The Plan of Salvation

What does it mean to be saved? How can I be saved?

To be “saved” means that you have made the decision to be a child of God. You have been saved from having to spend eternity in Hell. A simple way to explain how to be saved is the “ABCs”!

A – you must admit to yourself and to God that you are a sinner and that you are not able to save yourself by your own ability. Repent, or turn away from your sins. (Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”)

B -Believe with your heart and mind that Jesus Christ is God’s Son who came to earth to take the punishment for our sins. This also means that you accept God’s gift of forgiveness for your sins. (John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Romans 5:8 says “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”)

C – Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. This means you should make your decision public. One way to do this is to find a Christian church that believes that Jesus was born of a virgin birth, and that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. (This makes the Bible a love letter to each of God’s children! ) Go to someone in the church and let them know about your decision. They will be able to help you. You also should let the people in your life know about your decision. After all, it’s good news, right? (Romans 10:9-10 says “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”)

There are other things that you will want to do:

1 – Being baptized is an outward sign of your decision. Jesus was baptized (see Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3 and John 1). He asks us to be baptized also, as a sign of obedience.

2 – If you don’t already own a Bible, go to a local Christian bookstore and let them help you pick one. There are several good translations – be sure to pick one that is easy for you to understand.

3 – Find a good home church, and make a commitment to attend regularly. You will benefit in many ways from attending church: you can learn what Jesus expects of you, and fellowship with other Christians is good for you, too.

4. Remember, God loves you, and He knows you aren’t perfect. When you make mistakes (all of us do), just go to Him and tell Him about it. He already knows, and He loves you anyway. Just ask His forgiveness and let Him help you with your problems. That’s what He wants – to be asked to be a part of your life!

Congratulations! You’re a new creature in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

I would be very happy to hear from you if you’ve made this decision.