How To Obtain Salvation
I do not use the accepted way of placing just the scriptures at the end of a sentence or paragraph. On this website I place the scriptures at the beginning of the sentence because sometimes I feel keywords and/or the definition of certain words gives the reader better and more clear understanding of what they are preparing to read. I have been told many times that is a good way of helping readers comprehend the material they are reading.
I use the KJV Holy Bible and for the definitions of Biblical words I use the internet godrules.net/library/kjvstrongs/kjvstrongs which I keep minimized in two or three places on my computer for convenience and quick referral. If you use a different Bible than the KJV you will have to replace the kjv with your Bible name. I also use the new KJV exhaustive concordance book available in most bookstores because sometimes the internet version doesn’t give the definition of a word. No, I don’t know why.
Take one breath and keep it! How silly, yet that’s the way life is as we know it. The KJ Holy Bible states; (James 4:14) “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Every person in the world will agree with that scripture because everybody knows everything dies.
How did mankind reach this state? Why can’t science find the actual source, not cause; source, of death? The human body can rebuild lost blood. The human body has the capability to produce antibodies against every known disease because there are records of recoveries, without medicine, from every known disease. Wounds heal. The skin repairs itself. Broken bones knit themselves. The body’s simple, efficient process of the intake of raw materials, the production of energy and the elimination of waste cannot be synthetically duplicated by science.
Science states the lungs and heart have the capability to operate forever and the brain should never grow old and feeble. The body in all its various functions appears to be a self-perpetuating, eternal organism, and yet we die. Science can’t determine when life begins, where life comes from or where it goes. Roughly two million people in the United States die from all causes each year. (Luke 16:22-25) Have you ever looked closely at a dead body? It resembles who you used to know, it appears everything is there, but it is plain to see the person has left when his spark of life left.
I do not attempt to belittle science because many great and wonderful things have come to us from that multi-faceted discipline but science must be recognized as simply a tool to “fix” man’s curiosity, wants, and perceived needs. Science has created nothing. It has simply studied, found out about and discovered how to use what was already there.
(Gen. 2:7 & 1Thess. 5:23) Mankind is a creation of three; body, soul and spirit. The BODY is the material, organized, physical substance of man. Science states the body is composed of the elements of the earth and (Gen. 2:7) the Bible agrees. (Heb. 9:27) God said we will die; we always have, we are now and we will continue to do so; you will die and I will die.
Who are you? Your SOUL, you, your personality, your character traits are non-physical and has no measurable weight. In the original New Testament scrolls the Greek word psuche is used for soul and is defined as mind, me, person, self and heart. Psuche is the root word for the English word psyche which also means self. Science uses words like psyche, ego, self, mind, character and person to describe a complete soul personality. Studies vary and there are about 100 to140 words that identify the soul personality parts, these words are what we normally call character traits, and some of them are pride, humility, love, hate, temper, stubborn, selfish, generous, kind and rude.
Use love as an example and think of it like it is a barrel of water. One soul gets his barrel of love with one molecule less, another gets his barrel of love with two molecules less, and a third soul—you get what I’m saying. Now imagine the other hundred or so character traits (soul parts) measured the same way. In each soul each amount of any single character trait has a direct effect on some or all the other character traits depending on their amount. Thus there are an infinite number of soul combinations possible.
That is why all people are so much alike yet each one of us is completely different from all the others. The soul uses the brain to operate the physical body; to reason, to sub-consciously operate involuntary body functions and perform conscious tasks. Each physical body generally looks like and works like all other human bodies but it is different from all others due to DNA, fingerprints, retinal scan, color, size, shape, hair, and etc. Out of the billions of people who will ever live there is only one of you, the only you that will ever be. That is how wonderful, unique and important you are.
Your SPIRIT is the non-physical energy of life. The spirit, just like you the soul, has no measurable weight. It is very hard to understand how something as real as the soul and spirit can weigh nothing because everything we are familiar with does have weight. But if you will think about yourself for a few minutes you will understand. (James 2:26) God said the body without the spirit is dead. The spirit is the actual “spark of life” given by God. The soul uses the brain to utilize energy produced by the body to operate the body and its systems. We are each an eternal soul, a person, inhabiting a temporary physical body.
God set eternity in the heart of man and you can perform a simple check that will prove it. Imagine yourself dead! That’s easy; but it is you the eternal soul looking at you the dead temporary body. Now imagine yourself not existing. You cannot do it and you never will! The Biblical proof the soul leaves the body behind at the time of death can be read in (Luke 16:22-23 & Rev. 6:9) AND the Biblical proof man’s spirit (breath of life, spark of life) leaves the body at the time of death can be read in (Eccl. 12:7, Luke 16:22-25 & James 2:26). Why have this thing called lifetime in a temporary body that is going to struggle along a few years and then die? WHAT IS THE POINT OF LIFE?
(Gen. 1:27) “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Gen. 2:15-25) Man dwelt in the presence of God in the Garden of Eden; an eternal, perfect, physically perpetual man and woman in complete, intimate fellowship with God (Gen. 2:16-20 & 3:8-13) and they had the ability and freedom to think, decide, choose and communicate. Fellowship means a relationship with a companion. (Col. 1:16) It is obvious man was created to be (Gen. 2:19, John 15:11-15 & James 2:23) a companion for God under God’s rules of respect and love.
The word companion embraces the human soul perfectly because it means understanding, communication, love, devotion, partnership, friendship, affection and kindness. (Gen. 2:16-17) God’s one boundary was the man and woman (Gen. 3:1-19) must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die.
