Salvation

What is Salvation?

he Bible teaches in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is power of God for salvation.  Salvation happens the moment we surrender and truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is made up of 4 components: The character of God, the sinfulness of man, the sufficiency of Christ, and our response of repentance and faith.  

The Bible teaches that God is holy and set apart from all (1Samuel 2:2) and He is perfectly just and righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17; Deuteronomy 32:4). In 1 Peter 1:16, we are commanded to “be holy as God is holy”. Matthew 5:48 also commands us saying that “we must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.” God’s holiness and perfection is the standard by which we are measured as people seeking to be friends with God. We now know that God is holy and perfect. The question is, are we?

God views sin in a legal manner (Colossians 2:14) the way the judicial system views guilt. God is the judge and we are either guilty (sinful) or not guilty (sinless). The truth is that we are all guilty of sin and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The Bible teaches that we are all born sinful by nature (Psalm 51:5). The Bible also teaches that we are sinful by choice (Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:10-12). Because we are sinful both by nature and choice, justice for our crimes (sin) is necessary to fulfill God’s holiness. This justice, or penalty for sin, is death and without a way to pay that penalty, we are left eternally separated from God. But there’s hope in Jesus.

God, in His love, grace, and mercy has made a way of salvation. God sent His only Son (John 3:16) to die, paying the penalty of sin on our behalf and reconciling us back to a Holy God. This sacrifice that Jesus paid for us is complete. It never has to be redone. 

The Bible teaches that anyone who confesses his or her sin before God, repents of that sin, and believes in Christ will be saved (Romans 10:9; Acts 2:38-39). Once we confess, repent, and believe, scripture teaches us that upon belief in Christ: 

  • We have been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
  • We have been given a new heart with new desires (Ezekiel 36:26).
  • The Holy Spirit abides in us (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Salvation doesn’t end with a confession. God promises that His Holy Spirit will complete the process of salvation in our lives as we daily surrender our will to His and follow Him. If you haven’t ever committed your life to Christ and want to, please contact us by email or telephone at 912.403.3015.