WHAT'S THIS SALVATION THING ABOUT, ANYWAY?
INTRODUCTION
The age old questions, "What happens after death? Is there life after death? And does our death mean complete loss of consciousness? Do we fly around with wings, playing on harps? (or Cherry red Gibsons?) ; seem to pop into our minds from time to time. But, since there seems to be no answers, (or wrong answers), we quickly put them out of our minds and go on with our daily business.....until the next time we attend someone's funeral and the old questions return to haunt us again.
There are many different "religions" that attempt to answer some of these questions in their own way. Some believe in reincarnation; that we keep coming back again and again until we "get it right". However, there is no Biblical backing of this belief.
Some believe in total annihilation of the body and soul. Again, nowhere in the Bible is this doctrine taught.
Some well-meaning Christians believe in a "works" type of salvation. That by doing good, staying honest, and trying to live Jesus-like lives, God will allow us into heaven, based on these merits. Again, the Bible teaches otherwise.
So what is the truth? If all of these beliefs, and others that exist, are wrong, what is right? And on what do genuine Born-Again believers base this belief?
Did you notice the recurring word in the above statements regarding different doctrines? The word "believe". Many have been taught to "believe" in this doctrine or that doctrine. The one basis on which our beliefs are based is the Bible. The whole Bible, not just the parts we want to take out of context and make it say what we want it to say. The total, complete Word of God.
Yes! The Bible does say that "you must be born again!" What exactly does this mean?
Being "Born Again" simply means taking on a new life, a life that is structured around the belief that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again, taking the judgment and punishment for all of mankind's sins; past, present, and future. And the way we "get saved" is to simply believe in this act. To confess we are sinners and accept the "salvation act" of Jesus. Inviting Jesus into our hearts, minds, and souls; depending completely on Him to hold us up and carry us throughout life; believing this will save us.
Salvation is not based on what we can do, but on what Christ has already done!
So, for the Christian who has totally accepted this free gift of Salvation; who has truly been born-again; the answer is plain: Yes! There is life after death. A life lived eternally with the Lord in His Heaven. There is life after death forever and we who believe do not worry about death. We look at death as another "dimension" to existence. While everyone has a certain fear of the unknown, we have an "expectation" of the unknown, because, while we don't have all the answers, we are told that Christ gave us victory over death, hell and damnation. So, when Christians gaze into the coffin of a believer, we mourn, we cry, not so much for the one in the coffin, for we know that person is with our Lord, but for the fact that we'll miss them, and their love.
Do you fear death? Are you uncertain of what's to come? Then this article is for you.
You can know, instantly, where you'll be if you trust Jesus do what He says he'll do. If you do not accept Him, then all I can say is you have nothing to look forward to except total separation from God in a burning hell, reserved for Satan and his angels.
As you read, let the Holy Spirit guide you, lead you, and fill your heart with the truthfulness of God's words.
Thank you Jesus!
WHY SALVATION?
We were all born into this world as children of the Most High God, because He created us.
But, we were also born under the "curse" of sin brought upon mankind by the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. God, however, had a plan; a plan to Save man from this sin curse. That Plan was Jesus Christ.
Those who are not saved (by accepting Christ as Savior) automatically become a child of Satan.
Now don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean you belong to the "church of Satan" or anything like that. It simply means that if you haven't turned to Christ and asked Him into your life, you are a child of Satan. This came about when one first realized the difference between good and evil.
This may have happened at an early age, or a later age, and no one can say for sure when this realization comes about.
Since God created us, He is our Heavenly Father. When the day comes that we reject Him, by rejecting the Saving Grace of His Son, Jesus, we become "adopted" by Satan.
You may argue, " I didn't ask to be born; I don't have control over the fact that I exist, so why should I be concerned as to my eternal destination?"
Whether or not it was of our doing is irrelevant. We must ALL some day face God. We must ALL someday give an account of our life. The fact that we didn't "ask to be here" has nothing to do with it. We ARE here, therefore, we must acknowledge this fact, and the fact that there is a GOD, and if we accept His Holy Word, the Bible as fact, (and it would be very foolish not to), then we MUST accept the fact the through His Son, Jesus, we can "remove" ourselves from being a child of Satan, and become, through FAITH and FAITH ALONE, a Child of God.
THE
BIBLE: FACT OR FICTION 
Some would argue that the Bible is nothing more than a book of "Myths", a book of stories made up throughout the ages by the imagination of several people. That it isn't something to be believed in today.
