of Eden . The blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross placed us back into our rightful position as sons and daughters of God. Thereby saving us from our sins. Therefore repenting of sins is necessary.
2. Confessing that You Believe
Speaking the truth is very important. We declare something by our mouth. Not by our thoughts or actions. It is by our mouth we speak life . God spoke this world into existence .
3. Believe in Your Heart
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