Salvation is arguably the greatest gift to mankind. To be saved, a person have to believe and accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. Most people accept Jesus through a sincere prayer that asks Jesus for forgiveness of sins and accepting Jesus as personal Lord and Savior.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation is a gift of God. It is our choice whether to accept Jesus or not.
All have sinned
All people have sinned (Romans 3:23). One sin is enough to break the whole law. After all, a person becomes a criminal by committing even only one crime.
Similarly, one sin is enough to become a sinner.
Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:7-8
Even liars are mentioned on this verse. Everyone that lived on Earth, except Jesus, have sinned and was destined to the lake of fire.
God hates sin because He is holy. God hates sin because it is the very antithesis of His nature. (Source)
For example, a good policeman arrests criminals. It is the duty of a policeman to arrest a criminal. Similarly, Jesus hates sin since He is holy.
Why do Jesus do not Save Everyone
Jesus gives us the choice whether to accept Him or not. Jesus would love anyone to be saved. Since He loves us, He gave us the choice.
Jesus is the Only Way (Salvation through Faith)
The bible has been very clear that Jesus is the only way. Jesus is the only one that lived on Earth that do not commit a single sin. More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born as a baby on Bethlehem and lived on Earth for about 30 years.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Religion, good works, and following traditions are not enough to be saved. Instead, Jesus is more than enough to be saved and be with the Father on eternity.
On the old testament, Israelites were commanded to offer a lamb without defect as a burnt offering. According to Numbers 28:3, “Say to them: ‘This is the food offering you are to present to the Lord: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day.”
You might often hear that “Jesus is the lamb of God”. The old testament traditions have foreshadowed the coming of Jesus. Jesus, having committed no sin, has no blemish and clean in the sight of God. Jesus was crucified on the cross.
Good Works is not enough to be Saved
Most of us may think that enough number of good works might result to salvation. However, good works is not enough. Jesus is the only way to the Father.
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
Isaiah 64:6
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Although good works is not the way to be saved, good works is a reflection of Jesus Christ in our lives. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, He sends us the holy spirit to guide us while we still live on Earth.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Living Life in Jesus
Matthew 18:21-35 highlights the parable of an unforgiving debtor when Peter asked Jesus how often should we forgive someone that committed something against us.
On the parable, a servant owes its master a few million dollars. Since the servant can’t pay, he pleaded to his master for forgiveness of his debt. The master took pity and forgave his debt of millions of dollars.
After that, another servant owed him a few thousand dollars. The other servant pleaded him but he did not forgive the another servant’s debt of a few thousand dollars. Instead, he put him to prison.
The master eventually knew about what happened and upset since. So, the master sent him to prison to be tortured.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Since Jesus forgave our sins which we cannot pay, the least we can do is follow Him and dedicate our lives to Him.
Can we still sin after being Saved?
Committing sin is almost inevitable since we still live on our human body. After being saved, sinning should no longer be our identity. When we read the bible everyday (even for only 10 minutes each day) and seek God in prayer, God will transform us. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Sinning willfully may be a sign that we are not in Jesus. If this is the case, pray and ask Jesus for forgiveness of your sins and ask Jesus to help you grow in your relationship with Him.
Read the Bible, Pray, and Join a Church
Bible is the word of God. The bible has been around for more than 2,000 years and translated to hundreds or thousands of languages. Reading at least 5-10 minutes a couple of chapters a day will help us deepen our relationship with God. I recommend starting with the first 4 books in New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The four books talk about the sermons of Jesus and His journey while He was on Earth more than 2,000 years ago. Each one of these books can be finished by reading about 10-15 minutes a day for around 20 days.
The old testament (first 39 books of the bible) includes the creation of Earth until the coming of Jesus. Also, the coming of Jesus was prophesized on the old testament. The new testament highlights the fulfilment of the prophesy when Jesus came to Earth. Moreover, salvation is now available to everyone after Jesus died on the cross.
We are one body in Christ. Each part of body has its own function. Pray and ask Jesus for a church so you can have a community to deepen relationship with Jesus as we live on Earth.