There is only one thing that will save a person from their sins: the blood of Jesus Christ. No amount of good works will satisfy the Law's requirements for sin's punishment. That was the whole reason God came to earth, put on human flesh, and walked in our shoes. If we could do it on our own, then what He did was a waste of time.
So the question is: how do I grab hold of this thing called salvation? Most preachers say "just believe, pray the Sinner's Prayer, and Jesus will come into your heart."
Friends, not only is this patently bogus, the bible doesn't support it. But the purpose here is not to argue doctrine. If you want to investigate the Sinner's Prayer and other false teachings, return to the Main Menu and click on one of the links.
There are four things you need to be saved. They involve the whole person--heart, body, and soul.
1. FAITH
It starts with the heart (or mind, if you will). The word means "trust." To have faith in Christ means to have trust in Him to save you from your sins.
Where do we get "trust"? Let the bible answer: Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news—the Good News about Christ. (NLT) Romans 10:17
What we know about Jesus comes from the bible. So when you read the bible, you begin to develop an understanding of God's mind. It is His Last Will and Testament--the New Testament--that establishes what we're to believe in. What we're to put our trust in. Not in ourselves, or our church, but in Christ only.
2. CONFESSION
It doesn't do much good to believe in Jesus and then say nothing about it. Jesus said, "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart ." Luke 6:45
"Confess" means "agree with." The bible says, "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 In other words, if we agree with God that we are sinners, God will forgive us. The rest of the verse says, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:10 In other words, NOT confessing, means not agreeing with God that you sinned.
3. REPENTENCE
"Repent" means "turn around." It speaks of a change of direction, going the opposite way from which you were going before. This is where the will comes in. First you believe (mental). Then you agree (confess). Now the will acts accordingly. We change direction. No longer do we laugh at dirty jokes, lust after a good-looking woman, or crave to do things opposed to what God wants.
Some of this stuff may take awhile in coming. Don't go throw out your music collection because some preacher says you must. In time, as you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), the things of this life will become less and less important to you. It will happen naturally, not as a commandment.
Jesus told the Jews, "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 You can't claim to be God's child and keep going down the same path you were on.
Many have a hard time swallowing this. "I can't give up drinking a beer or smoking now and then." The bible doesn't condemn drinking beer or smoking cigarettes. It does warn against drunkenness. Smoking? Again, as you mature, you'll eventually give it up. Don't make Christianity a difficult bed partner. That's why many "divorce" from the faith, because some church is ramming its morality down your throat.
4. BAPTISM
The last thing that has to submit to God's will is the physical body. First, the heart, then the will, now the body. Most churches preach that baptism is not a part of salvation. This is false teaching born out of the so-called Reformation Movement. Read this article to get a better understanding of the subject.
What does the bible say? The preachers will tell you, "Just invite Jesus into your heart, and you'll be saved!" Trouble is, nowhere does the New Testament say such a thing. In Revelation 3:21, it says "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and lets Me in, I will come in and dine with him and he with Me."
Those words are being addressed to Christians, specifically, a congregation once located in Asia Minor. It has nothing to do with sinners trying to seek out the Lord. It has nothing to do with "Jesus coming into my heart to be saved."
When the Jews were convicted they had sinned, they asked Peter, "What shall we do (to be saved)?" If one of today's preachers had been present on that day, they would have elbowed Peter off the podium and cried out, "Just invite Jesus into your heart!"
So what did Peter tell them when they asked the question? "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38-39
The gift of the Holy Spirit is eternal life. (Romans 6:23)
Galations 3:27 says, "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." If your preacher is saying you don't need baptism, then how are you going to "clothe" yourself with Christ? He's saying that putting on Christ isn't important. Find yourself another church.
SUMMARY
If you are sick and tired of lugging around the burden of sin, why don't you let Jesus take it off your shoulders? Jesus said, "Come to Me , all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matt 11:28-30
Find a local Church of Christ or Christian Church and go get yourself baptized. Don't go for these New Age churches who are teaching a do-you-own-thing religion. If you were brought up in a certain faith, I would earnestly ask you to "wipe the slate clean" and start over. Most denominations teach a "faith-only" salvation, which is false to its core.
I'm not saying that the Church of Christ is the "only one going to heaven." They've got their own problems. But they teach the bible truer than most, and I've been a member of most denominations. They don't teach creeds or other man-made traditions, just the bible. Each congregation is autonomous--they don't submit annual reports to some Mother Church.
Grab onto Christ before its too late. Many think that they have to clean up their act before they can get saved. The Thief on the Cross didn't clean up his act. As a sinner, you'll never be right before God; you stand condemned until the blood of Jesus removes the sin.
Look! Now is the acceptable time. Look! Now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
