Get Yourself Saved NOW !!!

This should take about 20 minutes to read – if not already saved, then this wil be the most important 20 minutes of your entire life.


We have reached the point in the book where you should have made a decision one way or the other as to what you believe.

You may still think that it is okay to graze on both sides of the fence and that you can rationalise some justification for your personal belief that keeps you happy and those around you happy. This, I’m afraid to have to tell you, is not the case.

On all other issues you may be able to answer that it is between you and God; and you would be correct. However, until you have had supernaturally removed, the very thing that is actually between you and God and thus separating you from God, you cannot be having a relationship with Him to know if something is okay with Him.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Isa: 59:2)

I shall not pussyfoot about . The consequences of doing so would be disastrous beyond words. As I have been doing throughout this book, I shall tell you the truth.

In this chapter I want you to completely understand your status before God if you have not already been saved by Him and until you are.

I want everyone to read this chapter whether you think you are saved already, whether you are not sure, or whether you know that you are not.

This should be an emotional chapter. If it is not, then I suggest you read it again and again until it is.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTER IN THE BOOK – BAR NONE !!! It may, apart from the Bible itself, be the most important thing you ever read.

————————————–

Even though I had called myself a Christian all my life, when I sat staring possible death in the face I still could not answer that most important of questions, even when it absolutely mattered:

“If you were to die this very day, what would actually happen to you?”

I truly did not know the answer and to me that was totally unacceptable !!!

I have since heard a lot of people answer that question. The most common answer, even from some “Christians” is “ Well I’ve tried to live a good life, so I hope I will be okay.”

I could not even rely on that hope for I knew absolutely that I hadn’t – AT ALL !!!

Other common answers are: “Well, God is Love, so we will be okay”, “I was baptised as a child (or) I was christened in a church” (This is NOT Salvation) “well who really knows?” or from the unbeliever “Ha, you only have one life, when you’re dead you’re dead !!!”.

Another way of putting it, seeing as I hope by now you have realised that this is all REAL and not a bunch of myths to be rationalised away by self-important men “vain in their imaginations” (Rom 1:21) and one that you will be able to answer with complete and utter confidence by the end of this book, maybe even this section, maybe even this chapter is…

“Do you think you will go to Heaven or to Hell when you die?”

Again, forever erring on the side of caution and blind hope, most people will immediately say “Heaven”. You will have some who will laugh and say “I think I am definitely going to Hell…” and some will even add “..and I’m looking forward to it” followed by a nervously skipped heartbeat, or not, depending on how hardened their heart has become.

The ones who joke about going to Hell, simply have no idea about what Hell is. A common misunderstanding is that the devil is in charge of Hell and that all the despicable and sinful ways in which we have occupied our time here on earth are allowed in Hell and so it might not be such a bad place to spend eternity.

This is simply not true. Let’s look at some simple, solid facts…

If there is a Hell, there is a Heaven and, for any passing Satanists out there, if there is a Satan, then there has to be a God; it is just totally illogical for there not to be.

If, as we have already shown, there is a God and it is the God of the Bible, then the Bible is true.

If the Bible is true and you read to the end… GOD WINS !!!

Therefore, who do you think is in charge of Hell?

It is not the devil.

In Revelation 20:10 we see that “…the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…..and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”

God is in charge of Hell !!!

Jesus Himself describes Hell throughout Scripture as a place where a person is “tormented in this flame” Luke 16:24; That they have been cast “into a furnace of fire” where “there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” Matt 13:42,50; That it is “everlasting fire” Matt 25:41; a “lake of fire and brimstone” and that the devil and all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:15) “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” Rev 20:10 and “the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day or night” Rev: 14:11

Does that sound like “not such a bad place to be” FOR ETERNITY? I think NOT !!!

Hell is a place of total and never ending torment and punishment, not some sinful amusement park where people are laughing and joking and doing all that they please for eternity, or even a moment.

Get real about Hell !!!

