I had heard of “being saved,” “getting saved,” “don’t you wanna be saved?” most of my life. I assumed everyone knew what that meant. I remember once telling a friend, “My boyfriend got saved this weekend,” and I was thrown for a loop at the odd response I got in return. My friend looked at me like a puppy who had just been duped in a game of fetch. With his head cocked to the side, his eyebrows knitted together, and sincere confusion in his eyes he asked, “From what?”
Well hell and damnation, of course! From the wailing and gnashing of teeth! From the melt-your-face-off torment of burning flames and unbearable agony! From eternal separation from God! Doesn’t everyone know that?
Nope. Apparently not.
Maybe you want to know. Maybe you’re curious about God. Maybe you’ve been thinking of becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. Maybe you want to get saved. Another way to say this is to become born again. The Bible says you must be born again to enter heaven. Or one may say this is to become a Christian, a follower of Christ. Let’s talk about what it all means and how to go about it.
- God had a plan for salvation (a way for you to “get saved”, to be with Him forever) from the very beginning. John 3:16 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.
- God is no respecter of persons. That means Jesus died to give everyone a chance at eternal life with Him. He died for you, for your chance. Yes, you. But you have to choose Him and accept that wonderful gift, or you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
- Sin means transgression of the law, and the punishment for sin is death. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Who sins? We all do! Every single one of us. The only person to ever live on earth without one tiny bit of sin was Jesus. That’s what makes Him the perfect, blemish-free sacrifice. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Let’s pause here and connect the dots between “sin=death” and “sacrifice=payment.” In the Old Testament, the only thing that could make atonement for sin was a blood sacrifice. In other words, if someone sinned and the debt was death, the only payment that could be made to cover the cost of that sin was shed blood. When Adam and Eve first sinned, God sacrificed animals (shed blood) and made their clothing. When people sinned, they took blemish-free animals to the temple to offer as a sacrifice (shed blood) to atone for those sins.
God said, and I’m paraphrasing of course, “I’ll send the most precious sacrifice I have, my beloved Son, Jesus, to die on the cross. His shed blood will be an atonement for all sin forevermore. I’ll offer that up as a gift, available to EVERYONE. Now, let’s see who takes me up on accepting that gift.”
You with me so far? OK, let’s continue.
- The Bible can’t be any clearer that there is only ONE way to heaven and that is Jesus Christ. It’s right there in The Scarlet Letters. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The popular lie is, “There are many ways to get to heaven.” No Oprah, there aren’t. The Biblical truth is, there is only one way. I am sorry to burst the bubbles of those who think they are being peaceful and loving with, “Yeah, your way is good too. They’re all good.” As nice as that sounds, it’s simply not true according to what Jesus taught. And it’s not loving. Loving someone means you care whether they go to heaven or hell and you care enough to tell them the truth.
If you believe the Bible, you believe Jesus is the only way. If you want to accept this gift God offered to everyone, here’s how:
- Step 1: Choose Jesus. Acknowledge that He is Lord. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
- Step 2: Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior, and repent. Repent basically just means to change your mind about something, but in this case, it’s to change your mind about your sin. You don’t want it in your life anymore. It’s coming between you and freedom. Between you and sobriety. Between you and peace. Whatever your case may be, you acknowledge your sin and ask for forgiveness. You turn away from it. You give it up. You try your very best every day to overcome it and get it out of your life. When you mess up, you ask for forgiveness. That’s how it works. Repenting and asking for forgiveness is an ongoing thing. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Well, it gets easier as you grow to hate sin. Besides, it’s worth it, I promise! Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Acts 3:19 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;
You don’t have to say anything specific or go by a script, but you do need to pray from the heart. Pray with love for the Father’s mercy, with gratefulness of Jesus’s sacrifice, with sorrow for your sins, and with joy that you are becoming a child of God! Pray with all the emotions you are probably feeling right now! If you’ve never prayed a prayer in your life, just let it flow! Talk to God. That’s what prayer is.
Your prayer may sound something like this:
Father God, thank you for your mercy. I know that I am a sinner and the only way I can have eternal life in heaven with you is through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus, a perfect and sinless sacrifice, died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. He was buried, rose again, and is now reigning at Your right hand in heaven. I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me through the blood of Jesus and help me to live every day for You. In Jesus’s sweet and holy name I pray, Amen.
- Step 3: Just live for Him. Study the Bible. Follow through with baptism, which is the first opportunity for you to be obedient to God. If you don’t have anyone in your area who can baptize you, contact me, and I’ll see if I’ve got anyone in my network near you.
If you’re still skeptical and you want to think some more about this being saved, Jesus stuff, please think about it. Be sure you are fully ready. Some preachers will say, “Don’t wait another second!” While I agree you should choose Jesus as soon as possible, you have to be really sincere and mean it. Just saying the prayer without your heart being in it won’t save you. And if your heart is in it today and next month it’s not, that’s not what being saved means either. It’s choosing to live for Him from this moment on, seeking to grow closer to Him every day until you meet Him face-to-face.
You don’t have to know the Bible. You don’t have to know one praise song. You don’t have to be perfect. As long as you have a desire in your heart to follow Him, He will take you right now in your broken, dirty mess, and cover your sins with the blood of Jesus to wash you white as snow. He can restore you and make you whole. He can deliver you from the demons you’re fighting. There is power in His precious and mighty name, and if you call out to Him, He will save you. From what? Oh, so many, many things. Most notably, from spiritual death which is eternal separation from Him.
If you decided to become a Christian after reading this, I am SO happy for you! Would you please let me know? I would love to celebrate this joyous moment you’ve just experienced and pray for your journey as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Fully immersed in The Scarlet Letters.