How Can I Be Saved?
waynesborochapel January 9th, 2008
You want to know where is God right now? You want to know God personally? You want to be saved? You find yourself in a rough spot and you wound up here through a link or a search engine? Maybe you’re part of the religious group but you just have some questions? I don’t know your story but you’re here.
Take a look around at this world we’re in and right away you know that although there’s a lot of pluses, it’s not a good place at all. People might say it’s getting better but you and I both know it’s not. There are wars happening on different corners of the globe, people dying from hunger all over the world, oppression by tyrants in other locales and massive destruction from natural events. Even if people pretend that it’s getting better, the world itself knows that it’s not. While the things we do are getting better, the stuff going on all around isn’t. (Rom 8:22)
All of this has its root in sin. Sin isn’t some mythical notion made up by religion—your own conscience tells you that (Rom 2:14-15). Thing is, sin isn’t just the bad things that happen.
We, and everything around us, was made by God. He’s the Master of Everything. He is in Charge. Yet, we don’t want him in charge. We don’t want Him as the Master of Everything. We would rather be in that position (Genesis 3, Romans 1)
The Bible’s definition of sin isn’t simply people being naughty or something to laugh at; it tells us that it is the direct opposition to God.
He’s perfect;we’re not. He’s good; we repeatedly do wrong. He’s in Charge; we refuse His Kingship. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). And it’s not that we’re not perfect; it’s that we go completely the other way constantly. Sin isn’t only imperfection—it’s everything bad that we think, that we say and that we do—and we know it (Rom 3:19)! Sin isn’t only being bad; it’s thinking that we’re the Ultimate End of Our Lives: it’s the removing of God’s authority, it’s the making Ourselves Kings.
But we’re not God. We can’t even approach God.
Some people think that if they just keep a rule in their life, God must save them. Let’s take the 10 Commandments—the Bible says that if you break one commandment you’re worthy of death (Psa 89:31-32) . So let’s see: You shall not steal (Exo 20:15). Ever lie on your taxes? Honor your father and mother (Exo 20:12). Have you ever spoken back to them? Made fun of them? You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain (Exo 20:7)? Makes it worse when Jesus said that it’s not just keeping the law in your actions but in our thinking—ever get angry at someone (Matt 5:21-22)? God doesn’t want you to be okay—He wants you to be perfect (Matt 5:48) just like Him.
But, once again, we’re not God.We can’t be perfect. And the fact is if we want to be responsible for Ourselves, as if we were God, then the only one who is God has the complete right to judge us on that same scale. A court of our peer!
The wages of sin is death and that leaves all of us in a bad spot (Rom 6:23). Death isn’t just turning out the lights but it’s being completely separate from God (Matt 13:42-43).
Our biggest problem isn’t the catastrophes in the world, or the evil tyrants, or the wars: it’s God who is ready to judge.
But God, who alone has a right to do this, is patient and provided a way for people like you and me—sinners—to be near to Him and not wallowing in our condition. In His mercy, he doesn’t make us follow impossible rules but offers salvation as a complete gift. God, sent His Son, down to Earth to die in our place (Rom 5:15). He walked among men and showed men that He was the light or hope of the world and what men (like you and I) did was take Him and hang Him to a cross, killing Him (John 3:19-20). We didn’t believe Him and we killed Him as a liar and a criminal but God overruled that decision and resurrected Jesus from the grave and right now He’s in heaven sitting next to God the Father (Heb 8:1)
It’s a problem: we didn’t trust God and we currently don’t trust God to do what He says. God said that whoever believes on His Son will live—they will not be condemned (John 3:36).
What does it mean “to believe”? The Bible tells us that even the demons believe so it’s not just thinking in your head “I believe” or saying a prayer (James 2:19). It is taking a hard look at the sin in yourself and the fact that you don’t currently trust Him, turning around (Mark 1:15) and now putting your trust and hope on Him and what He has done on the cross.
What He did on the Cross was satisfy God’s rightful condemnation against unbelieving and rebellious sinners (Rom 3:25) so that He could save unbelieving sinners when they believe. He thought up this plan and implemented it when we were dead in our sins, when we couldn’t possibly conceive of something like this, when we had no power to even implement it (Rom 5:6; Eph 2:8, 9)
If we don’t believe, we’re doing the same thing that those people did who saw Him and rejected Him and pinned him to a tree. You can’t get away with the repeated rejection of God and What He Plans. This rejection of God, encapsulated in rejecting Jesus, is ultimately the reason that unbelieving sinners are going to hell (Rev 20:15). You can’t be in the presence of the Father and the Son if you rejected the Son—and you’re currently doing that if you’re relying on your own morals or rule of life to get by.
You know the Jewish leaders during Jesus’ day thought they were believers of God but they proved otherwise. They proved that they were seeking God after their own works and righteousness and not God’s own righteousness (Rom 10:3). Problem is that all our goodness and good works in light of God’s goodness are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). There are a bunch of people going to church today who say they believe God but they’re just doing their good works and giving money in the hopes that they get some points from God.
It doesn’t matter to God. What matters is that you yield to what He’s been saying, take this hard look at yourself, see your sin for what it is—disgusting and worthy of death—look that God has sent His Son to die in your place and ask yourself: “Do I really trust Jesus, the Son of God as my only hope for salvation?”
If you’re honest this moment you’ll realize that you don’t really trust Him and never have. He’s God: He’s the only one who can settle the account against Him and He promises to do this. He has promised that those who put their faith in Him, He will save, from future judgment, yes, but right this very moment you will be saved from the power of sin that’s holding you (John 3:16) and have immediate peace with God (Rom 5:1)—end of hostilities: He will no longer be against you in rightful judgment!
I offered you a lot of links that you could choose to click on and I quoted a lot of verses, but this is what God is outright saying to you right now:
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:8-13
If you believe right now, really trust that Jesus is the Son of God and that He has died in your place, then He is faithful and just to save you now and forever. You will never be lost—you are then a child of God. The very words are on your lips now…what will you do? Choose today who you will serve. Are you truly a believer in the Son of God and if not what are you going to do about it?
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