————————————–

So, let’s go back to our original questions “Do you think you will go to Heaven or to Hell when you die?” and “If you were to die this very day, what would actually happen to you?”

Commonly a short list of their own justifications for having led a “reasonably good life” follows; usually a totting up of righteous acts and intentions versus minor offences always resulting in the good column being longer than the bad column, thus, more good minus less bad, equals “I think I would go to Heaven.”

This is completely and utterly incorrect !!!

Now, as we have established, if the God of the Bible exists, then the Bible is His Word to us, therefore it is in His Word that we are going to find the Truth about God’s view of us.

Rather than what you may be used to hearing from the fluffy sermons delivered to the supposed sheep, let’s look at what God’s Word ACTUALLY tells us !!!

This is God’s view of our OWN righteousness:

We are “Dead in trespasses and sins…children of disobedience…children of wrath” Eph 2:1-3. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; …like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isa 64:6 “As it is written, there is no one righteous, no, not one;…there is none that doeth good, no not one.” Rom3:10-12. Even anything we could offer is detestable to Him “The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?” Pro 21:27

If, from the 613 separate laws that God gave on Mount Sinai to be obeyed and about which we are told the standard of perfect adherence that is required, being stated that “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10) let us merely pick a few of the famous Ten Commandments (Ex 20:3-17) and in doing so, see how our own righteousness will actually stand up against a Holy God:

Have you ever lied? God says “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour”
Have you ever stolen anything? God says “Thou shalt not steal”
Have you ever looked at another in lust? God says “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and Jesus added “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matt 5:28
Have you ever been angry with someone? God says “Thou shalt not murder” and Jesus added “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement” Matt 5:22

So if, as I would have to admit to all of those, you have honestly admitted to some or all, then by your own admission you will stand before God and have to describe yourself as a lying, adulterous, murdering thief !!!

Do you think God will let you into Heaven?

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, … nor adulterers, Nor thieves,…shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-11 for a MUCH longer list) and “The…unbelieving…and murderers, …and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone…” (Rev21:8)

I think that’s a “No” then. And it is a BIG AND VERY IMPORTANT “NO”.

To paint the picture – you would be standing in front of a Holy God, covered from top-to-toe in your sins; utterly filthy and abominable to Him, yet trying to argue that there are some good things that make you acceptable for entry into His perfect Heaven – when EVEN ONE SIN, according to His Word, would exclude you.

A dirty, filthy sinner – and defenceless at that.

Will you argue with God?

He gave you His Word and His Word tells you “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:20) The Pharisees considered themselves to be perfect in the keeping of God’s Laws and thus, this is a tall order indeed. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48) “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:16).

The Bible tells us that “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

Therefore there is NOT ONE OF US that can get into Heaven on our own merit, by “living a good life”, attending church, being baptised as a child or an adult, helping others, giving to charities or in fact doing anything else; not one of us, EVER.

With such perfect, holy and righteous standards held by God and His Laws showing us plainly what is acceptable and what is not acceptable; HOW DARE WE even think we would have a case against His judgement?

Against that perfect and holy and righteous standard of a perfect, holy and righteous God, ONE CANNOT STAND and according to the bible, the only alternative for each and every one of us therefore is hell.

HOWEVER…

————————————–

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS !!!

“THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST… IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH…” (Rom 1:16 emphasis mine)

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8). “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10)

God knew our insurmountable problem from the beginning and because “God so loved the world… He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

The ONLY One who has ever lived a perfect life and thus could have entered freely into His Father’s House was Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. This was His right. He had perfectly accomplished the entire Law of God; never sinned and was thus the only being capable of being accepted into Heaven, free of condemnation because in every way He was completely sinless, perfect and holy.

In obedience to God, His Father in Heaven, and in accordance with Scripture written hundreds of years before, He chose not to.

Instead, and as was prophesied, He took the sins of everyone upon Himself, went to the cross and took the full force of God’s Wrath in our place. “…He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa 53:5)

Jesus paid our penalty.

