EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SALVATION BUT AFRAID TO ASK

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

July 25, 2010

*Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Salvation But Were Afraid To Ask *

(1) Who Needs To Be Saved?

You! God will have all men to be saved... God is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. 3, 1 Tim. 2)

(2) Why Do I Need To Be Saved?

Because you are a guilty, ungodly sinner in God's sight. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God... There is none righteous, no not one... There is none good, no not one. (Rom. 3)
Man at his best state is altogether vanity. (Psa. 39)

(3) What Do I Need To Be Saved From?

(a) The wages of sin. For the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6)
(b) The lake of fire. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20)
(c) The wrath of God. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him. (Jn. 3)

(4) What Will Not Save Me?

Good works, water baptism, the sacraments, living a good life, keeping the law, or church membership. As good as some of these things seem to be, none of them can save you from sin and hell. God says that salvation is; "Not by works of righteousness which we have done"... "It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast"... (Tit. 3, Eph. 2)

(5) Who Can Save Me?

Only Jesus Christ. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Tim. 1)

(6) When Should I Get Saved?

Right Now! Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6)
God’s will is to save you today, for you have no guarantee of another day or hour.

(7) What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16)

(8) What Does It Mean To Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ?

It means to believe that Jesus is the Lord and Christ and that He died for your sins and was raised again from the dead.

(9) Why Must I Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ?

Because He paid the penalty for the sins and crimes you committed. Did you know that you have committed some very grievous crimes and have broken some very serious Laws? The Laws you have broken are God's Laws and it's a crime to break God's Law. The Law of God is the 10 commandments. Have you ever taken the time to go through the 10 commandments to see what kind of person you really are?

Answer the following with an honest heart:

Have you ever told a lie? (Be brutally honest with yourself because God will be in the Day of Judgment) If you answered, “Yes” then you are a liar. Have you ever stolen? (Even if it was something small). Then you are a thief. Jesus said that if you look upon someone with lust, you are an adulterer. If you hate, then you have committed murder in your heart. Have you loved God above all else? Have you made a 'god' to suit yourself? (This is having your own beliefs about God, which is idolatry). Have you ever used God's name to curse? Have you always obeyed and honored your parents? Have you ever been greedy? If you have ever transgressed even one of these Laws, then you have broken the Ten Commandments. The penalty for breaking God's Law is the second death, which is being cast into the lake of fire, where the torment is everlasting.

If you think that because God is "good” He will over look your sins, think again... His "goodness" will make sure that liars, thieves, murderers, adulterers etc., will be punished. The sins and crimes we have committed must be punished.

There is only one way we can escape the penalty and punishment of our sins and crimes. Someone must assume our guilt and pay the penalty for us. But, that person must be perfect and free from sin. There is only one person who is like that and it's Jesus Christ. The Gospel declares that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God assumed our guilt on the cross and allowed God to punish Him for the sins and crimes we committed against Him.

We Did The Crimes But He Paid The Fine.

The scriptures testify of this great fact: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust... Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree... But this man, offered one sacrifice for sins for ever... Christ died for the ungodly... Christ died for our sins and was raised again for our justification.

When God raised Christ from the dead He declared that His death appeased His wrath against our sins. There is no work you can do, or sacrifice that you can make, that can possibly atone for your sins and crimes. God did all the work and offered the only sacrifice that can possibly save you. Salvation is not in works, or religion, but in a person, Jesus Christ. Salvation is not in Christ and water baptism, or Christ and good works, or Christ and the sacraments. Salvation is in Christ alone, for He made the one and only sacrifice that can save you and keep you saved. Salvation is the work of God that He alone can do and He does not need our "help" to save us. It is an insult to God for any man to even think that he can do something to aid and assist God in saving his soul. That would be like offering a car dealer $50.00 for a new Cadillac. That's an insult for the offer is far below the value of the car. Salvation and eternal life are much too valuable to be bought by the feeble works of men.

The only way for you to be saved from God's wrath is to repent and believe the Gospel. To repent means that you turn away from what ever it is in your life that hinders you from being saved. When sinners repented in the Bible it says; "that they turned from their evil way". (Jonah 3:10, 1 Thess. 1:9)

To believe the Gospel means that you put all of your faith and trust in Christ's death for your sins. Remember, you have broken all of God's Laws and some one must pay the penalty. You have a choice as to who pays; you can pay for them yourself, but it will take you an eternity in Hell to do so. Or, you can believe that Christ paid for them by His death on the cross. Which will it be?

Why not bow your head and ask the Lord to save you from sin and hell. As you pray, put all of your faith and trust in Him to save you. If you will repent, believe and call, God has promised to save you, for He said; whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.