I won't take the time to go into all the reasons this just is not true, except to say that over a period of about 1600 years, 40 different authors, mostly with no personal knowledge of any other author, compiled a book consisting of truths, laws, and histories that are all completely compatible with the others. The Bible NEVER contradicts itself, as some would have us believe. (Man's interpretations, sometimes, contradict themselves), and is consistent in it's relating to our life, both two thousand years ago, as well as today.
If that isn't enough, then consider the prophecies made in the Old Testament. Hundreds of prophecies, many of which have been fulfilled; some are being fulfilled today, and there are some that are yet to be fulfilled.
Over three hundred prophecies were made pertaining to Christ alone; giving the time, place, and other very exact details of His birth and life, including the fact He would be born of a Virgin, would die on a cross hundreds of years before crucifixion had become a form of capital punishment; I could go on and on, but suffice to say, there is plenty of proof the Bible is, in fact, God's Word.
If we then take the Bible at face value, as being the INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, we have no choice but to accept what it says.
There are, of course, some who deny the very existence of God; the very existence of "a Creator". The fact is, if you do not believe in God, then you must believe in evolution. However, the theory of evolution is just that, a theory. There has never been, and never will be, a scientific proving of evolution. In fact, when all the facts are in, it takes a lot more "faith" to believe that over a period of millions of years, some primeval slime components got together, and through some miraculous act, became the first germ of life, which, over another few million years, evolved into the human beings that we now are.
There are many books that discuss the evolution vs. creation argument, so I'm not going to go into this in great detail. However, one book written by Peter and Paul Lalonde, "301 Startling Proofs and Prophecies" has some answers to many of the questions evolutionists should be asking. I highly recommend it for further study.
Now, having said all this, let's assume for a moment that there could be a God; a Creator who spoke into existence, all that there is; all that we see.
Thousands of books and articles also have been written to "prove" the inspiration of the Bible. This writer assumes the reader has at least somewhat accepted this fact. Even if you think it "could" be the inspired Word of God, that's good enough. We have to start somewhere!
The title of this chapter, "Why Salvation", may on the surface, sound simplistic, and can, if fact, be answered in one sentence: If you don't want to go to hell, you must be saved! (Of course, if you don't believe in God, you probably also don't believe in hell. Again, let's assume for a moment that not only is there a God, and Heaven, but also a devil, and Hell).
While this may come across as a spiritual "fire insurance policy", the fact is that most people first hear, through preaching or some other witnessing, the hazards and dangers of dying and going to hell.
That is really breaking it down to it's lowest common denominator. But it goes much further than that. I will endeavor to bring to you some thoughts and revelations you may not have considered.
All I ask is that you keep an open mind, and just for the heck of it, ask the Holy Spirit, that part of God that convinces and convicts someone of sin, to show you, as you read, if these words are indeed, true. You've got nothing to loose, and an eternity to gain.
Just in case you're not sure HOW to ask for God's help, say something like this: "Lord, I really want to know the truth. I want to know in my heart what is real, and what is false. I admit at this time, I'm not sure, and I want to be sure. Implant in my heart and mind what YOU want me to believe. In Jesus' name, Amen".
Now, don't just read the words, say them TO GOD. Even if you're not sure you're getting through, trust me, God WILL hear you IF YOU'RE SINCERE.
Let's begin with WHY there is a NEED for salvation.
SIN
Most people don't want to be bad. At least most people I know. But what defines "bad". Most people would agree that Hitler was bad. In fact, one, would have to say he was evil. If any man was filled with "Satan's demons", it was Adolph Hitler.
There have been, throughout history, many "Hitlers". What makes this type of person evil, and someone else, not evil?
One could argue that is was "up-bringing;" environmental surroundings;" or whatever. But the bottom line answer is: "SIN". The Humanists of today are teaching that "Man is basically good, and that their problems stem from 'poor childhood', 'bad parenting', etc. They don't want to accept the fact that we are all responsible for our own actions.
We were born with sin. We have had sin around since the first man, Adam, and first woman, Eve, disobeyed God's command, and ate the forbidden fruit, which, by the way, has never been proved by God's word, to be an apple. it COULD have been an apple, but the Bible doesn't say. This is another myth started by someone, long ago.
The first couple, as created by God, was created SINLESS. They had a personal relationship with God; they walked and talked with Him IN PERSON. They lived in a perfect environment. They had nothing but perfection all around them. They had been given the responsibility of "tending" the garden. They didn't have to pull weeds; there weren't any. They didn't have to spray for crop destroying insects, they hadn't appeared....yet. All was perfect, all was PARADISE. They had permission to eat from any tree, any fruit, that grew, except one. In short, they had it made. All they had to do was accept what God told them, and they would have PHYSICALLY, (as well as SPIRITUALLY), lived forever in a land with no negatives, no sickness, no SIN.
