How is a person "saved" ie., be forgiven of all their sins and receive eternal life?

Question

friends who answered--whenever we obey the Bible, praying, studying the Scriptures, repenting, water baptism, etc...we are doing work! However, the Lord tells us in Ephesians 2:8,9 and Titus 3:5 that our "works" cannot save us. In Galatians 2:16 we read, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." In Romans 3:27-28 we read, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
Unknown to most pastors/preachers/deacons....is that personal faith (our faith) is work also! This is shown in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 which states: "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, .....

and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;"

In addition, in 2 Thessalonaisns 1:11 God tells us: "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:"

The Lord is telling us that our belief(verb) or faith(noun) is work....and we cannot be saved by our works! Salvation is completely the work of Christ alone! In Galatians 2:16 we read, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 2:20 tells us the same thing! In Philippians 3:9 we read, .....

"And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"

Churches have erroneously talked about "accepting Jesus". They get this from John 1:12 but they leave out verse 13 which is of utmost importance....."But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Just as a baby is born not by it's will, nor by the will of mother or any person but by the decree of God! God is the only One who can save someone! That is why we have to wait on the Lord....."It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." (Lamentations 3:26).

Answer 1

Do you know for sure my friend, that if you died today, you would go to heaven? If you ask most people this question, they simply aren't sure. Oh, listen to me friend! You can KNOW beyond the shadow of any doubt that you are a Child of God. 1st John 5:13 states, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." What a privilege it always is for me to share with people the wondrous truth of God's Word, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life. God loves people!!! God wants you to be His Child. He will not force you to be saved, you alone must make that decision for Christ. NOTE: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Bible.

It is very simple to be saved―Realize that you are a GUILTY sinner under the condemnation of God's LAW, deserving of punishment in Hellfire, and then believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, because of the precious blood that He shed for your sins.

Believe that Jesus is Almighty God, for we must BELIEVE upon the True Christ of the Scriptures... "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." The Apostle Paul warned us in 2nd Corinthians 11:4 that false prophets would come, preaching "another Jesus." All false religions today deny or diminish Jesus' deity, i.e., the Biblical truth that Jesus came to this earth as the Godhead incarnate (in the flesh). Jesus is Almighty God!

Believe that He shed His blood on the cross to pay for your sins. Believe that Jesus died, was buried and then rose again after three days for you. This good news is called the "Gospel." Believe upon Jesus to forgive all your sins and save you. Don't rely upon anyone or anything in this world to save you―trust Jesus Christ alone!

If you'd like a more thorough explanation, please continue reading...

There is nothing you need to give up to be saved, only your unbelief! Though some people would like to make you think you have to stop sinning to be saved, it is simply not true. If this were the case, we would all burn in Hellfire, because even the best Christians still commit sin. To be saved, you need to have your sins forgiven, and ONLY Jesus can forgive them. To be forgiven, you must first realize your guilt and condemned state of sin, and then TURN (repent) in faith to Jesus Christ to forgive those sins and save you eternally. Mark 1:15, "...repent ye, and believe the gospel." Carefully notice that Mark 1:15 speaks of repentance to "believe the Gospel"; and not, repentance from committing sin. To repent is to "turn" to Jesus Christ for salvation. God works a spiritual change in a person's heart once they are in Christ; not before... "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The change is NOT a prerequisite to be saved; but comes through the power of the Holy Spirit once a person is in Christ (i.e., saved).

Does a person have to give up their sins to be saved? The answer is "No." Although even one sin can keep a person out of Heaven (James 2:10), there is only one sin that can prevent a person from being SAVED, and that is the sin if UNBELIEF. For we read in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Many false prophets today are teaching a damnable heresy called "Lordship Salvation." If you're not a guilty sinner bound for Hellfire, then you wouldn't need a Savior. Does a person have to clean up one's life of sin to be saved? The answer is emphatically "No." For if this were true, it would amount to a works-based salvation. Ephesians 2:8,9 plainly tell us... "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Again we read in Romans 4:5... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Our eternal salvation is based upon our faith in Christ's work of redemption to forgive our sins; and not upon anything we can do to merit salvation. No one can merit (i.e., earn) salvation, for it is the FREE GIFT of God (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19).

As Dr. John R. Rice once said―"To turn to Christ in faith is to turn one's back on sin." Salvation does not give us a license to sin as some people allege? No, of course not. Christ wants to clean up our life through the power of His Holy Spirit. It takes time for the Holy Spirit to work in a person's heart (and everybody is different). Whereas Christ was lacking in your life, and sin was the dominant factor before you found salvation; now the reverse should be true... Christ is magnified, and sin is diminished in your life. Biblical "Repentance" is a change of mind that eventually should lead to a changed life; but only God knows for certain if a person is saved, because some believers do sin horribly at times.

If you don't see yourself as a dirty rotten sinner, then you truly don't realize just how sinful you are (1st John 1:8,10). We are all wicked sinners, deserving of Hellfire (Romans 3:10,19-23). This is why Christ needed to die upon the cross, and shed His own precious blood, for our many sins. We simply cannot do anything to redeem ourselves. Salvation is of God friend; not of yourself. No church or organization can assure you of Heaven. No priest can forgive you. Being baptized will just get you wet. Religion cannot save you in the least. It's Jesus or Hell.

