Matt's Blogs...

Inspiration from God's Word and Spirit...

Friday, April 01, 2005

What Is Salvation?

All to many times we are led to believe that all we need do is hit our knees and say a "sinners prayer". I would not say that "saying the sinners prayer" would be wrong at all, but salvation is a matter of the heart AND mind. To be sure of one's salvation, there are a few things that must be realized by the individual seeking God's Salvation.

Salvation can be this simple. The Bible says:
Ephesians 2:4-5 says, "4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.
So, simply put, it is by God's Grace that we are saved. But there is another factor in this equation:
Galatians 2:16 says, "16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

According to this scripture, we also need to be "Justified", which means, "Found Not Guilty"! We obtain this justification by having "faith". But our faith must have the correct object: Jesus Christ! Faith in "Jesus" will be the only way you will ever receive anything from God, but on the flipside, through your faith in Jesus, you will receive "everything" from God! Glory!
Now. One more thing. We are called to "repent".
Mark 1:15, "The time has come", he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Repent does not mean to "beg forgiveness"... It simply means to "turn". But it is equally important to know "where and to Whom" you should turn! The only place to turn is to Jesus!

To sum up what has been said thus far, we are saved by God's Grace, justified through faith, and with our own free will we are to "turn" to Jesus as the Lord (Ruler) and Savior of our lives (this is salvation). This is so simple that it will confound the wise. But we can all "misunderstand" what we should be doing when we go forth seeking God's Salvation. Let me explain a little further.

Many times we have things going on in our lives that "prepares our heart" for the ministry of The Holy Spirit that is "convicting" you of your sin. So often is the case, there is extreme difficulty in various forms that make us realize we need some real "help". Divorce or the threat of divorce, problems with children, depression, drugs, alcohol, abusive spouses, abusive parents, etc., etc., etc. This list is endless in that the enemy (satan) has so many different ways of "defeating" us in the flesh. As soon as you think you may have come close to working something out, the enemy will hit you with something totally new... and totally unexpected.

It is to be expected that you will bring all this with you when you come to Christ, and believe you me, Jesus is MORE than capable of turning all this about. He does this mostly by your "submission to The Holy Spirit in doing what is right, and learning about God and applying that knowledge to your life. But if all you are seeking from God is a "fix", then it is quite possible you have not accepted Jesus as Lord over your life... In other words, you have not really "repented" in your heart.

Let us make no mistakes. Your heart is what God wants. We can make our lips say anything, but what is in our "hearts"? Correctly answering this question, and realizing what is going on within your own heart could make all the difference between you getting all God has for you, and getting nothing at all...

I would suggest that you say this to God with your "heart", as well as your mind and lips:

"Father God? I believe in your Son, Jesus! I believe He gave Himself in payment for the sins of the world, and that includes mine. I believe that He rose from the dead and lives today and forever that I may live forever! I ask Jesus into my heart as Lord of my life. I will dedicate myself to learning more about you and becoming all I can be for You, my Lord Jesus. Please be with me. Help me. Guide me. I will do my best to follow.

It is such a wonderful gift, that which you give me... I do not fully understand You, but I will follow You. Please make me a blessing to those around me, as up to now, all I have been is a curse. Please enable me to fulfill all You would have me do with my life... Thank You, my Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of my many sins! I love You... Amen!"

If you have just said this prayer with your heart, rest assured there is nothing you can do to drive God away. He knows you are not going to be perfect. But you will strive to be... For you are now... "Sealed By The Holy Spirit" and "Motivated By Grace"!

In summary, "getting saved" is easy if your heart is in the right place! God freely offers you His Grace if you'll believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died in payment for your sins, and was resurrected to live forever, and us with him!

There will be more forthcoming about our relationship with God. Until we meet...

God Bless You... Matt


 
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