Salvation: What Are the Essentials?

Christians believe that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is of surpassing significance. But just why did Christ have to die?

Christian scholars have held throughout the centuries that the death of Christ is the very heart of Christianity. A reading of the New Testament certainly confirms this claim. In fact, Christ's death, known in theological terms as the atonement, was necessary because of the universal sinfulness of all of mankind. Genesis (chapter three) reveals how the first man (who, by the way, was also the representative of mankind) used his free will to rebel against his creator. This act of rebellion had great consequences. In fact, Adam's disobedience caused enmity to exist between the creator and himself. This hostility resulted in a permanent separation between God and man. And, as a result, mankind was forever excluded from the blessings of an intimate personal relationship with God. Not only this, but because of our unique association with Adam (and because of our own sin), we were all left in the desperate situation of being under the judgment of a righteous God.

As Peter writes:
"For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."
~1 Pet. 3:18According to the New Testament, the death of Christ is how God restored that broken relationship. Second Corinthians 5:19 states that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. In His death, Jesus is said to have suffered the penalty for our transgressions (2 Cor. 5:21). In fact, the separation between God and man has now been bridged by Christ. Christ's sacrificial death enables man to approach God and establish a relationship with Him not only for time, but also for eternity. The heart of the Christian message is that Christ has accomplished what we were incapable of doing for ourselves; Christ has reconciled us to God. Through Christ's death, God demonstrates both His perfect justice and His infinite love. As Peter writes: For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Pet. 3:18). God made Him (the Bible says) who had no sin to become the sin offering for you so that in Him, you might have the righteousness of God.

No one gets out of this world alive, so this is beyond a doubt one of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself!

Several years ago I was asked a question just like it. At that point in my life I did not think anyone could be sure that they would go to heaven. However, a friend demonstrated to me that the Bible was written to show us how we can have an intimate personal relationship with God here and now and know for sure that we will live with Him in heaven forever. No one gets out of this world alive...He proceeded to share with me how I could have this assurance but not before asking me another thought provoking question. That question was...

After pondering this question for several moments I answered that if anyone were to get into heaven they would probably have to be a good person, obey the Ten Commandments, and follow the Golden Rule.

My friend shared with me that my response was typical. That most people felt just as I did, that to get into heaven required being a good person and then hoping that God "grades on a curve."

He told me that there are only two responses that anyone can give to the question of what it takes for someone to get into heaven. One is found in Religion the other in Relationship.

Religion is man's attempt to reach up and become acceptable to God through his own goodness- by living a good life, obeying the Ten Commandments, and following the Golden Rule. Some religions even teach that this cannot be accomplished in one lifetime, so we have to live many lives until we are finally good enough to make it into heaven.

The problem is NO ONE is perfect...The problem with Religion's answer is that the Bible says if we are ever to become acceptable to God, we must be absolutely PERFECT! The Bible declares, "Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

The problem is NO ONE is perfect, so if we are ever going to know God here and now and live with Him in heaven forever, there has to be another way. And that way is found in a...

...relationship. That is what the Christian faith is all about. It is not a set of do's and don'ts. It's a personal relationship with God. That is what the Christian faith is all about. It is not a set of do's and don'ts. It's a personal relationship with God. That relationship does not depend on our ability to reach up and touch God through our own good works, but rather on His willingness to reach down and touch us through His love.

If I wanted to have a relationship with an ant, the only way I could do so is to become one. Well, obviously, I can't become an ant, but God did become a man. The Bible says, "The Word...Jesus...became flesh and lived for a while among us" (John 1:14). God came into time and space to restore the relationship which was broken by our sin...

...separates us from God. Sin is not just murder, rape, or robbery. Sin is failing to do the things we should and doing those things which we should not. Sin is anything short of being perfect.

Sin is anything short of being perfect.Our sin is the barrier between us and a satisfying relationship with God. The Bible says, "Your iniquities...sins...have separated you from your God..." (Isaiah 59:2).