But, they CHOSE not to. You see, God didn't create a race of "puppets". He gave man, (and woman), a free will, a freedom to CHOOSE whether or not to love and obey Him. God doesn't want to FORCE anyone to love Him . He wants our love; He wants our praise; He wants our obedience; but it must be because we WANT to, not because He forces it out of us.
. Through this disobedience to God's command, the eating of the forbidden fruit, which was taken from the "Tree of knowledge of good and evil", sin entered into the world. (Gen. 2:17). In fact, God told them "this day they would Die" (spiritually, and eventually, physically), if they ate of the fruit.
Why in the world would anyone with an ounce of sense take a chance like this? Why would someone living in a PERFECT WORLD, with anything they want at their fingertips, challenge God by directly disobeying ONE rule?
Adam and Eve had no sin up to this point. But since God gave them a free will, because He gave them the ability to CHOOSE, sin entered into the world, and has been passed down throughout the ages by the simple act of human reproduction. The human blood line keeps sending sin into the next generation, and the next, and the next, and so on.
Living in the world today, we can look back with envy at Adam and Eve. We can try to imagine what it must have been like living in perfection; living in such splendor, and WE would NEVER think of doing something to change all that.
RIIIIGHT!!!!!
The changes on Earth took place gradually, over a period of many hundreds of years. Man had no natural enemies, it took time for disease and other conditions to affect man. In Genesis 5:5, we're told that Adam lived to be 930 years old before he died. Seth, a son born to Adam after Cain and Able, lived to be 912 years old. (Gen. 5:8).
We all have heard of Methuselah, the oldest living person in the Bible. He lived to be 969 years old before he died. If you read the histories of early Bible characters, you will find they all lived hundreds of years.
However, while Noah lived to be 950 years old, (Gen. 9 :12), Shem, one of Noah's sons, only lived for 500 years; (Gen. 11:11).
Shem's son lived 403 years, (Gen. 11:13); and Peleg, Noah's great, great, great, great grandson, only lived for 209 years, (Gen. 11:19).
From that point on, most descendants of Noah lived shorter and shorter lives. Genesis 25:7 tells us that Abraham, the father of the Hebrew Nation, only lived 175 years.
So the conditions that brought on shorter and shorter lives all had to do with the fall of man in the Garden. But, it took place over time....many hundreds of years.
Man was created perfect, in a perfect place, with nothing but perfection all around him.
But, unfortunately, there was another presence on Earth, another force to be reckoned with...SATAN!
SATAN
Volumes have been written on the creation, existence and purpose of Satan. Satan's name comes from the Hebrew, meaning "Adversary". This is a perfect description of Satan. I remember some of the literature I have read over the years; Sherlock Holmes' great "Adversary" Doctor Moriarity; Superman's great "Adversary", Lex Luther; The United Federation of Planets great "Adversaries", the Klingons, the Romulans, the Borg; Etc. (Ahh yes, great literature indeed.....)!!
An Adversary is not JUST an enemy. He's a very SMART enemy. An enemy that keeps you on your guard. An enemy that sometimes can make you believe he's your friend. This is the situation we have with Satan.
The Bible is filled with "descriptions" of who and what Satan is. I will give you a few:
He is also called "the Devil; (Matthew 4:1 & 10-11; Mark 1:13). Luke 22:3 tells us he aims to undo the work of God; (the story of Satan entering into Judas); Satan has a Kingdom, Matthew 12:25-26; and he is the Prince of the this world's system. God still is in control of the Earth, but has allowed Satan to be in control of Earth's kingdoms.
The one big question that has come down through the ages, by all peoples who acknowledge Satan's existence, is....Why? Why did God, who is perfect, create Satan, the evil one?
The answer is quite simple...God DID NOT create Satan as the evil one! He created, eons ago, a beautiful creature known as Lucifer.
Lucifer was given, as all of God's creations are given, the ability of FREE CHOICE. Lucifer became envious of God. He wanted to place himself ABOVE God, and therefore, "wickedness" was found in him; (The King James Version calls it "inequity". You can read all about it in Ezekiel 28:12-19).
One again might ask "WHY? Why would a creature such as this, with the power and beauty God gave him, want to risk the anger and wrath of his Creator; be "kicked out" of heaven, along with a third of the angels who followed him; to become the most hated, despised and feared creation known to man?
The answer: PRIDE! Satan, the "created one", wanted to become greater than his Creator. He wanted to have a higher throne than God had. We read in Isaiah chapter 14 the fall of Satan, and also the reasons. Note the "I" trouble that Satan had:
12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
So Satan, because of his pride, was cast out of heaven, along with one third of the angels that followed him. We read that there was a "war" in heaven. More on this later.