As we have seen, “the wages of sin is death;” these were OUR SINS “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 6:23

Jesus’ last words before dying according to John’s Gospel were “It is finished.” (John 19:30) In Greek (the original language of the New testament) this word is “Tetelestai” and literally means “PAID IN FULL”.

Your sins are paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for you.

God accepted this one perfect sacrifice, “the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10b) and proved His acceptance of this sacrifice to us, by resurrecting Jesus from the dead.

This showed that now we can be resurrected to eternal life in Heaven too, by believing in Jesus and what He has done for us ”Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16b)

God used the power of His Holy Spirit to raise Jesus from the dead and it is with that same Holy Spirit that He now guarantees our resurrection from the dead and our eternal life in Heaven, by belief in what His Son has already done for us.

“It is finished” (John 19:30) but for us our new life is just begun. At the point of belief we are given the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us and God seals Him inside us as our guarantee of our salvation from that point of belief onwards…

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

For “…if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (give life to) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11

It is belief that saves you; Faith !!!

It is NOT by living a good life that we are saved. Nothing we could possibly do would impress God enough to save us if we are covered in sins. God hates sin and God does not need anything. He has provided the Way. Belief in Jesus. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.

Jesus Himself told us this: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

The Apostle Paul told us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

In fact when Jesus was asked “What must we do to do the works God requires?” (John 6:28), and He had the perfect opportunity to list to the whole world, all of the things that He would like us to do for Him to make us somehow “worthy” or “acceptable” to be saved, He replied simply…..

“The work of God is this; to believe in the One He has sent.” (John 6:29)

What is faith?

For the best explanation of what having faith both is and what God transforms it into, we need only take a look at Abraham and Paul’s explanation in his letter to the Romans…

Abraham had just been promised by God that He would make him a father of many nations through his yet future child. At this point Abraham and his wife Sarah were very old and well past what would be considered the natural age of childbirth. Yet Abraham “believed in the Lord; and He (the Lord) counted it to him (Abraham) for righteousness.” (GEN 15:6)

As Paul explains…

Abraham “…against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, “So shall thy seed be”. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Rom 4:18-5:1 emphasis mine)

Abraham therefore believed in God’s promise and God counted that faith in His promise as righteousness. We too are counted righteous and justified by that same faith of believing in God’s promises and by being justified we have peace with God.

How absolutely wonderful.

Although there are many that profess that Salvation is a lifelong journey or that there are things that you must do to add to the already finished work of Christ that you are believing upon for your Salvation, this is completely unbiblical.

Salvation, as we have already seen, is a one time event at the point of belief (Eph 1:13-14). It is a supernatural event in which that person is BORN AGAIN of the Spirit of God and is immediately A NEW CREATION.

You were born in the flesh by your mother; your natural birth, but you can only be born again by the Spirit of God; your supernatural birth…

And you MUST… “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

The rest of your life is eternally begun from that point onwards. The life of a saved person has been so dramatically changed as to their standing with God, as we shall see in the next two chapters, that it is unrecognisable compared to the unsaved person and what would have been their unbearable eternal destiny.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 5:17-18)

Jesus said “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me HAS eternal life and will not be condemned; he HAS crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) (emphasis mine)

Further, Jesus said “I tell you the truth, he who believes HAS everlasting life.” (John 6:47) (again, emphasis mine)

”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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

Therefore, this free gift of Salvation, at that very point of belief; being that faith in Gods promise to us, that Jesus has taken all of our filthiness, sinfulness and unrighteousness to the cross, receiving the wages of sin (Rom 6:23) instead of us (Isa 53:5) and having died and been buried, was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-5 (below)); “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1) “He that believeth on Him is not condemned” (John 3:18a) and “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1)

AMEN !!!

