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An Entrance To Heaven: How To Be Saved
Modified: January 9, 2024
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Understand salvation deeper and learn the truth on how to be saved and other Biblical facts about salvation that you need to know today.
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Do you desire to know more about the salvation of Jesus? Or on the contrary, perhaps you doubt the saving power of God’s mercy? Nonetheless, your desire and even your doubt can be used by God to open your heart to the truth of His salvation. There is no one, absolutely no one too far for the gracious hands of Jesus. He can meet you wherever you are right now. There is no man too sinful for God to save. Likewise, there is no time too late for God to speak to you. He has prepared His message long before you had the slightest idea of who he is. May you allow the Word of God to speak to you as you hear His truth on how to be saved.
There is more to life than the life we experience here on earth. Whatever it is that you’re struggling with right now— sin, broken relationships, and financial difficulties, this is not what God wants you to experience forever. You may think that you have it all now, but God is saying that there is and will be more to life. Are you satisfied with your riches or happiness? These are nothing compared to what God has in store for you in heaven. Do you wrestle with pain? The Lord has prepared a place for you where pain or longing and even tears are no more.
Are you willing to come to God in His perfect paradise when you leave the earth? The answer to this question is really easy. What needs focus is this: How can we go there?
Acceptance Of Salvation
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Everybody needs salvation. The first step on how to be saved is the acceptance of it. You can be better than others in the world but you cannot save yourself. Your life may be grounded on values and ethics which you strictly live by, yet the truth never changes. Perhaps, you always give to the needy and commit no crime, but God’s truth says, you are not capable of reaching heaven by doing these acts. There’s no way you can save yourself by good works or by eluding flaws. Jesus is the only author of salvation and He alone can grant it.
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Furthermore, Romans 3:10 says that no one is righteous, not even one. Therefore, we need to accept the salvation of Jesus because we are all simply, sinful, and unworthy to enter heaven. Heaven is a place of God’s holiness and no man can enter it unless Christ’s blood has washed away their sins so they’re blameless in God’s eyes.
The irony of finding the perfect ways on how to be saved is that there is no other way but through Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. The only complete and perfect way to heaven is through Jesus. He alone can give us a free ticket to heaven. Yes, you read it right! The best thing about salvation is, it is a gift from God.
Read more: How To Go To Heaven In Catholicism
Where Does God Save Us From?
We probably have comprehended how sinful our nature is. We know well that man has wicked desires and is innately self-centered. However, we have a narrow understanding of the consequences of our sins. We sin and offend a holy God, what then? Men disobey the laws of the Lord, and so? Why do our sins make it a big deal for God? Sin has caused an unfathomable breach between God and man. Moreover, sin brings destruction. It leads people to separation from God where suffering and relentless torment is eternal. This is where we need to be saved. The punishment of sin is death and this is not just death by the flesh but also death in spirit.
Death in Hell is inexplicably excruciating. It is dreadful beyond imagination. No one can comprehend this tragic ending that never ends. The Lord out of His abundant love gave His life as a ransom so that whoever believes in Him and His death on the cross will not experience the punishment of sin. Instead, God gave the gift of eternal life in heaven with him. There is no more separation, no more suffering in the paradise of God. He gave us this in exchange for the blood of Jesus being poured out as a penalty for our sins. There is no greater love than this. He gave everything for the salvation of mankind.
The Lord saves us from the pit of destruction. How can we say no? When we realize thoroughly why God saves us, it can be easier for us to desire how to be saved. Unless we recognize the need for salvation, we will not yearn for it.
Find How to Be Saved By Accepting The Free Gift By Faith
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Perhaps, you now understand the reason and the need for the salvation of Christ. Also, you may now be more willing to receive this salvation. How then should we receive the gift of eternal life? The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we can receive salvation through faith. Faith is defined as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11). It is difficult to believe something that we don’t see but faith requires us to do this. Jesus said in John 20:29 after He rose again, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed”. They are truly blessed for they will inherit the Kingdom of God. Faith is a gift from the Lord. If you are struggling to receive God’s salvation by faith, ask God to give you faith.
Instructions On Being Saved in the Book of Hebrews
The entire Book of Hebrews gives us the famous hall of faith which presents the people in the Old Testament whom God blessed and gave commendation. They do not receive their approval because of their good works, but through what God has told them to. The verses of Hebrews 11 tell us that it is by faith that they were able to please God. They did all things and what God had commanded them with faith. They believed God would help them even if they didn’t understand his plans for them. This same way we ought to live. You might be wondering all this time not just how to be saved but also how should one live as saved. It is all by faith.