By the way, pride is the main reason most people fail to accept the Lord's salvation. All our lives, we have been taught to 'work for ourselves'; 'fight for ourselves'; 'believe in ourselves', etc. While it is true we have to survive in this world, and in order to do this, we must work, and try to do the best we can, it must be realized that it is only through the grace and love of God that we are able to accomplish this. It's when we believe that we don't need God, that we don't need his help and strength, that we get into trouble. Don't let pride keep you from letting Christ hold you up, give you strength, save your soul. We cannot save ourselves, no matter how hard we try. It's just impossible. While we are instructed to 'produce good works', it is to show our belief and love in and for Him, not to get His love and salvation.
When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden, he did so "Subtly", we are told in Genesis, and through lies, and half-truths, Eve fell for the temptation. She was told she would become "like a god"!
Hey, who wouldn't be tempted at becoming a "god". Satan entices us all with thoughts of power, glory, riches, etc. Poor Eve! If only she had believed God's word, and not listened to the cunning lies of Satan. But, Alas, she succumbed to Satan's lies. She desired something she shouldn't have, and passed that desire on to Adam.
Their eyes were opened, they now realized the difference between good and evil, they saw their nakedness and "were ashamed", they had SINNED!!! (Genesis Chapter 3).
At this point, everything changed. Not all at once, but gradually. The earth became "un-perfect"! Sin not only affected human-kind, but "Earth-Kind" as well.
You know the story; God confronted Adam and Eve, Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed Satan, and Satan had no one to blame. God Cursed Adam, Eve, Satan, and the Earth. Man now had to "toil" and work to earn a living. The Serpent, a creature that Satan used to communicate with Eve, would be scorned and "Trod Upon" for all time, and Earth, would know pestilence, strife, filth, all the negatives that come with sin.
Worst of all, man had lost his "spiritual life" with God. Although Adam and Eve didn't die physically at this time, they died spiritually; they lost their one-on-one affiliation with God.
God exiled them from Eden, and to prevent them from eating of the "Tree of Life", which would allow them to live forever, (You read right, man was designed to live eternally in full relationship with God; and that is still the plan, for all mankind will live eternally somewhere, with God, or without God), he placed cherubim with a flaming sword "flashing back and forth" to block the entrance to the Garden. (Gen. 3:24) God could not allow fallen man to live eternally on this earth, as was His original plan.
From this point on, Satan was in control of man, except through the divine intervention of God, through faith, and man has suffered ever since.
The earth became so entrenched with sin, man became so evil in his beliefs and his ways, that God had to destroy all the earth, except Noah and his family by the great flood that wiped away all life on earth.
Did God plan for all of this to happen? No! (GOD wants NO MAN to PERISH)! Did God KNOW this was going to happen, Most assuredly. God is OMNISCIENT, I.E., He knows all, plain and simple.
Did God make provisions to OVERCOME this plan of Satan to rob man of his perfection? ABSOLUTELY. More on that later.
I do not believe we have any conception of what the world was like in Noah's day. The Bible relates a few details of things that were going on, but we cannot conceive of the evil that permeated man's life on this planet. We are told that the Son's of God (Gen.6: 1-2) married the daughters of men. These "Sons of God", most scholars believe, were the "fallen angels that entered into an unholy bond with human females, and therefore evil beings or "Men of Renown" (Nephilim as in the NIV), came into existence.
Genesis, Chapter 6, verses 1 through 8, tells of the reaction of God to this wickedness. God was grieved, and sorry He had even created this planet, and decided to change things. Noah and his family were the only ones on the whole planet that "found righteousness" in the eyes of God. You know the story, the rains came, the earth was covered with water, all life died, except that which was placed in the ark. All life, that is except one species. Though the Bible doesn't directly relate to this fact, it stands to reason that the fish of the seas were NOT destroyed.
The Bible doesn't say they lived, either, but logically speaking, they probably did not perish in the flood. Isn't it strange that the sign of the "Fish", to this day, remains a symbol of Christianity. Just thought I would throw that in for whatever it's worth.
Down through the ages, Satan's plan was to corrupt the "seed" to prevent the birth of Jesus, our Savior. This was attempted many times. In fact, many believe, myself included, that the tyranny of Hitler in trying to eliminate the Jewish race during WW II was in keeping with Satan's trying to destroy the Jewish race.
God, in bringing about the flood, eliminated all mankind and raised up righteous Noah to re-populate the earth. Think of it! Out of all the people living on Earth at this time, only Noah and his family were found righteous enough for God.
