Christians: How does one attain salvation?

Question

Is salvation just a prayer? Is it an ongoing process? Do you need baptism? How do you get salvation? Explain your answer in as much detail as possible(please).

Consider James 2:24

"You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone."

Answer 1

Salvation is all about Christ. It is true that you cannot earn Salvation -- it is a gift:

Eph. 2:8,9 "For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it."

But, by the same token, you (and others) will know you are saved because there will be accompanying works as a result of your saved relationship:

James 2:20-26 "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Thus, Salvation does follow a process which is all about Christ:

1) Learn of Christ
2) Believe in Christ
3) Confess to Christ
4) Accept Christ's Sacrifice for your own
5) Be baptized by total water immersion as an outward sign of your conversion to Christ
6) Die daily to self in order to maintain your relationship with Christ
7) Walk in Christ to show the works of Christ

Answer 2

Prayer is the result of being saved, believing and wanting to communicate with God.
Salvation is only through Jesus, believing in Him and His work.
Getting salvation is believing that the sacrifice Jesus did, was to give His life for you too, to let you be the human God intended you to be, with His creation of humankind.
Baptism is the outer sign that you are sure with your belief in Jesus, it's a sign to the world and unseen powers, that you are His, and that your sins are washed away for ever.
Salvation is not an ongoing process, but believing is, and reassuring it to yourself and your life and the ones that surround you, is too.
The works that is talked about in the NT, is about expressing your faith, doing the things God wants you to. Because faith without expressing it, is that real faith? What you believe is what you live, because you can't do it another way, you need to, you want to.
I hope this helps, a little...
Be blessed!

Answer 3

Salvation is a gift you can't earn it it is free

Baptism is the 1st public witness and a form of obedience

It is a process and a on going process in developing a relationship with Jesus


I would suggest that if you are really looking for the answers read 2nd Perter it describes in great detail the 7 characteristics of a growing christian

Answer 4

In Acts it says, "and the day will come that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Call upon the Lord--"LORD JESUS!" That's good enough.

When Jesus was on the cross, one criminal on each side, one didn't believe, but the other did. Jesus said, "today you will see me in paradise." Meaning, the criminal believed in his heart, and had earned salvation.

Baptism is something that should happen as part of a salvation experience. If you've become saved, you should be shown the significance of baptism, and be baptized.

Your life in eternity is dependant on belief, not baptism. If you believe, you won't spend eternity in Hell.

Call on His name. Believe in your heart. Be baptized. Your salvation for eternity is secure.

TX Mom
Debbie

About James: After you have experienced salvation, your faithfulness as a slave of Christ determines your reward at the judgment seat. Work without salvation is rubble. Salvation and faith together with faithful service to God will earn great reward in the time coming.

Answer 5

I prefer not to call myself a "Christian," offering an esoteric concept of "savation."

Salvation is an internal process that saves us from ourselves!

It is not the man Jesus that saves us, but the "christ," the anointing that existed in the man Jesus... a spiritual essence that transforms us from the inside out, a spiritual power that exists within us all, but that must be revitalized, quickened.

Physical baptism is over! It ended along with the "era of Isaac," in the year 2000, when we entered the third and final "era of Jacob"... an era of Spirit, of spiritual awakening. All that was physical now becomes spiritual, our spiritual baptism taking place when our mind and heart is immersed in truth.

The complete plan of salvation is given to us in the 49th chapter of Genesis, where Jacob tells his 12 sons what will befall them in the "last days"

Answer 6

Biblically, salvation is a change of heart. As a sinner, your heart is unclean. As a believer in Jesus, your heart becomes clean, as you live by what Jesus taught, and in obedience.

You must accept Jesus for who he claimed to be, and allow your heart to be changed. Just saying a prayer is not salvation. Public declarations (baptism) are good, but they don't prove salvation, either. Those with salvation are known by their fruits. You see, a clean heart produces the seeds which, when conceived in the mind, produce good fruit outwardly.

Answer 7

One can be saved by confessing sins befor God and accepting Jesus Christ as the personal savior.

Salvation is not a prayer and it is not an ongoing process.
Salvation is the requirement to enter into the Heaven. If you believe in God and His son Jesus Christ who died as a substitute for our sins on the cross you are saved. Following Jesus Christ is an ongoing process.

Baptism is a witness that you are converted into a new nature by leaving the old nature (sins). It is an external mark for the internal change.

Yes. Faith without works is dead.

Answer 8

well...u invite jesus into ur heart. and now that u have recieved salvation, u need to tell it to the world through u actions. u do not need to be baptized.
and really there isnt much to say. like yes...its kinda ongoing but its also a prayer. salvation is recieving a free gift from God...and saves u from ur sin.
im really glad that u wanted to make that change tho. congratulations! =D

Answer 9

Salvation is not suffering the punishment that our sins deserve.
We are born with hearts that rebel against God and His ways.
God is holy and our sinfulness keeps us from being in a relationship with Him. That is why Jesus, God the Son, came ----to suffer and die and rise from the dead to pay the just penalty for our sins. When we admit to God that we are a sinner and accept His way-------which is trusting that only Jesus' death and resurrection can cleanse us from our sins and only He can give us a heart that can obey Him, and we turn from our way to His way, we will be saved. He gives us the gift of eternal life which is knowing God now and being with Him forever. Being baptized, is a public declaration of one's faith in Christ. It does not save. Once we are saved, our deeds or works should be a testimony to our following Christ. Good deeds or works do not save either.
It is fully God's work. He works in our heart and gives the faith to believe.

Answer 10

It really all depends on the religion. Some believe that you confess your sins and accept Jesus, then you are always saved no matter what you do. Personally, I was raised in a pentacostal church which believed that you ask forgiveness of your sins and accept Jesus but you still have to ask forgiveness daily for none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. At the same time you must keep yourself from the things of the world and temptations to sin. God doesn't expect for you to keep making the same mistakes over and over.
I hope this helps some.