————————————–

How to be saved

Now you know the promise of that glorious hope of God’s Salvation, it is time to realise that until you are saved “ye will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

God does not want anyone to go to Hell. God “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Pet 3:9 however, “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb 9:27) and we do not know when that day may be; could it even be today?

Remember our current standing…

Eph 2:1-3. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; …like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isa 64:6 “As it is written, there is no one righteous, no, not one;…there is none that doeth good, no not one.” Rom3:10-12. Even anything we could offer is detestable to Him “The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?” Pro 21:27

So even our sacrificial good works are an abomination to Him; but there is one sacrificial act He will accept:

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (Isa 66:2) and King David said “for thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17)

Repent and believe

As Jesus told us at the very beginning of His ministry “Repent ye, and believe the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Lord’s words are timeless and thus stand today.

As Peter told the Jews “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…” Acts 3:19

The English word “repent” comes from the Greek word “metanoia” and means simply “to change one’s mind”.

Those who tell you that to repent means that you must stop all sinning before you can be saved are simply wrong, and for various reasons including the fact it is theologically impossible. “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8). The whole issue regarding being saved is that you ARE a sinner and therefore NEED to be saved.

In two of the clearest books of the Bible regarding Salvation; the Gospel of John and Paul’s letter to the Romans, it is very interesting to notice that John’s Gospel never mentions the word “repent” at all and Paul uses it twice only and only once relating to salvation. On the other hand the word “Believe” is used throughout John’s gospel and the word “Faith” throughout the book of Romans.

One cannot have faith or even believe unless one has changed one’s mind about the need to believe and have faith; thus repenting, belief and faith could each be correctly defined as a synecdoche; each word, when used individually, actually meaning all three words – “repentance”, “belief” and “faith”.

Thus to repent would mean “to have realised something and regretted it; having change one’s mind about it, to believe in the alternative, trusting in the alternative with faith that it is better”

Of the times the word “repent” or one of its forms appears in the Old Testament, the vast majority of those times it is God repenting or telling us that He won’t. This alone tells us that it is not related to sinning as the Bible is perfectly clear that God cannot sin.

So what is it that we are changing our mind about?

It is changing our mind from thinking we can do it ourselves in any way, shape or form; that anything we can do can impress God enough to clean us of our sin and not purely condemn us for breaking even one of His laws which He gave us to show what sin is “Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law…” Rom 7:7 “for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4)

It is changing our mind as to our absolute and desperate need for a Saviour. Realising we are a sinner. Realising that God’s law condemns us and that without the Saviour that He provided; His Son, we are eternally condemned and utterly without hope.

Let us look at some “Sinner’s Prayers”; an often loosely used title but, you are a sinner and you are praying so I cannot really call it anything else. As easily as this title is sometimes misappropriated – DO NOT take its purpose flippantly !!!

On one side of the camp, there are those that will reduce this most important and supernaturally powerful moment into a single “Ask Jesus to come into your heart” possibly the most wishy washy, pointless and unbiblical question that you could be asking of Him.

On the other side, there are those that try to add so much “work” to the prayer; be that a complete cessation of all sinfulness, including thoughts, from that moment on, or fully immersed baptism followed by speaking in tongues as confirmation of one’s acceptance by God, to the joining of their particular denomination along with its “other doctrines”, rules and sometimes even its own “scripture”.

Those who try to make it difficult, as if one should earn it over time and by degree, seem to completely forget that when (and in cases of absolute heresy I would have to add “if”) they were saved, they were merely sinners in complete realisation of their sinfulness and desperate need for a Saviour and it was a completely free gift of Salvation given to them by the Grace of God “lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:9)

Making it so flippantly pointless, or adding to the simple promises in God’s Word are NOT THE WAY. A simple solid faith in His promises, a realisation of your need for His promises and a humble and contrite heartfelt request to Him; all the time relying upon His promises, ARE THE WAY.