But, unfortunately, that didn't get rid of the sin. Later on, man became rampant sinners again.
The book of Genesis is filled with stories about man's sin. The tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorra, all the way through from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, we are told of man's sin. In fact, that's another LOGICAL reason to believe the Bible to be true. If someone is going to "make-up" a history of their people, wouldn't they write mostly, if not all, only of the GOOD things they did? The Bible is made up of mostly the BAD things they did. The breaking of convenants; the sinning against God, and other men. This type of writing just wouldn't make sense, UNLESS, it was truly the Word of God, who can write only the TRUTH.
So you see, even though man doesn't necessarily "intend" to sin, he does none-the-less, because the "sin curse" is inherited, through the fall of Adam. The old cliché, "the Devil made me do it", has some ring of truth, for it was Satan that put the temptation to sin into Adam and Eve's heart. Unfortunately, man cannot keep from sinning, except by God's grace. While we may say, "I've never killed anyone, or stolen anything; never committed adultery, or broken any of the "serious" commandments", it doesn't really make any difference. Everyone at one time or another has lied. Or has taken God's name in Vain, or has been envious of someone else's good fortune, or wife, or whatever. This is the "sin nature" that every man and woman is born with. It is real, so the idea that "it's not my fault" doesn't amount to a hill of beans. The fact is, man CANNOT enter into a relationship with God as long as he has the sin nature. Man CANNOT NOT SIN. Therefore, man needs something, or someone, to create a situation that enables him to enter into a relationship that will let him have eternal life, WITH GOD. As I mentioned earlier, we are all going to live eternally....somewhere. Either with Satan, in hell, or with God, in heaven. There are no other options. No Purgatory, No "Soul-sleep", nothing except Heaven or hell. Whether you believe this or not, it is fact. You can choose to believe this, or not believe it, that is your option that God allows you to have.....I choose to believe it. I pray you do likewise. But consider this; If you choose NOT to believe, and you're wrong, you WILL spend eternity in hell, tormented by the flames and the lake of fire, forever separated from God. Do you really want to take that chance
REDEMPTION
So if man cannot help but sin, if he HAS to sin due to the sin nature he has inherited, what hope is there? What can man do to achieve an Eternal Home with God? The answer here again is quite simple, MAN CAN DO NOTHING to save himself. God has done it all.
Oh, I can hear it now. Some people believe that if they live a good, clean life; go to church, pray now and then, and give a few bucks to church...if they do enough "Good Works", they SHOULD make it to heaven.
I believed this for many years. There's just one thing wrong with this theory. What if, when we die, our GOOD works exactly equals our BAD works. Our "small sins" counteract our "good acts". I always pictured God, in Heaven, with this big set of scales, our good works in one side, our bad works in the other. If the scales tip to the side of the good works, we get in O.K. If, however, they tip to the side of our bad works, we end up "down there". Makes sense, right? That is, in fact, what many people believe. But what if, just by chance, the scales don't tip one way or the other, they balance exactly, What then? Does God flip a coin? Is our eternal fate left up to chance?
"Ridiculous!" you might say. But, what is the answer to that possibility? Well, there isn't one, because that "ain't the way it works!"
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God", it says in Romans 3:23. So what do we do now? If ALL have sinned, how do we counteract that sin? Well, we counteract that sin in only one way, asking Christ Jesus to save us.
Romans 3:22 tells us: "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to ALL who BELIEVE." Believe in what? Hold on, we're coming to that!
THE BLOOD
Ahh, the blood. Now we get down to the nitty-gritty. You see, before the coming of Christ, Man had to sacrifice live animals, birds, etc., to God for an ATONEMENT to sin. This atonement only covered up the sins the Jews had committed. While the Old Testament Jews had to have faith in their God, their FORGIVENESS, therefore their SALVATION, was by the blood sacrifices made by themselves, and the Priests. One could say that the Old Testament Jews were saved by Works. They had to "Do" something, make sacrifices. Some would argue with that statement, but that is how I look at it. They were living under the Law. There was Grace involved, but only after the sacrifices were made. These sacrifices were a "foreshadow" of the Messiah, who would come to fulfill the prophecies. The Old Testament Jews had to, by faith, realize and believe in this coming Savior, but their sins were only 'covered' by the shedding of innocent blood, while our sins are forgiven by the shedding of innocent blood, the blood of Jesus.
