WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SAVED
Imagine a swimmer who has ventured into deep water and is drowning. She cries out to the lifeguard for help. The lifeguard rushes to her, lifts her out of her helpless condition, and brings her to safety on the shore. In this scenario, the lifeguard has saved her from drowning.
Now, picture a man trapped in a burning building, quickly being overwhelmed by smoke. As he sees a firefighter approaching, he calls out for assistance. The firefighter picks him up in his desperate state and carries him out of the building. In this case, the firefighter has saved him from perishing in the fire.
Similarly, God has provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, who can rescue every sinner who puts their trust in Him. No matter what you have done, He can save you!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." – John 3:16
WHY WE NEED TO BE SAVED
Due to our rebellion against God, you and I face the danger of eternal separation from Him. This separation will result in being banished from the presence of God, who is the source of all good (James 1:17). It will also mean enduring eternal punishment as we suffer the consequences of our sins.
The Bible states:
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." – Romans 3:23
"The wages of sin is death." – Romans 6:23
"It is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment." – Hebrews 9:27
"Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." – Revelation 20:15
WHAT THE SAVIOR HAS DONE
The Lord Jesus Christ became the Savior of sinners (that includes you and me) by coming down from Heaven and dying on the cross for our sins. God raised Him from the dead, and He is now a living Savior at God’s right hand in Heaven (Hebrews 1:3).
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." – Romans 5:8
"Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day." – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
"Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." – 1 Peter 3:18
HOW YOU CAN BE SAVED
The only way for us to be saved from our sins (and their punishment) is to turn to God in repentance and place our faith in Jesus Christ. To repent means recognizing and acknowledging that we are in serious trouble, much like a drowning swimmer. Placing our faith in the Lord Jesus as Savior involves believing that He fully paid the price for our forgiveness and cleansing by bearing our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). The moment you trust your total weight of sin to Him, the Lord Jesus will save you.
No amount of good works or anything else we do can possibly remove even one of our countless sins. The only thing that God will accept is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting Him to save us.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." – Ephesians 2:8-9
"He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." – John 5:24
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." – Romans 10:9-10