Plan of Salvation
There is a mistake that a personal relationship with God is something only holier than thou theologians with PhD degrees, Telly - evangelists with three piece suits or clerical robes and collars, and can comprehend. When actually, God's plan of salvation is so simple everyone can understand it, and needs it.
Salvation is the free gift of eternal life God has prepared for you and me through Jesus Christ. It is given to whoever will recognise and admit their sinful condition, see their spiritual need, repent that means turn away from their sins, confess Jesus Christ as Lord and make Him Lord of their lives. Look what the Bible clearly states:
(A): "All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God" Romans 3:23; "The wages of sin is death (hell)" Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:14
(B): "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved" Acts 16:3
(C): "...Confess with thy mouth the Lord, Jesus and BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised HIM from the dead, thou shalt be saved" Romans 10:9
(D): God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8
(E): "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever surely believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. For God came not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God"; John 3:16-18
(F): 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 2:8-9
What is the result of sin? In Romans 6:23 we read "The wages of sin is death..." Every one of us has missed God's mark. Every one of us falls short of being perfect. We are getting only what we deserve, and we are bringing judgment upon ourselves because we have turned our backs on God and sinned.
One thing we need to remember is that neither God nor any material possession, wealth, musical taste, political party affiliation, clothing, etc sends us to hell. We send ourselves there by rejecting His truth.
We do not deserve the gift of salvation. We were still sinners when Jesus died on the cross and took upon Himself the sins of the world, and we still are sinners. Everyone that has ever lived, except Jesus, has sinned, this is a fact, no one is sinless God tells us in His Word. But, God loves us so much, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to enter into and die in this world of sin.
We cannot earn salvation by merit of our good works or religion, for the Bible says that salvation come by grace alone. Since we can never measure up to God's standards of holiness on our own, God has reached out to man. We cannot solve the problem of sin, or pay for them here on Earth through pennance or some religious rite or good work, but God, who is perfect, can and has. He has become a bridge for us. John 3:16-17 states "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.." In Romans 5:8 we read, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
If a person acknowledges they are a sinner, and he believes in the promise that Christ is the solution, they are at a crossroads. Either the person must reject God's solution and accept the consequences, or they must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
What must a person do to accept this gift? Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28-30 states "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. His invitation is clear. We must come to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.
The confusing darkened roads of Religion, Communisim, Marxism, Good works in the vain hope of earning merit with God, Islam, Buddhism, Confucinism, Shintoism, Yoga, Karmic regeneration, Humanism, Odinism, Paganism, Mythriasim, Vishnu, Gaia, Zoroasterianism, L.Ron Hubbard's Scientology and Dianetics, Rev. Moon's Unification church, Hare Krisna's, Ufo's and Flying Saucers, Joseph Smith and Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower, obeying The Pope and Catholocism, Mary worship, Mythological characters, Psychics, Spiritualists, Reincarnation, Taoism, Trancendental Meditation, Mystics, Fortune tellers, Gnostics, Atheiesm, Unitarianism, Universalism, Agnosticism, the false and unscientific philosophy of evolutionism, Claiming you belong to the "one True Church" (any church that says that is a cult), Wicca and Witchcraft, Hedonism, Material wealth, Postmodernism, or what other false gods you may serve will never take your sins away or lead to eternal life in Jesus Christ via the straight and narrow road. They are human ideas from humankind's corrupt and darkened thinking inspired by the prince of darkness, satan himself who wants to draw people away from God and straight into the pit of hell
All that remains is your response. If you have never asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life, why not open the door now? You really have nothing to lose, except your Worries, Fears, Sins and Guilt. Jesus says that he is standing at the door of your heart right now, knocking to be allowed in. If YOU will open the door to Him, He will come in, (Revelation 3:20). Because Jesus Christ has already paid the price for our sins, all we have to do is admit personal responsibility for sin and be truly sorry for it, confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. Then follow Him in a personal growing relationship daily as He leads and guides us by the Holy Spirit and His Word, the Bible.
Are you ready to receive this free gift God has made possible for us? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? are you truly sorry for your sin? If you are sincere about this, and you are ready to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, Please say this prayer out loud as follows:
Dear Lord Jesus Christ: Have mercy on me, a sinner, I confess my sins. I am not proud of them, but I acknowledge them as sin. I thank You for dying once for all and arising from the dead for me. I am a person in need of forgiveness. I ask You to forgive me and cleanse me from my unrighteousness. Make me the person You want me to be, the person You have purposed me to be from the beginning of time. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. Lord Jesus, I accept you as my personal Savior. Thank You for saving every personal area of struggle in my life. I rejoice that Your blood cleanses me from my sins, and I am filled with the strength of Your Holy Spirit. I dedicate my life to You and vow to live everyday according to Your Word. Thank You for giving me a second chance. As your Spirit and Word reign in my life, I rise up above the past, I rise up above my dilemmas, and I rise up to serve You the rest of my life, in Jesus mighty name. AMEN
If you just prayed that prayer and really meant it, Jesus Christ has now taken residence in your heart! Not only that, but he has forgiven you of all your sin. The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)
God also promises, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12). Your decision to receive Christ also means that you are now going to Heaven one day. That's a lot to be thankful for! You need to take some practical steps to grow strong spiritually: get a good Bible, read the Bible, pray, and go to a good Bible believing and following church. Please let someone who is a Christian know about your decision to accept Jesus as your personal Saviour. I encourage you to obtain a Bible, and read it (God's holy word) everyday!. Repent, turn away from sin! Pray to Jesus everyday. Find a Bible believing, teaching, and preaching church, and get involved with the activities, meet the people, find a close friend in that church that can hold you accountable for the actions in your life, support that church through your tithes / offerings, prayer, and fellowship with the believers. If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited. You need to take the initiative; call to a church where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend church regularly.
NOTE: If you decide not to become a Christian at this time, I politely ask you to please reconsider giving your life to Jesus and surrender to God. If you still decide not to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior at this time, I pray that one day you will decide to experience salvation in Christ and come to a walk with Jesus.