With the coming of Christ Jesus, the only thing man now has to "Do" is believe ON HIM, and His one sacrifice for ALL MANKIND...FOR ALL TIME. His Blood, that was shed at Calvary, TOOK AWAY the RESULTS of SIN. While the Old Testament animals that were sacrificed had to be "Perfect, without blemish," so was our Lord, Jesus perfect, and without blemish. He "knew no sin," and "Became sin for us." Now, don't ask me to explain this, I can't! Only to say that God's love for us, man living then and now, and for all time, was so great, that he "Gave His only begotten Son" to die, and therefore make the "supreme sacrifice." (See John 3:16)!
All we have to do is ACCEPT this truth, ASK Christ to come into our heart, and FORGIVE us our sins, and then BELIEVE that this has taken place. That's it, there's nothing more. Romans 10: 9-10 Says: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (NIV)
It sounds simple, doesn't it? But you know, it's the hardest thing for most people to accept, that they don't have to "do" something more than "BELIEVE." Thousands of "religions," cults, sects, and denominations have sprung up through the ages, based on the false idea that something more needs to be done to achieve Salvation. Actually, it can be boiled down into two words: "BELIEVE, and CONFESS"
By now you may, I hope, be wanting to know the experience of Christ abiding in you. You may want to know for SURE that if you died right now, right this very instant, you would be with the Lord in Heaven. There's only way to know...ASK. Right Now, pray that Christ Jesus will forgive you your sins, (for all have sinned), and enter your heart, saving you from eternal punishment. If you ask this sincerely, His Holy Spirit will take his rightful place, replacing the "Sin Spirit" that abides in each of us before Salvation. You CAN make it happen. You CAN know for sure where you are heading! You CAN be a part of the family of God simply by BELIEVING, and CONFESSING Jesus is Lord. Ask Him to be Lord of your heart, mind, and life.
DOUBT
O.K. you've heard the sermon, but you still ain't buying it. Oh yeah, you believe that Jesus was a real person, all right, and He did a lot of good works, and miracles, and He even may have died and come back to life; "the jury's still out on that one", you may be thinking. But, you just don't know for sure, and, after all, it's a big step, this "getting saved".
You got that right. Without a doubt, it's the biggest step of your life. I could tell you hundreds of reasons to let Jesus come into your heart. The truth is, if you don't accept the facts as I've already stated, you probably wouldn't accept any other reasons I might state. And I'm not going to lie to you, and tell you that when you accept Christ as your personal Savior, and enter into a personal relationship with Him, all your troubles will be gone. I can't guarantee you that you will not have problems; or that you will not ever sin again. You see, once you become a Child of God, Satan, while he has lost your eternal soul for his kingdom, loves to try to make a Christian miserable. He loves to try to make us doubt our Salvation. He loves to try to use us as a bad example for others who may be wrestling with this 'salvation thing'. In fact, you and I both know people who don't know the Lord, who have never been saved, who are the "epitome" of sinful living, and they're doing great. Got all kinds of money, nice home, fancy cars, etc. HOWEVER, what about the important things? How about their "Eternal Rewards".
Christ asked what benefit was it to a man if he owns the whole world, but goes into eternity, lost.
Satan loves to "Bless" sinners in such a way that it makes it very hard for them to accept Christ. The Lord himself said it was very difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom. Not impossible, mind you, just difficult. The reason; most feel they have to "give up" something in order to be saved. The only thing you have to "give up" is a life filled with doubt, sin, and fear of what's to come. More on "giving up" later.
Accepting Jesus Christ is opening the door for riches beyond the monetary. Accepting Jesus Christ allows you to have a direct advocate with God the Father. Accepting Jesus Christ allows you, for the first time, to have any real peace of mind.
Problems, troubles, even depression from time to time will hit you, and maybe hit you hard, Remember, Satan is still working on bringing you down. While he CAN'T take your salvation, he can, and does, try to make you unhappy. But, through prayer, and faith, this all can be overcome.
If you still have doubt, let me ask you a question I touched on earlier. Let's say all this "salvation" stuff is a lot of garbage. Let's say that when we die, we go into oblivion, or sleep forever, or whatever. Bottom line, let's say that Heaven and hell are nothing but a myth, and there is no need for Jesus. If this is true, then you have nothing to lose by accepting Jesus, and finding out for yourself what He can do for you. If this is true, then you've lost nothing, and gained a life of peace and love through Christ.
But....if all the above ISN'T true. If in fact, there is a God, A Jesus, a Heaven and a hell, and you DON'T accept it, you have lost your eternal soul to damnation. You WILL spend eternity in a "place of torment"; a "lake of fire". I ask again, do you really want to take that chance? Is your eternal destiny worth NOT believing that it COULD be true, therefore, closing the door forever to your eternal place in Heaven with God?