Just as light and dark cannot exist together, neither can God and sin. Each day we are separated further from God because each day we add to the account of our sin.

Our sin not only separates us from god but sin also...

...separates us from others. You only need to read the newspaper or listen to a news report to see how true this really is.

Locally we read of murder, robbery, and fraud. Nationally we hear of corruption in politics, racial tension, and an escalating rate of suicide. Internationally there are wars and rumors of wars.

You only need to read the newspaper or listen to a news report to see how true this really is. We live in a time when terrorism abounds and when our world can be destroyed by the atom bomb.

All of these things point to this thing we call sin. The Bible says that "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). There are no exceptions and the problem is further compounded when we begin to understand who God is.

On the one hand God is the...

...perfect Father. We all have had earthly fathers, but no matter how good (or bad as the case may be) none are perfect. God, however, is the perfect Father. And as the perfect Father, He wants to have an intimate, personal relationship with us.
He says in His Word, "I have loved you with an everlasting love..." (Jeremiah 31:3). God loves us so much he wants to have a relationship with us regardless of our sin. However, the same Bible that tells us that God loves us also tells us that God is the...

As the spellbound courtroom looked on, the judge issued the maximum penalty but then without hesitation he walked over to where his only son stood and paid the penalty his son could not pay. And in that one act, he satisfied the justice of the law and yet demonstrated extraordinary love....perfect judge and as the perfect Judge, God is absolutely just, righteous and holy. The Bible says of God, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13).

Herein lies the dilemma. On the one hand, we see that God is the perfect Father, He loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with us. On the other hand, we see that He is the perfect Judge whose very nature is too pure to tolerate our sin.

This dilemma is brought about into clearer focus by a story that was carried over the UPI news service several years ago.

It was about a young man caught "driving under the influence" after committing several crimes. He was brought before a judge nicknamed the "Hanging Judge" because, although his integrity was beyond question, he always handed out the stiffest penalty allowable by law. The judge turned out to be the young man's father. Everyone in the courtroom waited to see how the judge would treat his only son.

As the spellbound courtroom looked on, the judge issued the maximum penalty but then without hesitation he walked over to where his only son stood and paid the penalty his son could not pay. And in that one act, he satisfied the justice of the law and yet demonstrated extraordinary love.

And that is but a glimpse of what God the Father did for us through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was God Himself who came to earth to be...

...our Savior and to be our Lord. As our savior, Jesus lived the perfect life we cannot live. Remember earlier we read that the Bible says to be acceptable to God we need to be perfect. Well, Jesus Christ came into time and space to be perfection for us. The Bible says, "God made Him (Jesus Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (II Corinthians 5:21).

We cannot earn it or deserve it, we can only live a life of gratitude for this gift which He freely offers us. This is the great exchange over which all of the Bible was written. God took our sins and placed them on Jesus Christ, who suffered and died to pay the debt we could not pay. Then wonder of wonders, He gave us the perfect life of Jesus Christ. He took our sin and gave us His perfect life! And he offers this to us as an absolutely free gift. We cannot earn it or deserve it, we can only live a life of gratitude for this gift which He freely offers us.

Jesus not only died to be our Savior, He also lives to be...

...our Lord. And as our Lord, Jesus Christ gives our lives meaning, purpose, and direction. This is a particularly exciting thought when you stop to realize that the one who wants to be your Lord is the very one who spoke and the universe leapt into existence. He not only made this universe, and everything in it, but He made You. He knows all about you and He loves you and wants you to have a satisfying life here and now and an eternity of joy with Him in heaven forever.

The Bible says,"...if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an undeniable fact of history. And that is not just anyone's opinion. That was the opinion of Dr. Simon Greenleaf who was the greatest authority on legal evidence in the 19th century. He was in fact the famous Royall Professor of Law at Harvard, and was directly responsible for it s rise in eminence among American law schools.

After examining the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ he declared it to be the most well-attested fact of ancient history. Truly Jesus demonstrated that He was God Himself through the undeniable fact of the resurrection. And to make Him your savior and Lord you need only take two steps. The first step is to...