Salvation is not found in a religion, but in a person―Jesus Christ!!!

We find God's plan of salvation in the King James Bible. There are a few things which you MUST realize in order to be saved:

We are a GUILTY sinners (Romans 3:10,23; Isaiah 64:6).

We deserve to pay for our sins in the fires of Hell (Psalm 7:11, 9:17; Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8; James 2:10; Jude 1:7; 2nd Thessalonians 1:8,9).

Jesus shed His precious blood, died, was buried, and rose again 3 days later (Romans 5:8; John 3:16,17; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

It is Jesus' precious blood that cleanses our sins away (Ephesians 1:7, 2:13; Colossians 1:14,20; Hebrews 9:22, 10:19; 1 Peter 1:18&19; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5)

Jesus is God Almighty (John 1:1-3,14; John 10:33; Revelation 1:8, 19:13―The GODHEAD incarnate (Colossians 2:9; 1st Timothy 3:16).

Jesus never sinned, He was perfect (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15,16)

Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)

If you believe these things, then you have seen the True and Living Jesus. It is essential that you recognize the correct Jesus because there are many "false" christs in the world today (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22). 1st John 4:1 warns... "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test with the Bible] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets [greedy liars] are gone out into the world."

John 6:40 says, "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which SEETH the Son, and BELIEVETH on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

If you recognize Jesus as God Almighty, then you have SEEN the True Son. I don't want you to believe on a fake Jesus. This is why I tell you that Jesus is God Almighty. Only Jesus forgave sin in the Bible (as only God can do). Only Jesus accepted the worship of others (as only God is entitled to). Jesus is God Almighty...

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)

"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31

John 10:33 says, "The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, Makest Thyself God."

Jesus Himself claimed to be God in the flesh. Every false religion attacks Christ's deity by trying to diminish or distort who Jesus is. Jehovah's Witness and Mormons deny Jesus' deity. Catholics elevate Mary to the same level as Jesus, teaching that she was sinless from birth, and never saw death; yet Romans 3:10 proclaims that Mary was a dirty rotten sinner―There is NONE righteous, no not one!

Good Works Cannot Save!!!

Do not ADD good deeds, merit, baptism or church membership to your faith, or else it is no faith at all.

WARNING!!! Trust Jesus Christ alone or you will not be saved!

Do not rely upon your church. Do not trust the Seven Sacraments. Do not trust in Mother Mary. Do not trust the Pope or your priest because they CANNOT do anything to help you! They surely have NO power to forgive your sins. They desperately need forgiveness themselves. Only God can forgive sin, and Jesus is Almighty God.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Shall be saved."(Romans 10:13)

This is a PROMISE from God. If you will simply call (i.e., TRUST) upon the name of the Lord Jesus, you WILL be saved. How much "faith" do we need to be saved? JUST ENOUGH faith to "call." Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Christ shed His sinless blood for you and me. Jesus was buried and rose again 3 days later for your justification and mine. Friend, do you realize your GUILT of sin? Do you see your condemned state and justly deserved penalty of hellfire? We read in Romans 3:19... "Now we know that what things soever THE LAW saith, it saith to them who are under THE LAW: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become GUILTY before God." The Greek word for "guilty" here means, "to lose one's case in court." The Word of God testifies against us that we have sinned (Romans 3:23). To realize one's guilt of sin means that we understand we are guilty sinners, who have lost our case in God's court so-to-speak, and are found "guilty," deserving of the death penalty in Hellfire... "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We all deserve to be cast into the lake of Fire; but thanks be to God for the LITERAL precious sin-cleansing blood of Jesus that takes our sins away forever.

The bottom line is that you need to have your sins forgiven!!! Only Jesus Christ can forgive those sins. Ask Jesus to forgive you and to save you. The word "call" in Romans 10:13 simply means "to trust upon." In Old English, if you did business at someone's shop, you were said to have "called" upon them for their services. Hence, the common business slogan, "Please call again." When you call upon Jesus in faith to forgive your sins, He has promised to forgive and to save you. Forsake your false religion and turn (repent) to Christ alone for salvation. Cease from trusting in your own good works. Trust upon Christ's finished work of redemption.

Is it improper to pray to be saved, or to lead someone in a sinner's prayer? Clearly the Word of God states that BELIEVING on Jesus is all that is required to have our sins forgiven (John 3:16); however, we see in the account of the publican who went up to the temple to pray (Luke 18:13), and again with the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42), that it is certainly acceptable for one to pray a sinner's prayer for salvation. It is important to realize that prayer alone cannot save anyone (Matthew 7:22,23). A sinner's prayer should be the outward manifestation of faith that already exists in one's heart, for salvation is of the HEART... "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness..." (Romans 10:10). This is why we read in Isaiah 65:24... "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Before the thief on the cross ever opened his mouth, he already had faith in the Lord or else he wouldn't have asked Jesus to remember him.