Most people who receive salvation, do so with very little understanding of what it's all about. If you try to understand the mind of God; if you try to contemplate the words of the Holy Bible with the human mind, without the Holy Spirit to guide you, most likely you will not comprehend the eternal truths that are to be found there. "The natural man comprehendeth not" we are told. The natural man here, is the man without Christ. The man who does not have the Holy Spirit in him CANNOT UNDERSTAND what God is telling him. Now, I'm not saying that once you receive Christ as your Savior; once you allow the Holy Spirit free reign in your life, that your going to suddenly, magically, grasp ALL the truths in God's word. You have to crawl before you can walk, and like the baby first starting out, you're going to stumble and fall down from time to time, but, just as the baby finally learns how to walk, you will find yourself starting to understand more and more of what God is telling us. And in the meantime, you have a joy and peace that you've never experienced before. You will become "changed". You will feel a closeness to God that you never thought possible, and in fact, was NOT possible without Christ and His Salvation.
Now a word to those of you reading this who have accepted the Lord Jesus as your savior, and have, for whatever reason, come to have some doubts....doubts about your salvation, or whether your faith is as strong as it should be, or even if God is still listening.
I can speak from experience here. The only way to alleviate these doubts, or better yet, not get to the point of having doubts in the first place, is simply, keep on walking with God. Don't let yourself, for whatever reason, be pulled away from His Love, His Life, and His Grace.
Many think that just accepting Christ, while that is crucial, but not going any further in trying to grow in His Word, and Love, is enough. I am not happy, no matter what I tell myself, if I am not active and participating in serving the Lord. We all have some gift, some talent that, if not used, can be lost. you must ask God to show you yours. It may be simply the ability to listen. To Pray. To have understanding. Each child of God must endeavor to discover his or her talent or gift. When you do, use it.
Don't let doubt cloud your relationship with God. He DOES listen, and He speaks. We just don't hear sometimes.
FAITH
Unfortunately, most people who are not saved, feel that since they can't see Him, or touch Him, question His existence.
But you know, logic should tell us that there HAD to be a creator of this world, solar system, and universe.
I talked earlier about the Theory of Evolution. Another thought has come to mind.
Anyone who thinks that all this just "Happened" by accident, cannot be a logical thinking person. If this planet we are on sped up or slowed down just a small amount, it would either go racing out into space, or crash into the sun. This had to be designed, it could not just happen. In fact, science is everyday finding out that answers to many of man's questions can be found in the scriptures, and "Religion" and science agree more and more.
If a person can accept the "theory" that man just "happened" to "Evolve" from some slimy one-celled creature in the sea, and that over a period of millions of years, became the living, breathing, THINKING person he is today, then he has to ask himself this question: WHY?
What purpose is there to all this, if, when we die, we just rot in a grave, and there is nothing more? The one thing that sets man apart from all other animal life, is his SPIRIT. Man is the only animal that has a GOD/ CONSCIOUSNESS. We are the only animal with a sense of "time". We are the only animal that knows he is someday going to die. Genesis tells us that God Breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life, and he became a LIVING BEING. This means a 'self-awareness' that other animals do not have. God did this to no other life form on earth, only man. If evolution is a "Fact", at what point did man become "Intelligent". At what point did he become aware of God, and aware that he was unique. The plain truth is, Evolution is NOT FACT, and man could only become what he is by the "Breath of God".
Faith is not all that hard to comprehend. You cannot see electricity, but you had better have the faith that if you stick your finger into a light socket, you're gonna get shocked.
You can't see, taste, smell the wind. But you had better have the faith that if you're outside during a hurricane, you're in trouble.
So you see, we utilize faith constantly. But the faith to believe a Savior is very difficult for some. Don't let it be difficult for you.
Don't let doubt cloud your mind. Don't let un-belief keep you from knowing Jesus. Don't let Satan win again.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Yes, you do have a choice! Eternal Life with God, or eternal Life with Satan. you can choose to "wait awhile", and maybe later on, accept Christ. But......there's a problem with that; what if you don't have "awhile". There is no guarantee you'll live another second. There is no guarantee you'll live to see tomorrow.
But there's another matter to be reckoned with. We Christians expect Jesus to come back anytime now, to take us home. We believe in what we call "The Rapture". Now you won't find that word in the Scriptures, but if you read 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, starting with verse 13 through the end of the chapter, you'll see what I'm talking about. Christ is expected to "Rapture" his Church.....the Believers.....out of this world, to be reunited with those who have died believing in Him, and then the Holy Spirit will be taken from Earth as well. Then watch Satan do his thing. Without the Holy Spirit restricting Satan, he will have free reign. It will become like the days of Noah, rampant sin. We may think it's pretty bad now but it is nothing like it will be after the Rapture takes place.
