There are over 2 billion people in this world who claim to be a Christian, but not all of them are born again spiritually. There are many denominations and different doctrines that separate Christianity into several different groups, but there are really only 2 main ideas that all Christians are divided over. There are those who believe that salvation is given by God's grace through our faith in what Jesus did when he died and rose again. And then there is those who believe that we must do good works inorder to earn our way into heaven when we die.
I am a saved born again believer in Jesus Christ and I have become an Independent Fundemental Baptist after 43 years of being ignorant of my sinful nature. My goal in writing this post is not to convert the reader to becoming an Independent Fundemental Baptist, but to get the reader to understand the gift of eternal life that is available to everyone who puts 100% of their trust into what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross, was buried then resurrected 3 days later.
I believe the Bible is the Word of God, and I believe that He preserved His Word for all english speaking people with the 1611 King James Version, and any attempt to revise it only weakens it's power.
There are four main concepts we must understand inorder to recieve salvation:
The first concept is that we are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 states, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
And Romans 3:10 says, "as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one."
Nobody is good enough to earn their way to heaven, everyone is a sinner and deserves to go to hell. In Romans 5:12 we see why we all have this sin nature, "wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned." Because Adam first sinned, he brought death into our existence, before sin there was no death.
That brings me to the second concept, there is a punishment for sin. The first part of Romans 6:23 says, "for the wages of sin is death,.."
We are all destined to die physically, but there is also a second death spiritually, that many people will also suffer.
Revelation 20:14, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
Revelation 21:8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
God's Word is very clear about where people will end up if they fail to believe the truth He has given us.
The third concept we must understand is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Gospel means good news, and after hearing about our sinful nature and the everlasting punishment for it, the good news is that God doesn't want anyone to perish, and he has provided a way out.
Romans 5:8 says, "but God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
Romans 6:23 says, "for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord."
Eternal life is a gift, given to you by the grace of God once you put your faith in Jesus Christ.
A gift is not something you earn, and it is not something that the giver can take away. If God could take away his gift of eternal life from you, then that would make God a liar, because it wouldn't have been a gift, nor would it have been eternal. There are many things God can do, but one thing he cannot do is lie.
There are many Bible verses that prove salvation is by grace through faith alone, here are a few more;
John 3:16 "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."
John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
The forth and final step to being saved is to call upon Jesus and ask Him to save you.
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."
Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
If you trust God's Word, and you want to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus, then pray this simple sinners prayer right now, and receive God's gracious gift of eternal life.
"DEAR JESUS, I KNOW THAT I AM A SINNER. AND I KNOW THAT I DESERVE TO GO TO HELL FOR MY SINS, BUT I BELIEVE THAT YOU DIED ON THE CROSS FOR ME, AND YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS COVERS MY SINFUL NATURE, PLEASE SAVE ME RIGHT NOW LORD, AND GIVE ME ETERNAL LIFE WITH YOU IN HEAVEN. I AM ONLY TRUSTING IN YOU JESUS, AMEN!"
If you prayed that prayer or something similar to it, and you truly meant the words that came out of your mouth, then you are saved from the lake of fire, and you are born again spiritually. Now you must grow as a Christian and walk with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you. My suggestion to all new believers is to first get a King James Bible and read it daily. Starting in the Book of John helps to better understand your salvation and the sacrifice Jesus made for us. And the second step to growing as a Christian is finding a good church to belong to. This can be extremely hard to do these days since there are many false prophets and phony preachers who pray on good people who just want to know God's Word. Look for churches online whose doctrinal statements about salvation is by grace through faith alone, and that will narrow your search quite a bit. Also, a church that only preaches from the 1611 King Jame Bible is a must.
Ephesians 6:24, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."