What is Salvation?

Maybe you've wondered about the talk of "Salvation" and never really understood or never really heard what the Bible says about it. This article describes what the Bible teaches about salvation. Since the Bible is God's message to mankind, let's see what He says salvation is!

Salvation is the bringing of a person from their current situation into a loving personal relationship with the True God forever. See John 3:16  Rev 21-22 and 1 Timothy 2:4.

God loves you and desires this personal and eternal relationship, but sin is in the way!

Salvation is from sin and its penalty. Sin is falling short of God's glory, holiness, and sinlessness. Sin is evil thoughts and evil actions, disobedience, missing the standard of holiness, and even part of our fallen human nature. Compared to one another, many of us seem good, and few are as evil as can be. But none of us matches up to a holy, sinless God. We are all in the current situation of sinners separated from the sinless God of the universe. See Rom 3:23  Isa 59:2  Gal 3:22.

Being separated from God is what spiritual death is. In this condition, sinners are without life and without hope. Sinners face the consequences of sin and its penalty unless something is done about the sin. Eventually each one faces God's judgment and eternity separated from God and in suffering unless saved from sin and its penalty. See Romans 1:18-32 3:23 6:23  Ephesians 2:1-3,12  Hebrews 9:27  2 Thess 1:8-9. 

Salvation is in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, fully God as God the Father is God. Jesus became a man, fully human as each of us is human. He lived a sinless, perfect life so He could be a sinless, perfect Substitute to pay the penalty of death for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. Jesus paid it all! He was buried to show that it was a real death. But He rose bodily from the dead demonstrating His power and victory over sin and death forever.  See 1 Corinthians 15:3-8  Hebrews 4:15  9:28  10:10-18  Romans 5:8  John 3:16.

Salvation is by Grace through trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as Your Savior. To receive this salvation, you must realize that you are a sinner deserving of the penalty for sin, separated from God, and not able to save yourself. We fall short!  But God is able to save us!  It is by His Grace that God saves the sinner. Grace is the unmerited, unpaid for, unearned, undeserved kindness of God. It is a gift! God shows His grace to all, believers and unbelievers, in giving light, rain, food, and life to all of us. Salvation is given by His grace through faith in Christ.

Saving faith is trusting in someone or something else and not ourselves. It is not just intellectual or just emotional, but is dependence on another. Saving faith is trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior–believing the truths of the Bible about Him (as outlined above) and depending upon Him for Salvation. Believe that when He died on the cross for sins, He died for Your sins. He did all the work and paid all the price! Trust in Him and His work alone – not trusting your own efforts or payments or sufferings, not trusting anyone or anything or any organization, not trusting in the fact that you "believe something".

Trust in Jesus Christ alone:

-that He is fully God

- that He is fully man

- that He fully paid for your sins

-that He forgives your sins fully

-that He really and bodily rose from the dead

If you are trusting in Him, then you have the salvation that God offers!! See Ephesians 2: 4-7, 8-9; John 1:12-13, 3:16; Acts 16:31; 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8.

Then, Salvation is for a growing personal, loving relationship with the True God through Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. That relationship is one of growing knowledge of God and His Word, loving obedience to His principles, service, worship, and witness for him, and a loving, eternal hope of eternal fellowship with Him! See Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:1-2; John 14:21,23; 1 Peter 1: 3-5; 2 Peter 3:1.

We believe these Bible truths and trust in Christ as our Savior.

You may want to pray a Believer's Prayer to express your new faith in Christ. This is an example:

    Dear Lord:    I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself from sin's penalty.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He died for my sins and rose bodily from the dead. I now put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. Thank you for saving me from sin, for forgiving me, and for giving me eternal life. Please give me the strength and wisdom to live out my faith in Christ.
    In Jesus' Name,   AMEN

If you have trusted in Christ as your Savior, please contact us that you have. We will rejoice with you and pray for you! We can send you materials to help you understand and grow in your faith–please request this. You are welcome to fellowship with us at FABC!

May God richly bless you!

Pastor Ron Clark 2008