King David gave us a perfect sinner’s prayer in a combination of Psalms 51 and 19. He had just had his heart and conscience wrenched by a visit of Nathan the Prophet, pointing out his sin with Bathsheba

Writing under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, here is a broken and contrite heart…

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me…

…For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Taken from Psalm 51 (ESV)

Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Taken from Psalm 19 (ESV)

Absolutely beautiful !!!

So even our sacrificial good works are an abomination to Him; but there is one sacrificial act He will accept:

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isa 66:2 and King David said “for thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17)

Thoughts whilst standing in front of a holy God…

I do realise that I am a sinner and in front of a Holy God judging me for every single action, inaction, thought and intention of my heart, I stand no chance whatsoever of being adjudged innocent.

When even one sin would condemn me, I stand before you covered in a multitude. If I tried to achieve favour from you with my own works, I would be condemned because of my sin which sticks to me like mud; filth by any other name.

I am an abomination to you. I have lived my life my own way and have not adhered to your laws. I have broken most probably every one of them, but even one would condemn me.

Neither can I hide from your judgement for where would I go that you could not see me; a permanent blemish, a cankerous spot, a dirty, filthy unwashed mark on what would otherwise be a perfect Heaven – without me.

I cannot stand.

I am unworthy of your love and yet I know that You loved me so much as to send Your only begotten Son to this earth of iniquity, to live a perfect and sinless life and instead of saving Himself, He gave Himself – and willingly – to have Your anger, annoyance and wrath against me, poured out on Him.

He was buried and yet according to your promise you did not let His body rot in hell, but instead washed all of our sins away and by the power of your Holy Spirit, raised Him to life, showing us His resurrection as proof that our sins have been taken by Him, have been paid for in full by Him and have been cast away as far as the east is from the west – once and for all time.

I fall prostrate before you, unable to stand, but begging for you to apply His precious shed blood to wash me completely of all of my sins this very moment, forever.

My one and only hope.

He took my sins and died for them. He did what I could never do. With one sin on me I was a worthless sacrifice that you would not accept; I could not even die to pay for my own sins. By Your word, only the sinless and perfect blood of Your only begotten Son would be acceptable for anyone’s sins to be forgiven.

Without the blood of your Son, shed for me on the cross, I have nothing to offer; not one thing – I stand condemned to hell.

It is in His selfless and sacrificial death, burial and resurrection, according to your Word, that I trust. It is in all of your promises concerning the utter sufficiency of His finished works and your promise to forgive and save all who ask, believing on His finished and sufficient works, that I utterly depend. It is in His righteousness that I can now most humbly stand and with all of my heart, soul, body and mind – Thank You.

Amen.

This was not my prayer at the time of my salvation; my words were far simpler and were spurted out in dribs and drabs amidst floods and floods of tears – as I hope yours are – although tears are not a Biblical necessity.

This prayer was written as I revisited that place of despair, in awe and reverence, realising just what a hopeless situation we are truly in without the supernatural Grace, Love and Forgiveness that only God, through the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ and the limitless power of His Holy Spirit can bestow upon us.

In its simplest forms we can read these promises…

The Apostle Paul explained it to the Romans this way, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the Scripture saith, “whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed” (Rom 10:9-11)

He continues, quoting the Prophet Joel “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom 10:13, Joel 2:32)

Or as Paul and Silas answered to their jailer who asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:31)

Paul Washer, an evangelical Pastor, states it perfectly this way…

“At this moment God commands all men to repent and believe that today is the day of salvation, that you are to flee from the wrath to come, to flee from the law of Moses that condemns you into the city of refuge that is Jesus Christ or Lord, Run to Him.

REPENTENCE IS SIMPLY GIVING UP

To stop fighting against God and to stop attempting to gain your own salvation through your own works, to literally GIVE UP AND FALL UPON CHRIST – THAT IS SALVATION

So that you say “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.”

And when that seed grows in you to the point where you know that your standing before God, is absolutely, one hundred percent based and founded upon the perfect work and merit of Jesus Christ then you stand before Him with confidence knowing that all your sins have been atoned for and that you are righteous in Christ.