...repent. Repentance is an old English word that describes a willingness to turn from our sin towards Jesus Christ. It literally means a complete U-turn on the road of life. A change of heart and a change of mind.It literally means a complete U-turn on the road of life. A change of heart and a change of mind. It means that you are willing to follow Jesus and to receive Him as your Savior and Lord.

Jesus Himself said, "...repent and believe the Good News" (Mark 1:15).

To demonstrate true belief means to...

...receive. To truly receive is to trust in and depend on Jesus Christ alone to be the Lord of our lives here and now and our savior for all eternity.

If you are sick you can believe a particular medicine can cure you, you can even agree that it has cured thousands before you. But until you receive it, it will not cure you.It takes more than knowledge (even the devil knows about Jesus). It takes more than an agreement that the knowledge we have is true (the devil knows that Jesus is Lord). What it really takes is to completely trust in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.

If you are sick you can believe a particular medicine can cure you, you can even agree that it has cured thousands before you. But until you receive it, it will not cure you. In much the same way you can know about Jesus Christ, and you can agree that He has saved others but until you receive the gift He so freely offers to you, you cannot get into heaven. The requirements to get into heaven are not based on what you can do but on what Jesus Christ has done. He wants to take your sin and give you His perfect life.

Jesus Christ says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in..." (Revelation 3:20). Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart right now and the question God is asking you is...

..."are you ready now to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?"

If your answer is yes you have made the most important decision of your life! By it you are saying that you...

...realize that you are a sinner; that you

...repent of your sins and that right now you want to

...receive Jesus personally as Savior and Lord.

If this is the sincere desire of your heart simply repeat this prayer. (Remember, God is more interested in the attitude of your heart than the particular words you use.)

If you prayed this prayer, I would like to show you something Jesus says about what you have just done.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).

Based on God's promise you now have eternal life - you have crossed over from death to life! With new life must come new growth. Each day we have the opportunity to grow in our relationship to God. Each day this relationship can become more precious and meaningful.

As you continue on the following page I would like to share with you five (5) steps that will help you grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

STEP ONE: The first step is daily communication with God through Prayer. Prayer is the way we talk to God. You do not need a special vocabulary to pray. You can simply speak to God as you would to your best friend. The more time you spend with God in prayer, the more intimate your relationship will be with Him. And remember there is no problem great or small that He cannot handle. If it's important to you it's important to Him.

STEP TWO: The second step is daily Bible reading. The Bible is God's primary way of communicating with us. It is our spiritual food. If you do not eat physical food, you will starve physically. In much the same way, if you do not eat spiritual food, you will starve spiritually.

I would like to recommend that you begin your Bible reading by reading one chapter from the Gospel of John each day. This will take perhaps 10 to 15 minutes. As you read you will begin to experience the joy of having God speak to you personally through His Word. If you do not understand something simply ask another follower of the Lord Jesus Christ to help you. Remember, you are no longer on your own; you are a part of the family of God.

Ask God for someone in His church with whom you can form a special bond of friendship...as in a fireplace many logs burning together create heat and warmth, but a log by itself quickly dies out. STEP THREE: The third step is active participation in a local Church. The church is a place where you can worship God and make Him the focus of your life. It is also a place for you to have fellowship with other believers. Ask God for someone in His church with whom you can form a special bond of friendship...as in a fireplace many logs burning together create heat and warmth, but a log by itself quickly dies out.

STEP FOUR: The fourth step is Discipleship. A disciple is a learner or a follower. As we follow Jesus our goal should be to become more like Him. When you become involved in a local church, look for a Bible study or class where you can learn to grow in your relationship with God.

STEP FIVE: The fifth step is Witness. Beyond a doubt the most important experience in anyone's life is to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I would not exchange this priceless treasure for a billion dollars. And because Jesus is that precious to me, it is my joy to share Him with others. You too will experience this joy as you share with others how they can have a relationship with God here and now and live with Him in heaven forever.