BIBLICAL SALVATION
Offers a Relationship With God.
There are big questions that haunt all of us. What happens when I die? Where will I spend eternity? The single most important question that you will ever answer is this: "If I were to die today, would I spend eternity in Heaven with God?" Your relationship to Jesus Christ is central to the answer to that question.
A short film by Lancaster Baptist Church
FOUR FACTS LEADING TO SALVATION
We want to help you understand what God has written in the Bible concerning how you can be forgiven of your sin, have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and have a home in heaven. For any of this to make sense to you, you must first accept the following two truths by faith:
Truth #1 - There is one true God Who created you and all things.
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
Truth #2 - The Bible is God’s Word, and thus is 100% true from Genesis to Revelation.
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3) “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
These truths are important to believe because God gave the world the Bible to know Him and His plan for salvation! To understand how you can be forgiven of sin and how you can have a restored relationship with God, read the FOUR FACTS below:
FACT 1 - God created man in His image, sinless and perfect, for His pleasure.
God created man in His own image for His pleasure.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
When God created the first man Adam, He created and gave him a sinless soul to live forever, (to live means to exist in a conscious state with God).
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)
God and Adam walked in fellowship in a perfect garden created by God.
“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Genesis 2:8)
God placed Adam and Eve in this garden and commanded that they could eat of every tree except one.
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-1)
UNDERSTANDING FACT NUMBER ONE, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION: WHEN GOD CREATED ADAM, THE FIRST MAN, WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL CONDITION OF HIS SOUL?
FACT 2 - Adam disobeyed God, and sin entered his heart and the world.
Adam and Eve went against God’s command. They were deceived by Satan and took fruit from the forbidden tree.
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:1-6)
Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit and sinned against God. Man, from that point in history, was separated from God, and the world was cursed with sin. The Holy God of heaven cannot dismiss sin (sin is disobedience to God). He demanded separation from man and the world until the sin debt was paid. Since that time, all people have been separated from God, unable to reach God’s presence by their own way.
Sin was passed down from Adam to the whole world, which means we are born into sin, separated from God. At the point of conception, we take on a sinful nature, which means we are conceived and then born into sin, thereby inheriting a sin nature which is an enemy of God. We are sinners by birth and by choice. Not only are we sinners because of the sins we commit (doing or thinking anything that the Bible teaches against), we are sinners because of who we are, sinful by 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:”
(Romans 5:12)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)
Remember that in the beginning God created perfect (sinless) people to live forever in fellowship with Him. However, the Bible says that when Adam sinned, he was separated from God and began to die. Because of Adam’s original sin, we all sin, and the penalty (what we deserve) for our sin is eternity in hell, separated from God, (death means to be separated from God).
(Jesus Said) “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33)
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a)
Death does not mean you simply cease to exist without a consciousness of your existence. When you die you will either be separated from God in a place of eternal darkness and torment, or you will live in the presence of God forever.
(Jesus Said) “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18)
God created you and loves you! He sent Jesus Christ to be the sinless sacrifice to pay your sin penalty. Something had to cover your sinfulness so that you and anyone who believes can, upon death from this life, be in the presence of our HOLY Creator, GOD.
UNDERSTANDING FACT NUMBER TWO, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION: WHY ARE ALL PEOPLE BORN SINNERS, SEPARATED FROM GOD?
FACT 3 - God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, from heaven to earth to die on the cross to pay for the sin debt passed down from Adam.
God the Father sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to earth over two thousand years ago to pay for the sins of the world.
“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 3:16)
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
It is important for you to know that this eternal gift of salvation is a gift from God, paid for by the sinless blood and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus took your place and died.
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Colossians 1:13-14)
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
(1 Corinthians 15:3)
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)
Because Jesus is God, He conquered death and the grave, rising to life three days later.
“And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures!” (Corinthians 15:4)
Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection satisfied God's righteous demand for sin to be judged. This means you and all who believe can accept by faith what Jesus did and receive forgiveness of sins and have eternal life where you will spend eternity with God.
“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 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.” (Ephesians 2:7-9)
UNDERSTANDING FACT NUMBER THREE, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION: WHY DID JESUS CHRIST DIE ON THE CROSS SHEDDING HIS BLOOD AND THEN RISE FROM THE DEAD THREE DAYS LATER?
FACT 4 - Understanding that Jesus Christ died for your sins, you must repent of your sins, ask for forgiveness, and confess by faith that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.
“But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
(Acts 3:18-19)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. "
(Romans 10:9, 10)
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord ."
(Romans 10:13)
The Bible teaches that repentance is a change of heart and life regarding sin. It is a turning from our sinful ways and towards God. We repent because we have sinned against God and we want to be forgiven. When we repent, we are acknowledging our need for God's forgiveness and grace.
There is nothing you can do on your own to receive forgiveness of sin from God. The Bible is clear on this point of how to receive forgiveness of sin. You must believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Who died for your sin. Your forgiveness comes through Christ and Him alone.
To receive salvation and eternal life with God, pray, telling God you repent of your sin. Confess to Him that you are a sinner. Confess with your mouth that you accept and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. As you pray, believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead to give you forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Tell Jesus that you are trusting in His sacrifice so that you can be forgiven of your sin and have your relationship with God restored.
If you tell God the Father that you are sorry for your sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ for His sacrificial death on the cross and forgiveness of sin, you now have a new heart, a new life, and new mind in Christ Jesus; you are a Christian. God’s Spirit, at the moment of your confession and belief, came into you and made your soul alive in Christ. Because Christ defeated death by His resurrection, you now have a new life in Him. God the Father took your faith in Christ and granted you a new birth into the family of God.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
“But as many as received him (Jesus Christ), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
(John 1:12)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
(Romans 10:13)