If you are unlucky enough to be here after the Rapture, it will be very difficult for you to be saved. Not impossible, but very hard. God's Word says "man will believe a lie". Satan will be in even more control, and this world will see sin and tribulation like it's never seen before. In fact, we call this period, the "Great Tribulation."
So you see, you can wait.... but why? Why not ask Christ, right now, to come into your heart and cleanse you of your guilt and sin? Why not receive the fantastic blessing and fullness of life that ONLY HE can give you? The way to do it is simple enough. I told you earlier what you need to do, but I'll repeat it, just in case you forgot:
BELIEVE Christ died for you. CONFESS your sins and ask Him to enter into your heart. Through FAITH, You will be saved, and have the ASSURANCE of your eternal destiny.
Yes, the choice is yours, and I pray you make the right one. You might never have another chance to accept the Lord, Jesus Christ. Reject Him now, and you will hear the words, "depart from me, I never knew you" later. Those will be the saddest words you will ever hear, for they will mean eternal separation from God, and His Heavenly Home, and eternal damnation with Satan, and his home in hell.
WHAT MUST I GIVE UP?
Over the years, as I have witnessed to people, and have shown them, from the Bible, how to "be saved", the one nagging question they have, the one "objection" to salvation is this: If I accept Jesus, then I'll have to give up everything I enjoy. I'll have to quit doing this or that, or the other. I'll have to change my whole life, etc.
I am not going to tell you your life won't be changed, but changed for the better. I guarantee it.
You see, once we're Born Again, we start to realize that the things we enjoyed doing, we don't enjoy any more.
The changes that occur are always positive. You attitude about others improves. You will feel more love and compassion for your fellow man. You will become a better husband / wife / father / mother.
And best of all, you will rid yourself of the question, "what happens when I die?" "Where do I go?"
You will know, without a doubt, that you will be with the Lord once you breathe your last breath.
For an excellent example of the concept of immediately being in Heaven, or hell, after death, read Luke, 16:19-31. This is a true story, not a parable, of a "Certain Rich Man", and a beggar named Lazarus. When Lazarus died, he was IMMEDIATELY carried to "Abraham's bosom", the old testament name for paradise, and when the Rich Man died, he was buried, and "in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments". This was an immediate act. no soul sleep, no waiting for anything.
You see, when we accept Jesus, and the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, he guides us into knowing what, if anything, needs to be changed in our life. I know of alcoholics becoming instantly free of booze upon accepting Christ.
God convicts us of our sin through the working of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the strength to change whatever sinful habit we may have. It doesn't always happen instantly, sometimes it takes awhile, but if you're sincere in your desires to please Him, He will show you the way out of any problem you face.
In answer to "What do I have to give up", the answer is this: you will give up a life of uncertainty as to where your going when you die. You will give up the desire to sin. Will you still sin after salvation??? Absolutely! But God's love will always be there to forgive the truly repentant sinner, and help prevent his sinning again. You will gain a peace and knowledge of God that you never thought possible. You will become His child; you will find your feelings toward your family, friends, and even strangers will change; you will become more loving and tolerant of and to others.
So the question you must ask yourself is "not what must I give up"? You must ask yourself, "What Am I Gaining?" The answer is simple, you're gaining your eternal soul, and saving it for an eternity with the Lord, in His kingdom.
Someday we'll all have to face God. I am going to enjoy walking "Hand in Hand" with Jesus; meeting the great Old Testament heroes; Moses, Abraham, Jonah, (I can't wait to find out what it was really like inside that fish).
We will have, I believe, many of the attributes and powers that Christ had when He was on Earth. The Bible tells us we "will be like Him". Jesus apparently could appear and disappear at will. He could transverse space and time. He could travel from Heaven to Earth, and even into "paradise" where the Old Testament saints were waiting to be resurrected.
This much I know, we will have an eternity to learn, and progress as far as we wish. We will live in a true "Paradise", just as God originally planned, for Satan will be sealed forever in the Lake of Fire. He won't be around to tempt man again to sin. Those who are not with Jesus in His home, WILL be with Satan in his home. Dare we take that chance? I sincerely pray you do not. Ask Jesus to save you....today!!!
In closing, let me say this: We Christians do not fear death. Someone once said, "I'm not afraid of death, only of dying". The point is, death holds no fear to a true believer in Christ. Actually, we kind of look forward to it. The ACT of dying is a little scary. No one wants to suffer pain, or be in an accident. But death itself holds no bond on a Christian.
I will be with the Lord, someday, I hope to see you there.
Shalom!
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