For some people who read the Bible this may seem simple and almost self explanatory but for those that do not quite grasp the concept of salvation we will look at what Jesus Christ has to say about it. Many times we hear of someone becoming born again and we can see the change that has taken place in their life, but unless we understand salvation we may not know that we need it ourselves.
In the book of John Chapter 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that, “unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” He then went on to explain that this process of new birth only comes from the spirit not the flesh. Man has tried to redeem himself at times and has tried to be a good person but as Jesus told the young man in Matthew Chapter 19 it takes more than following the commandments and doing good to those around us to get to Heaven. Christ’s death on the cross would be in vain if our own righteousness was sufficient but the scripture tells us in Isaiah 64:6 that our righteousness is as filthy rags.
The word saved means exactly that. If you were in a house that was burning and the fire department came and rescued you from loss of life in the fire we could say they saved your life. What God does through the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on the cross is the same but he saves your soul. Because of man’s sin in the Garden of Eden death came and the only way to receive eternal life and a soul that has been restored to the Garden condition is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Romans 3:23 & 24 says that, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” If it was not for the grace of God and his forgiveness of our sins we could never experience salvation.
It is important for us to know that salvation is a gift from God to a lost and dying world. Many times people look at God in the Old Testament and say that he was a mean tyrant but Jesus said that he, “So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” That doesn’t sound like a heartless God to me but rather a loving caring God that saw the pain that would be inflicted by sin and sent us a remedy. In chapter 28 of the book of Matthew Jesus also told his disciples before he ascended back to his Father to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” To be baptized without repentance of sin first is to simply become wet but baptism after repentance shows that you have chosen to bury the old man and walk in the newness of life.
