Acts 16:31 -- "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you shall be saved, and your house."The Beauty Of God's Plan
(Or, How Can I Be Saved?)
You are reading this page for a reason. If your reason has anything to do with questions about either the statements above or the question above, then please read on. If not, please read on anyway. I won't mind. Neither will God.
Here's the deal. We humans have a bit of a problem. Our bodies are eventually going to poop out and die. So, what happens then? Here's what I and countless millions of bible believing Christians believe:
First, God says we (that's all of us) are sinners. In a letter to believers in Rome, the apostle Paul restated what God has said throughout the bible: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
But God also says He loves us. Also throughout the bible, even from way back in the Old Testament, God has said this. Example the following from the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah (3:13): "..I have loved thee with an everlasting love.."
And again, throughout the bible God has said that He will not leave sinners unpunished. The famous saying "The wages of sin are death" is from the book of Romans. The death spoken of is eternal death. More on this verse later.
This presents a dilemma, doesn't it? God says He loves us, yet He says are sinners and He will punish we sinning fools with eternal death.
What's up with that?
Well, folks, these are the rules we're working with here, and so very fortunately for us, God Himself came up with the solution. Thank God! Literally!
Here's what He did. A part of Himself came to this earth in the person of one Jesus Christ. Jesus went through life the same as we do, facing temptations throughout the day and night. The only difference is, Jesus Christ never sinned. He was perfect. Period. This brings us to the point of why He came here in the first place. He, without sin, unjustly died on the cross to pay, in full, the sins of us all (see above). And to prove the point, He rose from the dead. He did not sin so therefore He measured up to God's standards (why not. He was God!). The bottom line is He proved God's love for dying for our sins.
So, that's it? Good for him, onward and upward with my daily life? Not quite. If you do not believe what has been stated above, you are not allowing Jesus to die for your sins. God says you have to believe Jesus was who He says he was and did what the bible says He did in order to avoid that there "eternal death" thingie unbelievers are going to face. We all know the famous passage from the book of John, and it puts it quite clearly, for all to understand: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Eternal life as opposed to eternal death sounds a whole lot better, no?
The good news? You cannot do anything yourself to earn salvation from eternal death. It is a gift from God to you! All you have to do is believe. Remember the verse from Romans I said there would be more about (6:23)? Well, here's the verse in full: "The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
How do you accept the gift? You can thank God by praying to Him. Here is an example:
"Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I need your salvation. I believe that you died for my sins. Now I ask that you save me from the punishment I deserve, because of my sins. I want to show my gratitude for this gift of salvation by following your leadership in my life."If you really meant what you just prayed, be assured. Jesus Christ said "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." (John 6:47) and "He who comes to me I will in no way cast out." (John 6:37)
Aren't those great and wonderful words?
Now, want to know how you can be a useful part of God's plan?
Well, one thing you can do is admit it publicly. The bible says "If you admit to others that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe in your own heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is believing in your heart that makes one righteous before God, and stating your belief confirms your salvation." (Romans 10:9-11)
Also, you can read the bible. If ye olde King James version scareth thou awayest, try one of the modern language translations.
If you are going to read the bible then you might also want to study the bible a bit. I can heartily recommend an excellent radio program for down to earth bible study. Dr. J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible Radio programs take you through the bible, verse by verse, over a five year period. He's on the radio, and there is a web site which broadcasts his daily programs too. He speaks plainly and is fun to listen to. It is the vehicle God chose to lead me to Him. You can find Dr. McGee at http://www.ttb.org/.
You can also join or congregate with a bible believing church.
Pray. God listens.
Thank you for taking the time to read my little witness. Well, it's what I believe.
Don Spears