Come to Him !!!”

Please listen to God’s calling to you through His Words quoted to you on these pages. It is an undeniable fact that you do not know if you will see tomorrow or even the next chapter.

DO THIS NOW and stop wondering.

Stop putting off the single most important thing you will ever do in this life, bar none. Simply give up your trust in yourself – in your power and strength, your goodness or good works, your vain hope that you will be okay – and fall completely at the cross of Christ, with nothing to bring, and place all of your trust on Him, the Creator of the universe, the earth and you.

As Paul the Apostle stated about the Jews of his time, but can be applied today to many peoples and religions… that they, “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Rom 10:13)

Having already completed all the supernatural work necessary for your eternal salvation and the complete and utter forgiveness of everything that separates you from Him – He calls you to give yourself up, as a sinner in complete and utter need of your Saviour and TRUST ON JESUS TO SAVE YOU – AND HE WILL.

For “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

————————————–

Will you accept this free gift of salvation?

We have looked at what offerings of our own righteousness God does not like, but there is one He does:

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isa 66:2 and King David said “for thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

With this in mind…

Realise you are a sinner !!! “A contrite heart” is a heart realising you are in the wrong and are sorry that you fall so far short of the mark of God’s standards. “For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” (2 Cor 7:10)

Humble means you realise that you stand condemned and can do absolutely nothing to change that yourself and are falling upon the Grace of God and His promises.

Realise that no matter what you do, that you cannot enter Heaven based upon your own righteousness.

Realise therefore, that you need a Saviour.

Realise who that Saviour is: Jesus Christ the only Son of God and that there is NO OTHER SAVIOUR.

Understand that He came to this earth in order that He may take all of your sins to His death on the cross.

Understand that God accepted what Jesus has DONE FOR YOU once and forever; paying for all of your sins. He has proved this to you by raising Jesus back to life.

Tell God that you are a sinner, that you believe these things and that you want to be forgiven and go to Heaven, based upon what Jesus’ has done for you and not upon anything that you have done, are presently doing or could ever do, but completely and utterly relying on what Jesus has already done for you.

Ask God to save you and He will !!!

Read again what is written here and if you understand and believe, then read this prayer through and think on what you are about to say.

THEN PRAY IT !!!

————————————–

A prayer can be something as simple as this:

Dear God,
I realise that I am a sinner and that I have done, said and thought things that have displeased You. I know that you hold the keys to both eternal life and eternal punishment.
I realise that I myself, can never do anything to change or pay for these sins and therefore without Your help, I am stuck with them and according to Your Word, I will end up with eternal punishment in hell because of them.
BUT…I believe that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die in my place, for my sins, instead of me. I believe that He did this, once and for all time, to pay the full price for all of my sins past, present and future.
I believe that you accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as full payment for my sins and that you proved this by raising Him from the dead and therefore showing that I can be too.
God, I am sorry. Please forgive me for all of my sins.
Please save me into Heaven for eternity.
Please come into my life, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to know you better.
God, thank you for forgiving me and for saving me.
I pray this prayer in the Name of Your Son, who is now my Saviour, my Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Or this…

God, I realise I am a sinner and that because of that I am destined for Hell. I believe that you sent Jesus, your son, to die for all of my sins, past, present and future. I believe that Jesus did this for me and that you accepted this in payment for all of my sins. I believe you showed that to me by raising Jesus back to life. I ask you to forgive me for all of my sins and to save me into Heaven. Please help me to know you better from this day on. I ask this prayer in the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.

Or this…

God our Father in Heaven, I am sorry for living my life the ways I have and not knowing or caring about Your Words before now. I know I am a sinner and am sorry for every way I displease You. I now know you are my only hope and that You love me so much that You laid the penalty for my sins upon Your only Son, Jesus. He died for my sins and You have raised Him back to life. I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins and be present in my life. Please teach me about You and please save me as You promise you will to all who ask. I ask this now in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Or this….

