So, what exactly is “Salvation”?
The first thing that we have to realize is that we have all sinned; part of being human is being imperfect, and sometimes doing things that we probably shouldn’t. What is a sin, you might ask? A sin is anything that separates you from God. Did you ever do or say something that made you feel guilty, or thought “Maybe I shouldn’t have done that”? That’s a sin.
Romans 3:23 says: ”For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Likewise, Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
Since we can’t come to God with sin in our lives, we need an intercessor, a go-between, if you will. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, came to this earth, and sacrificed Himself on the cross to wash away our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, every sin that every person had ever committed, every sin that people are committing right now, and every sin committed by every human that will ever live was placed upon him. He bore our sins so that we wouldn’t have to. Jesus did the hard work, all we have to do is ask Him to forgive us of our sins and save us.
John 3:16 lays out the entire plan of Salvation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
It really is as easy as praying: “Jesus, I know that you died for my sins. Please forgive me and come into my heart and save me.” You don’t have to use these exact words, but it’s that easy. Just pray and mean it, and that’s it! Once you ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart, He is there forever. No matter what you may do for the rest of your life, He will still be with you. To me, that is an extremely comforting thought: no matter how high or low our lives may go, He is with us.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us, we now have access to God the Father through his risen Son Jesus Christ. What an amazing gift!