SALVATION

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                                                                      WHAT IS SALVATION?

 

  • It is a free gift from God.
  • It is to save and deliver  us from our sins. 
  • It is to save and redeem us for eternity. 
  • It is an ongoing process to become Christ-like.
  • It is not dependant on good works or anything that we have to offer God.  

 

                                                            WHY DO I NEED TO BE SAVED?

  • You and I are born as sinners since the fall of Adam and Eve – Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….”  
  • The penalty of sin is natural death and eternal separation from God – Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all have sinned…” 
  • “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” 1John 1:8. 

 

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                            WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

  • Realize –   that you are a sinner and in need a saviour, “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner, Luke 18:13.    
  • Repent  –  “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out…,” Acts 3:19.
  • Receive – “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” John 1:12.  

                                                                        WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SALVATION?

  • Restored fellowship with God – “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away, have been brought near through the blood of Christ,” Ephesians 2:13. 
  • Resurrected life in Christ Jesus – “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” Ephesians 2:6. 
  • Redemption from your sins – “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:14   
  • Restored relationship with God through eternity – “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12.  
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                                                                     SALVATION – AN IMPOSSIBLE DEBT TO PAY

         

          A few decades ago, a well meaning friend told me that I owed a debt that I could never to pay – this was in the light of my sins, and it had a tremendous impact on my mind, and everything around me seemed meaningless. Life seemed devoid of meaning, it seemed a pointless existence. I found myself comparing my life to that of nature, to that of the animals, but then the realization hit me – all these things had a purpose for their existence. All these things were there for our enjoyment, pleasure, and sustenance – they lived and died without any thought of tomorrow, without any thought of eternity. But what about me, what is my final end? What of my eternity?

          I had never really questioned my final destination before; I had never really questioned where I was going to be for eternity. These things were a foreign concept to me, as I was a Muslim from birth and believed that if my life was submissive to God (Allah), and if he was pleased with my life, and if I had fulfilled all that he required of me, that I would live with him for eternity in paradise. But then I was told, that we are all sinners, and no amount of sacrifice on my part could get me to live for eternity with God, nothing I could do or hope to do would ever be good enough, no amount of money was ever going to be sufficient to cover the cost of my sins.  

          This was difficult for me to comprehend; it was difficult to comprehend the fact that I was a sinner from birth, a sinner who was in need of redemption, a sinner who was need of a savior. But then I asked myself the question, who would be foolish enough to die for me? Who would give his life for mine? Who would love me enough to pay all the debt that I owed for my sins?  Then again, why would I be so special for someone to give his life for me, what about all of creation? These were my thoughts when I was told that I owed a debt that I could never pay.

          It set me on a path of searching and seeking the truth. I started to go to church with the person that told me I owed a debt I could not pay. In one service, the minister read from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son in the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”.

         This was the reason for the birth of Jesus Christ, this was the sum total of what Christianity is all about. God our creator, loved us so much that He sent His Son down to earth, to be born of a virgin and to pay the penalty for our sins. No sin was too great, as through one man’s sin, sin entered into the world; and through one man’s death, the price was paid for all our sins. Christ death on the cross was payment for my sins and all of creation, but His resurrection from death and the grave completed the finished work of Christ. As without His resurrection, there could be no salvation.   

          As I reflected on that message, the reality of Jesus Christ was birthed in my spirit; it was the beginning of something new, as I accepted the gift of salvation. It is the greatest gift that anyone could receive – it is a free gift that is offered to all, without measure or limitations. This put all my questions to rest and I had a new perspective on life, and a new purpose to living. My life is no longer void of meaning, as we are all created for a purpose, and have a destiny to fulfill.