The Plan Of Salvation
First, you must first realize you are a sinner.
"There is none righteous, no, not one." "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:10, 22, 23). Some may be worse than others, but all have sinned. For example, let's suppose we are shooting an arrow at a target. The center bulls eye represents sinless perfection. Some arrows will "fall short" of the target. Some may hit the outer edge of the target. Some may hit the circle around the bulls eye. But, no arrow hits the bulls eye because we are all sinners. As a result, none of us can go to heaven on our own.
Second, realize that there is a penalty for your sins.
That penalty is eternal separation from God. "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). "Sin bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). The death spoken of in these verses refers to a spiritual death. In Revelation 20:14-15 we read, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This includes eternal separation from God in hell.
Third, realize that Jesus paid the penalty for your sin.
God does not want you to be separated from Him. He "is not willing that any should perish" (2 Pet. 3:9). God loved you so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as your substitute, who bore the penalty of your sin and died in your place. "He hath made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus, being God, was infinite in capacity. This means that He was able to suffer in a few hours on the cross the same penalty it would take each of us to suffer for an eternity in hell. When Jesus died on the cross he suffered what you and I would suffer if we spent an eternity in hell.
Finally, if you want to be saved, you must accept Jesus as your Savior.
You must repent and call on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, and was raised for your justification. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). "Whosoever" includes you. "Shall be saved" does not mean "maybe," but "definitely." If you call upon the Lord He will definitely do it!
If you would like to be saved, pray this to God, "Lord, I realize that I am a sinner and that Jesus died for me and paid the penalty for my sin. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead as proof that He paid the penalty for my sin. As best as I know how, I am now trusting you to save me."
If you have made this decision while reading this, please let us know. We'd like to help you grow in your Christian life.
