Message of Salvation
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I wrote this teaching for both those who would like to understand the message of salvation and are considering accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior, as well as those who would like to more effectively share their faith with others.
Why must I be born again (saved)?
John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is spiritual death, which is separation from God:
Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Being spiritually dead means that you are separated from God. If you die in this state, you will find yourself in eternal hell:
Revelations 20:15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
Now for the good news...
What does it mean to be saved?
When you are saved, you are as they say, born again! You are considered a new creation:
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
You are adopted or born into the family of God... a royal family!
1 John 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."
Your sins are removed from you and canceled from your account... in other words, you are FORGIVEN!
Micah 7:19, "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
Once your sins are forgiven, you are en-clothed with the righteousness of God by faith in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:22, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..."
You are seated with Christ in authority over all powers of the devil:
Ephesians 2:6, "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
This means that you, as a believer in Christ, will be capable of casting out demons and healing sickness and disease (because you now have authority over sickness and disease, as well as all powers of the enemy). This authority is exercised through faith, so it is also important to cultivate and build your faith in order to fully take advantage of this benefit.
Mark 16:15-18, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Yes, that means that you, as a believer in Christ, can go fourth and cast out demons and heal the sick... why? Because you have been given authority over sickness, disease and over all powers of the devil! Now don't get me wrong, the more you understand about the ministry of deliverance and healing, the more effective you will be at ministering to others in those areas, but as for the authority needed to cast out demons and heal the sick... that belongs to you naturally as a child of God.
What must I do to be saved?
Although we cannot pay for our sins, Jesus' shed blood is more than enough! Jesus truly did stand in the gap for us when He went to the cross. In the Old Testament (before Jesus came), they would sacrifice animals to cover their sins, but now that Jesus paid the price we no longer need to preform sacrifices. In the Old Testament, we could only cover our sins with the blood of animals, but the blood of Jesus actually removes our sin... it erases it from our account all together!
Hebrews 10:4, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."
John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
The blood of Christ actually takes sin away, so much so, that God Himself chose not to remember our failures!
Hebrews 10:17, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
The blood of Christ was shed for our sins, and through faith in the work which was done for us, we can be freely justified... that is, made right with God:
Romans 3:24-26, "Being justified (Greek word dikaioo) freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
Notice that the word justified in the above verse takes us back to the Greek word dikaioo, which means, "to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent." That means that you are made innocent... as if you've never sinned! That's how clean that you can be through faith in the work that Jesus did for us on the cross.
Your first step is to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God, who came to earth (living in a human body), was crucified and died for your sins, and then rose again on the 3rd day.
John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Acts 16:30-31, "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Second, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ (affirm your belief verbally). This is usually what we refer to as the sinner's prayer.
Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
An example of the sinner's prayer would be, "Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the son of God and that you came to earth and died for my sins and rose again on the 3rd day. I confess that I am a sinner and in need of your salvation. I come to you now and ask that you will come into my life, be my Lord and savior, and forgive me of my sins. In Jesus' name, amen!"
The Bible also speaks of water baptism, and I believe that all believers should be baptized. This is symbolic of being washed from the darkness of your past, putting away the old you and being raised to new life in Christ Jesus:
Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Not by works, but by faith in Jesus
It is important to know that we are not saved by our works, but by faith in Christ Jesus and the work that He did for us:
Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
Our sins are paid for by the Blood of Jesus and nothing less will do:
Matthew 26:28, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Do not try to 'earn' your salvation or forgiveness of sins... you must realize that it is by faith in Christ that saves you, not your works! Good works should follow naturally as you grow in your relationship with God (after all, we will become more like Him as we grow spiritually), but that by no means will justify you of past sins.
Does God really forgive sins freely?
Yes! There are a couple accounts in the Bible I would like to point out:
Luke 7:47-50, "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."
Another great story is when Jesus was on the cross and the man next to him (a murderer) basically asked Jesus to remember him when He enters his kingdom:
Luke 23:42-43, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Did either of those people work to earn their forgiveness? No!
Jesus loves you even before you accept Him
Even before we accept Jesus, He loves us... but that doesn't mean that we are saved, until we accept His son, and believe in the work that He did for us on the cross!
Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Will God forgive or accept me?
Yes, providing that you will come unto Him! Jesus told us clearly that He will by no means turn down anybody who turns to Him in repentance:
John 6:37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
God tells us clearly that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us of ALL unrighteousness -- meaning, anything you've done wrong that you can take before the Lord, you can receive forgiveness for!
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
You are a three-fold being
You are a three-fold person. You are a spirit who lives in a physical body and possesses a soul (mind, will and emotions). The moment you accept Jesus, your spirit is reborn and made new (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), but what is not made new is your soul (mind, will and emotions) and your body (physical). These two things can carry corruption over from your past life, and should be renewed and transformed as you grow and cultivate your new relationship with God.
The Bible tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, which is by the washing of the Word of God. Spending time in God's Word on a daily bases is like washing yourself spiritually. It will change the way you think, build your faith, and help you grow.
Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Ephesians 5:25-27, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
There are also times when you may require deliverance ministry to get rid of any unclean spirits that have attached themselves to your soul or body. If you are being tormented, depressed, fearful, or have bondages of any kind, then I encourage you to seek deliverance from those things.
One of the common reasons why so many Christians today are defeated and powerless in the kingdom is because they neglect the transforming of their soul and body through the renewing of their mind, the tearing down of strongholds and seeking proper deliverance ministry.
Not only were our bondages (infirmities) paid for by the work of Christ, but also our physical healing. Therefore, I encourage you to seek physical healing from your sicknesses or diseases! Here are a couple teachings on this site that you may want to read concerning divine healing:
- Divine healing according to God's Word
- Is it God's will to heal me?
What do I do now that I'm saved?
After being born again, it is important to cultivate your new relationship with Christ Jesus. You do this by spending time in God's Word on a daily bases. I recommend starting out in the book of John in the New Testament. As you meditate (that is to dwell upon) God's Word, it will begin to change the way you think. Your mind will be renewed and transformed and strongholds (old thinking patterns) begin to come down... this is vital to your spiritual freedom and wholeness!
Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Ephesians 5:25-27, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
A great book that I recommend every believer get their hands on, is Blessed Beyond Measure by Gloria Copeland. It paints a very true and accurate picture of God, and as the Bible says, we must be well aware of the love of God in order to experience His fullness:
Ephesians 3:17-19, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."
Finally, seek to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is beyond the gift of salvation, and an extremely powerful gift that God wants to give each believer. I have an entire teaching on this subject entitled The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
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