Salvation is of the heart; not the mouth. Many professed 'Christians' today are running around leading people in prayer to invite Jesus into their heart. This is not Scriptural. The issues of sin, condemnation, and judgment must be dealt with. Inviting Jesus into one's heart, or making a commitment to God, is not salvation. Salvation is a dirty rotten sinner, who realizes his or her guilt and justly deserved penalty of Hellfire, coming to Jesus Christ in faith for forgiveness and salvation. There are many folks today, who profess the name of Jesus, who have no remorse whatsoever over their homosexuality, abortion, or worldly living. Something is wrong. Although a person does not have to forsake their sins to be saved, a genuine born again Christian will experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 12:8), and a changed life should manifest itself. This is exactly what the Apostle James meant when he said in James 2:18... "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." James was speaking about being justified in the eyes of men. In Romans 4:5, the Apostle Paul spoke of being justified in the eyes of God when he said... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." We see the sharp contrast here between being justified in the eyes of God by faith alone; verses being justified in the eyes of men by works. God can see the faith in our heart; but men cannot, so they look at our works alone.

So please understand that although a sinner's prayer is perfectly acceptable, it is not enough to save a person―There MUST be a heart's faith in Jesus Christ.

If you realize your sinfulness and guilt, and have faith in your heart and want to ask Jesus to save you, then you might pray something similar to this sinner's prayer...

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner deserving of Hell. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died upon the cross, paying the price for my sins with your own blood. I now ask you to forgive all my sins and take me to Heaven when I die. I receive you as my personal Savior. Thank you for saving me, Amen.

There's nothing magical about the words friend, it's just the simple fact that you went to Jesus for salvation that matters... "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13). You could have simply prayed, "Jesus forgive me." It matters not what words you use, just as long as you realize your guilt as a sinner, and then believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Answer 2

I am not one of Jehovah's Witnesses but I am a student of history and religion. I do not go along with the doctrine that Jesus is God Almighty. I don't see this as a theological problem. The fact that Jesus is the son of God who was sent by the Father does not prove that Jesus is one and the same in substance before and after his birth as a human being. So many scriptures to validify that he is a separate person and not a part of a trinity to show his perfect sacrifice is sufficient for the redemption of mankind's sins. Jesus prayed to his Father that his followers would be one just as he and his Father are one, in thought and purpose only--John17. Surely you would agree he was not saying they would be a part of a Godhead. Many verses can be used to clarify Christ's unique oneness with God even though he was not the Almighty in human form and after his ascension to heaven. Think about it, could God Almighty Himself bodily enter into human form and redeem mankind! It would not be a ransom of equal balance for mankind would it?--1 Ki 8:27; Mt 20:28; 1 Ti 2:6; 1 Co 15:45. The concept of the trinity is being promoted in your question and so there is a biased view from your standpoint. A serious look at religious history is in order to see that this doctrine is of pagan thought, along with a personal study of the entire bible canon will not give support to this teaching, but will prove that Christ is not a part of a trinity doctrine. With love in Christ, C

Answer 3

Romans 10 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
There is nothing you can "do" to be saved, except to soley TRUST in Him- to repent of sin and give your life to Him- believe with your whole heart He is Lord- and that He is the only one who can take away the sins of the world.
We are saved by His grace alone ( Ephesians 2:8-9)
Works will not get us to heaven-- we receive eternal life when we first believe, confess to Him- it is the Holy Spirit who moves us, who puts it on our hearts, for no one can come to God alone, and no one can believe on their own ( see Romans 3:10) John 6:44 tells us we are drawn by the Holy Spirit- that is the only way one can come to the Father. So it is ALL GOD! None of us, praise be to Him! That is why it is so amazing to see someone being filled with the Holy Spirit, when they repent of sin and turn to God- it is the work of God in their heart!

Answer 4

This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible: 1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it.

If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); and your spiritual war with God has ended, as God stated in the following verses: Ezekiel 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Romans 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way: Titus 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”


However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will spend eternity in Hell under the wrath of God paying for your own sins. In these two verses, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation: 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Peter 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Answer 5

Ask forgiveness for your sins, and accept Jesus as your Saviour, turn away from the sins you have been committing (repent), and live a life of love and concern for your fellow man. Any kindness you do to a person is the same as doing it for Jesus.

Answer 6

One is saved by Grace alone.

That grace is made manifest through a persons faith in the Lord Jesus Christ coupled with his works.

One recieves grace through participation in the Sacraments.

http://www.scripturecatholic.com

Answer 7

Salvation (eternal life) is real simple. Scripture presents it as a marriage contract. Take YHVH's name and follow His rules. (He gives grace, power to you) and He will give you life. Believers followed Torah for 300 years after the Messiah until obedience was outlawed by the "Christian" church.

Answer 8

by being baptized with the Holy Spirit . believing in the Holy Trinity and confessing of the sins committed . this along with a real desire to repent of the sinful ways.

Answer 9

by accepting Jesus as lord and saviour acceping his sacrifice on the cross and repenting of your sins and past life.

Answer 10

The Christian doctrine implants they received as children kick in and they fall under the influence of Christian beliefs when they become 'born again.'

Answer 11

By accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I'll just suck up my sarcasm and leave it at that.