Christian wallpaper background stylized cross (Photo credit: † David Gunter)
How do I obtain salvation and go to heaven? Who is Jesus? Why do I need a Savior at all?
The Good News:
- God loves each and every one of us SO much, that He sacrificed everything in order to save us!
- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” John 3:16
The Roadblock:
- God is perfect and holy and we are not. We may be “good people”, but all of us have done something less-than-perfect or wrong in our lives. This is what we call “sin”, which is a roadblock to being in the presence of the Lord.
- Because sin is imperfect, it separated us from God’s Holiness, even though He loves us. Because God is fair (He has to be a fair judge or He wouldn’t be perfect), some type of price had to be paid for that sin in order for us to come into His presence.
- “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
The Great News
- Jesus is the son of God. He lived a life with no sin and then died on the cross to pay that penalty for our sins. Even while we were still sinners.
- God sent His son, Jesus to come to the earth to pay the price/penalty for our sins. The price for sin is death – eternal separation from God. But because Jesus paid that price, if we accept His gift of salvation, we can spend eternity with the Lord. It’s a free gift!
- “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
- Jesus rose from the dead and now lives in heaven with His Father. If we accept him as our Lord and Savior, we will reside for all eternity in heaven.
- “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:6
The BEST News
- You get to make the choice. You can ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and invite Him to come into your life to be the center of it….to be your Lord and your Savior. God didn’t create us as robots. He wants us to come to Him as His child…He is our Father. But He gives us the choice.
- “For what will profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36,37
- If you are saved through Jesus, you are now “born again.” You are then considered a new creation. Your sins are removed from you and you are forgiven!
- “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Special Delivery
- If you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that He came to die for your sins, that He rose again on the 3rd day, and you truly wish to repent from those sins…..that is, to turn the other direction and turn towards Jesus, you can ask Him to come into your heart and your life and be Your Savior.
- This does not mean you will never again sin in your life. But it does mean a true desire to turn from it and realize that only Jesus can cover all of our sins.
- It is very important to know that you are not saved by your works, but by faith in Christ Jesus and what He did for us. Good works should follow as you grow closer in your relationship with God, but that is not what justifies you of your sins. Only Jesus’ sacrifice can do that!
- If you wish to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, please use the following prayer as a guide. But remember to say it within your own heart and in your own words.
“Lord Jesus, I truly believe with all my heart that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross for me and rose again on the 3rd day. I believe that the sacrifice you made covers my sin. I know I cannot earn my way to heaven and that only You can give me eternal life. I am so thankful for what you did for me – for dying on the cross for my sin. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life with you. I ask you to be the Lord of my life, to be my Savior. I want to serve You always. In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.”
If you just said this prayer from your heart, I welcome you to the family of God! May the Lord bless you and keep you as you continue to grow in your relationship with Him.
The Preying Hands (Photo credit: Resident on Earth)
What’s Next?
- Start developing and growing in your relationship with Jesus now. Spend time with Him in God’s Word (the Bible) daily. I highly recommend the New King James Version. The book of John in the New Testament is a wonderful place to start! Spend time in prayer with Him….just talk to Him like you would a Father, or a best friend. That personal relationship is what God so desires from us, His children. You will find yourself starting to change your way of thinking. Find a good bible-teaching evangelical church. It will become very important for you to surround yourself with other Christians too who can support you and help you as you grow. The best thing we can do once we are born again, is to start seeking that personal time with our Lord. He will guide us and lead us…He will protect us and support us. Most of all, He will continue to love us and give us the love we need to share His gospel and this great news with others!
Hand of God (Photo credit: RiverRatt3
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!….Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like HIm, for we shall see Him as HE is. And everyone who has this hope in HIm purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3
Eyes Wide Open 
Love it when I come accross someone sharing the gospel in a way that is clear, concise and most of all true! Thanks. I hope many people find their way to Him through you.
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ONE WAY —- JESUS BY STEVE FINNELL
The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to heaven, the only way to have sins forgiven, the only way to be reconciled to God. Why do so many so-called Christian preachers deny this as the truth?
T.D. Jakes
Question to T. D. Jakes: “Do you feel only Christians could hope to enter Heaven?”
Answer: “When it comes to Heaven, I try to leave that up to God. I certainly believe that Christianity is right, but when it comes to the final test–who goes and who doesn’t go — Jesus said, Other sheep have I who are not of this fold. Them also must I bring. I’ll let Him identify who those sheep are and I stay out of the conversation.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him,”I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus says He is the only way to Heaven. Preacher Jakes say he has no idea if that is correct. He cannot say for sure if Jesus is the only way to Heaven. How can a preacher of the gospel not know what Jesus said concerning who is going to Heaven?
Who are the other sheep? (John 10:1-16) The sheep Jesus was talking about were the Jews who were believing and confessing that He was the Son of God. The other sheep are all Gentiles who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
The sheep of Jesus (Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.) The sheep of Jesus are all who accept Him as the Son of God, Lord and Savior. All converted Jews and Gentiles are the sheep of Jesus.
Joel Osteen
Larry King question: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?
Joel Osteen: You know I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know…
Larry King: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong aren’t they?
Joel Osteen: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know about their religions. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to a relationship with Jesus.
John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus said those who do not believe have already been judged. Joel Osteen says He doesn’t know if non-believers will go to heaven or not. Joel says he does not know if they wrong in their unbelief.
Billy Graham
Robert Schuller: Tell me, what do you think is the future of Christianity?
Billy Graham: well, Christianity and being a true believer–you know, I think there’s the Body of Christ. This comes from all the Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the Body of Christ…I think James answered that, the Apostle James in the first council in Jerusalem, when he said that God’s purpose for this age is to call out people for His name. And that’s what God is doing today, He’s calling people out of the world for His name, whether they they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they’ve been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they’re going to be with us in heaven.”
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him”
The Apostle John said that the that wrath of God abides in those who do not believe in Jesus and who do not obey Him. Billy Graham disagrees. Who are you going to trust?
You will notice that preachers who deny that Jesus is the only way to heaven say. “I do not know if Jesus is the only way, but I think I know more of the truth than God.”
John 8:24 ‘Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Jesus said men will die in theirs if they do not confess Him. Some preachers say, I don’t think so.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
A question remains, did those who proclaimed that Jesus is not the only way to heaven stop believing Jesus was the only way, first or did they declare that water baptism was not essential to be saved, first?
The gospel should be based on what the Bible teaches, what Jesus said, what the apostles taught. The gospel of what MEN think is no gospel at all!
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IRRATIONAL CONJECTURE BY STEVE FINNELL
When men result to irrational conjecture to form a doctrinal position about salvation; then salvation is at risk.
Faith only advocates have reached the conclusion that water baptism is not essential to salvation based on their interpretation of Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (NKJV)
They reason that since Jesus did not say who is not baptized will be condemned that water baptism is not essential in order to be saved. That is prime example of irrational conjecture.
Romans 10:9 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. (NKJV)
If you take the irrational reasoning used for Mark 16:16 and apply to Romans 10:9 you would reach this conclusion. Since it does not say those who do not confess and those who do not believe will be condemned; then confession and belief are not essential in order to be saved.
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