Knowing Salvation & God
I
want to know more about God
The Bible is very clear: we
were created by Almighty God to know Him and to enjoy Him forever! But for us
to enter into an intimate, personal relationship with God, we first must
understand our dire need for salvation, how God provides salvation, how we can
receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.
The first step to
knowing God is admitting your need for salvation. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God." We have all sinned. We have all done things that are
displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent. Romans
3:10-18 gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our
lives.
The second step to
knowing God is understanding the consequences of your
sin. Romans 6:23,
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned
for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!
The third step to knowing God is believing that
Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins.Picking
up where Romans 6:23 left
off, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." Romans 5:8 declares,
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ died for you! Jesus
died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal spiritual death.
Jesus' resurrection from the dead is evidence that God accepted Jesus' death as
the payment for our sins.
The fourth step to knowing God is receiving
salvation through faith in Jesus. Romans 10:9, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus
as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved." Romans 10:13 says
it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved." Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone
who places their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The final step to knowing God is enjoying the
results of salvation. Romans 5:1 has
this wonderful message, "Therefore, since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Through
Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore, there is
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus'
death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have
this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39,
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Where are you? Would
you like to receive salvation through faith in Jesus?
Here is a simple prayer you can
pray. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on
Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation. The words themselves will not save
you. Only faith in Christ can provide salvation! "God, I know that
I am guilty of sin and need a Savior. Thank you that your son, Jesus Christ,
willingly took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I can
be forgiven. With your help, I place my hope and trust in You alone. I receive
Your amazing grace and forgiveness - the free gift of eternal life! Please come
into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Amen!"