There is no perfect time to receive God’s salvation than this very moment. Take time to silence your heart and pray this prayer of acceptance. Pray with faith.
Prayer of Acceptance
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures.
Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
–Pastor John Barnett, The Sinner’s prayer
Acknowledging The Lordship Of Jesus Christ
Romans 10:9 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Jesus is indeed our Savior. He is also the Lord of lords and the highest authority in heaven and on earth. To Him belongs all dominion and power. The New Testament referred to Jesus as Lord thirty times more than mentioning Christ as savior. The Bible places high regard on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is not just a savior who reaches His hands toward imperfect people but remains as the highest authority in a person’s life. Accepting God’s salvation also means accepting the Lordship of Jesus. We cannot choose to only accept Christ as Savior and neglect Him a Lord. That is not accepting Jesus at all because Jesus is both Lord and Savior.
Jesus as our Lord clearly means that our lives are not just about us. It becomes more about Jesus. Our decisions became what God has to say. Also, we shall no longer walk in our old ways. Rather, we begin to acknowledge God in everything that we do, seeking His approval. This is what it means to live by faith. Abraham and the other mentioned names in Hebrews 11 received God’s commendation because of their faith in him. The moment you start asking how to be saved is the start of another long list of questions. You begin to question other words in the New Testament and you start to deepen the faith that just started with simple questions like what is salvation?
Questions are never wrong. If you seek to increase your knowledge and faith begin by asserting the Lordship of Christ.
How To Be Saved By A Life Of Repentance
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Knowing real salvation and the true way on how to be saved will lead us to a life of repentance. Repentance begins when we admit our sins before God through confession. Upon realizing that we have sinned against God, our response should include being sorry for these sins and asking God for forgiveness We are to ask God to wash away our sins with His blood. We may not remember all the sins that we have committed against God but these all made a scar against the righteousness of God. The Lord’s requirement is just the confession of it upon receiving Him as Savior and Lord. Is it something difficult? For a prideful heart, it can be. But not for a heart that knows His position before God and fully grasps the grace of God.
Confession and Guilt
Sorrow and guilt lie in confession. But it does not end there. True repentance happens when this godly guilt produces a life determined to get rid of the old life and begin living it by honoring God. Repentance is about turning away from sin, laying it all down before the feet of Jesus, and start living a life pursuing the righteousness of God. In this way, we revere the Lordship of Jesus and accept the gift of salvation. God’s love enables people to love. His grace equips people to be transformed from glory to glory. A changed life begins with genuine and sincere repentance.
The Lord is gracious and merciful. He forgives those who ask for it. However, the Bible also reminds us to forgive as Jesus has forgiven us. As we receive the grace of God, we also become gracious and this is how amazing the move of salvation in man’s life.
A New Life in Baptism
1 Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
In pursuing a new life in Christ, the question of how to be saved turns into a desire on how to identify ourselves in Christ. The early Christians identify themselves as one with God through Water Baptism. There is no practice more accurate on depicting the way Jesus can transform a life from old into new than the Baptism. Water Baptism is a public illustration of how a person experiences salvation in which buries the old life in baptism and then is raised to live a new life. A person cannot accept salvation and then after that continue sinning. This is a shallow acceptance of the free gift of God. Water Baptism represents the burial of a person as submerged in the water. This act means death to sin. After this burial in baptism is the resurrection of one’s life to a completely new life.
The water in Baptism symbolizes the washing away of our every dirty sin. As we are born again, there is neither sin nor shame anymore and new life emerges. In the same way, it portrays the freedom of man from sin because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
How To Be Saved By Following Jesus
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
The early Christians after receiving the gift of salvation repented for their sins and publicly identified themselves as Christians through water Baptism. They then began to pursue Christ. Salvation is the starting point of man’s wonderful journey to Christlikeness. How to be saved is a lot easier than how to remain faithful in working on our salvation. God’s grace never stops on the acceptance of it nor does it end on repentance. Moreover, the grace of God does not complete itself after Water Baptism. In point of fact, this is just the beginning. God’s salvation by grace works in us to transform us into the image of Christ. This is not a fast flight. The road to heaven is narrow and perhaps comes with thorns and rocks along the way.
Unlike salvation which is a lot easier to receive, following Christ often requires tears, hours of prayers, and obedience to the Word of God. However, as God is able to open your heart to His truth, it is no hard work for Christ to also transform you into His likeness.
