Faith in God - Steps to salvation

Perhaps the most overwhelming part of the salvation experience can be framed by the words of Romans, Chapter 5, verse number 8: “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Take a moment to fully comprehend what this verse says. This is a phenomenal example of unquestioned trust that the creator of all has offered to us. He proceeded to finalize his part without the benefit of knowing for sure what your choice would be, right? No, of course not, God knows already what your choice will be.

But really, think about the implications of what this verse means. God’s son, Christ died for you over 2,000 years ago, before you were even a twinkle in your mother’s eye. Would you do that for someone you did not know? Could you sacrifice your child for another? I think I would find that a supremely hard sacrifice.

Do not think the pious person exiting your local church is any better today or was any better before they were saved than you. Romans Chapter 3, verse 23  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Notice that unambiguous three letter word that is the key to the sentence, all. That means everyone in the world, the murderers, the lairs, adulterers, idol worshipers (No not American Idol worshippers, although that could be an issue), those who lust, those who covet and anyone else who is mortal.

Romans chapter 3, verse 10 says “As it is written There is none righteous, no not one:” This tells us that there is no one exempt from the need of salvation. There is no alternate method to an eternal place in heaven with the creator of this earth. No one is good enough or can do enough good to qualify. It is only by admitting your sin, believing God can save you and asking him to enter your heart can you make this real.

When you are saved you are washed in Christ’s blood, which is the most powerful stain remover in history. Every sin is magically erased from you and you are pure as the winter snow in Christ’s eyes. You will not find a better reclamation offer anywhere, in print or from the mouth of another. God does not remember your sin after you are saved because his son took the burden from you over 2,000 years ago.

So why would God choose not to save you? Is it because of something you feel you have done contrary to God’s direction in the bible? What about King David? He lied, lusted and murdered, which means he violated three of God’s Ten Commandments. How about Moses, he also killed a man, but both of these names are heralded as some of the saints of the Old Testament.

Paul was also regarded as the 13^th apostle, but in his early career he persecuted Christians for following Christ. He also committed the sin of murder, yet God turned his life around and used him for great things in the Kingdom. How great is the display of love that was awarded Paul as he was presented an opportunity to overcome his tragic days as an enemy of Christ to become of the faith’s greatest champions!

I know some people who say they cannot be saved until they clean up their life. They know what is unacceptable, whether they choose to compare to their own standards, ones leftover from their parents instructions growing up or maybe even lessons taught to them in Sunday school as children. This is a very daunting task as years of habit doing these things are hard to change simply by trying without any aid. God will supply you with the strength and resolve to change whatever in your life is weighing you down.

God forgives many horrible things that men cannot. God will forgive the murderers, just as he did David, Moses and Paul. He will not choose to hold you accountable for past sins when you come to him humbly and offer to lay down your life to follow him. There is no human act that will stand in the way of the Creator when it comes time for you to receive salvation from your sins.

John 3:16 (KJV) says this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Notice there are absolutely no qualifiers within these twenty six words having to do with mortal failings that exclude anyone from the benefit. There is no fine print, no asterisk that points you to tiny paragraphs with exceptions or minimum efforts. The only requirement to make this offer valid is that you have to commit to follow Christ for the balance of your life.

In this day of commitment phobia this can seem like a herculean amount of effort. Take it from me, it is not. On the other side you will count this as one of the easiest and immediately best decisions you ever made. The change in your life will be so inspiring you will chastise yourself for delaying this life change so long. Tell me, how long has it been since you chastised yourself.

Romans Chapter 10, verse 13 repeats a similar instruction to the verse from John, telling us “For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  There are no special qualifications in either of these verses except that you must ask for this to be done. God gave us free will, which means we are free to live with him forever in heaven or free to choose to spend eternity in hell. Many people declare hell is not real and present that as their reason for not accepting Christ into their life. I am sure there is a hell and even if I weren’t I would not like to take the chance I was incorrect.

To put this in words most people will readily accept I should tell you what’s in it for you, right? Well, Romans 6:23 puts it pretty plainly I expect. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Did you catch the meaning of those words? You can remain tangled in sin only to die a mortal death and miss out on heaven or you can accept the greatest gift of all and live eternally in heaven with Christ.

It is amazingly simple, but people want to try to complicate this issue with special conditions or exclusions. They attempt to rationalize their sins by comparing them and saying one is less offensive than another. A sin is a sin, there is no degree of sin. Only by doing what is described above can you ever hope to enjoy the promise made through the Christian bible of everlasting life. Why would you not want to know more about this wonderful promise?

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