Lord, I realise I am a sinner and can never meet the perfect standards You require. I believe that You sent Your Son to come and die for me and to pay for my sins. I am sorry. Please forgive me and save me. I trust in Your promises and in what Jesus has done for me; teach me about You and help me not to doubt. Thank You Lord for saving me. In Jesus’ Name I pray this prayer.

Or use your own words once you feel you understand what it is you are about to say, and why. Just be honest with Him. He understands what you are doing and what you are trying to say. You do not have to understand everything, but if you feel you don’t, then tell Him that too. He also knows your heart – so just be completely honest with Him and mean what you say.

This is not a magic spell. There are no exact words that need be spoken or a correct order in which to speak them. It is realising the need and believing wholeheartedly in God’s provided solution…

You are a sinner
You cannot pay for your own sins.
Jesus has paid for your sins.
Believe in His death and resurrection as full payment for your sins.
Trust Him – He has done this for you “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)

If you have just said and sincerely meant one of these prayers (in these or your own words) then you are now, THIS VERY MOMENT SAVED FOREVER.

You are now a real member of God’s Eternal Family. You have been supernaturally born again and are now a child of God “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)

You can talk to Him and ask Him anything and He will hear you. Keep close to Him. Talk to Him DAILY. Get a Bible and start to read it. You can actually watch Matthew’s and John’s Gospels on this site ”( For John’s Gospel click here )” or start listening to the entire New Testament on here too ”( by clicking here )” Get to know other Christians and talk to them, letting them know you are now a brother or sister in God’s Eternal Family.

He will not lose you (John 10:27-28). You will make mistakes and He knows that and has provided your solution (1 John 1:9). He has SEALED you with His Holy Spirit who now LIVES INSIDE YOU (Ephesians 1:13-14). You are a NEW CREATION (2 Corinthians 5:17) and you HAVE eternal life (John 5:24).

Trust these truths – Once you know you are saved nothing else really matters. Things do matter, but in the scheme of things they are just a temporary pebble in our sandals, on our journey through eternity.

You are SAVED FOREVER !!!

HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?

This is Truth. This is certainty. THIS IS FOREVER.

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom 11:29 ESV)

————————————–

Now for anyone that would accuse me of adding to the simple instruction to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:31), or
adding “works” of any kind and including choosing Christ, begging to be saved, feeling remorse or Godly sorrow or even the “works” of believing and having faith… or
adding anything whatsoever to the complete and utter gift of Grace, proceeding from God and based upon the finished work of Christ…

I answer with the following…

I have deliberately explained in some detail, many aspects of Salvation that often come up for debate. As to whether a person must be saved is not debatable; sometimes how to be, is.

When I see what some call “Easy Believism” described, it is sometimes worded as if Salvation is like a Heavenly Drive-Thru, where we literally place our order, without the slightest appreciation, understanding or emotion as to the magnitude of the supernatural event that is actually taking place and no doubt expect God to ask “Would you like wings with that?”

With this in mind, I do not want anyone to leave the pages of this book with the slightest doubt as to how to be saved and once they are, to then grow in knowledge and understanding of what has happened to them and with the witness of God’s Holy Spirit sealed inside them, to have confidence in their faith, their Salvation and thus their eternal destiny.

I believe that we can rely on certain verses of the Bible (as long as taken from the correct context) to mean all that they say without adding to them at all. However, as we grow in God’s Word, we realise that the entire Bible can and should be taken as a whole and we can bring various references on a topic to the table for a fuller understanding.

For instance, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” is completely and utterly correct and if you do, then “thou shalt be saved” but often, and quite rightly I think, people will wonder exactly “What about the Lord Jesus Christ do I have to believe?” This is what I hope, and admit rather laboriously perhaps, to have answered in this chapter.

Your soul is at stake, so I do not apologise.

And so, after all that, I shall simply state (and this is expanded upon in the next chapters) that “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)