(Gen. 2:16-17) Man’s one boundary God will not cross is that man is free to make choices, because a companion must have the freedom to make choices; anything less will be a robot. OR: If a person with the freedom to make choices is forced to be a companion that person will be disgusted, resentful and will hate whoever is forcing him to be what he does not want to be.
The first man and woman were free to eat of the tree of life at any time but they chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which violated God’s one boundary of their relationship (Gen. 3:16-24) so God drove them from the Garden of Eden. Think of that: They had a choice between life or death and they chose death! (Gen. 3:17-18) God also cursed the world into what we live in today. (Gen. 1:29-30) Up to that point nothing had ever eaten flesh because all eaters ate plants. God changed the instinct of the animals into a relationship of predator and prey.
(Gen. 3:19) God changed man’s genetic makeup and planted the seed of physical death in man’s genetic profile. God tilted the earth on its axis which caused the weather patterns to emerge and become a burden for man. (Gen. 3:17-18) There had been no biting insects, allergic reactive plants, germs and etc. to torment man until the time of the broken relationship and God changed their genetic profiles into what it is now. Science agrees with all this because studies have proved these things are predisposed to be what they are because of their genetic profiles and science says the worldwide climate would be about a perfect 78 degrees with low humidity if the earth was vertical on its axis.
The man, Adam, and the woman, Eve, had lost everything because they had violated the single boundary of their relationship with God. (Gen. 3:18-19) They were suddenly faced with the terrible unknown of life, their security was gone, and they had to work out their living the best they could with the abilities they possessed and the laziness they let possess them.
That’s exactly the way our lives are today. (Gen. 3:24) God placed Cherubim’s at the east of the garden and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life and that flaming sword turned the Garden of Eden into a desert and the Garden of Eden is gone. Science says the vast reservoir of fossil fuel, mainly oil, under the burning sands (the flaming sword) of the mid-east countries came from a lush growth of vegetation in the past but science won’t admit God’s Garden of Eden was the source of it.
The man and woman’s warm, friendly, intimate, loving friendship with God was lost; their undeniable sin was plain to see (Gen. 3:7) and they were naked and ashamed before God. The man and woman did not know what death was even though (Gen. 3:19) the death sentence had been passed upon them. They were about to learn what their sin had caused because the most shocking event in the chain of terrible events took place just before they had to leave the Garden of Eden.
(Gen. 3:21) God slaughtered innocent animals, skinned them and fashioned coats of skins to hide the man and woman’s nakedness. Their eyes, that had never seen blood, and their souls, that had no comprehension of dying, were horrified by the reality that their sin had caused the bloody death of innocent animals. Then, with their heads down in shame, they left. The innocent had died for the guilty; it was the first physical prophesy about Jesus.
(Gen. 1:28 & 3:16) God gave the man and woman the ability to have children and that ability was passed on, and on, and on, until here we are, you and me (Josh. 24:14-15 & Luke 11:23) with the right of free choice in this temporary span called lifetime, living in a dying body, to make a choice and decide if we want (Rev. 21:1-4 & 22:1-5) to always live in eternity with God in heaven that is like the Garden of Eden where there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying and there will be no more pain OR:
(Rev.20:14-15) to always die in eternal fire with (2Cor.4:4) the god of this world, who is the devil, (Rev. 20:10-15) in an eternal lake of fire where (Luke 16:24-26 & Rev. 21:8) there will always be death, sorrow, crying and pain. Our physical death makes sure we have no third choice. You’re right, Adam and Eve did it, it wasn’t our fault BUT this life is all we’ve got and at least we’ve got a chance. Just think of the brilliance and fairness of that! We have a choice! You have a choice! The same choice Adam and Eve had; do you chose life or death.
TO MAKE THAT CHOICE BETWEEN TWO GODS AND TWO PLACES IS THE POINT OF YOUR LIFE. What else could possibly be more important?
Remember this because it is the WHY of salvation: (Gen. 1:26) You are made in God’s image. PROOF: Look within yourself and you will see that the only love that will satisfy you in this life is when someone loves you for who you are and what you are and that is exactly the way God is because God wants people to love Him for who He is and what He is.
Look at the devil, Satan, first. The devil deals in (John 13:2) treason, (Acts 10:38) oppression, (1Tim. 3:7) and defeat. (John 13:2) Satan speaks to your soul through your thoughts. Satan is too smart to boldly tell you to not get saved. He knows you would buck on that and go to church if it killed you. Satan will show you reasons to put salvation off for a while; put off going to church and put off praying. He will suggest church is all foolishness. He will point out one Christian’s sin and blind you to fifty other Christians who are living righteous. (2Cor. 4:4) Satan will deceive you just like he did Adam and Eve! Life or Death?
Satan’s names are who Satan is, what Satan is, and what Satan does. Satan is (Matt 13:19) a thief (John 8:44) murderer, liar, (1Pet. 5:8) adversary, roaring lion (a predator), (Rev. 12:9) dragon, serpent, Devil, Satan, (Rev. 12:10) accuser and (Rev.20:3) deceiver. The name Satan means (adversary). The picture of that cute, little red imp with the funny horns, pitchfork, and mischievous expression is Satan’s propaganda tool to lull you to sleep.
According to these Biblical names Satan does not want you to accept salvation. He suggests, (2Cor. 11:14) he quietly tells you reasons not to go to church in your thoughts and he gently puts other things that are so very attractive right in front of you; his list of “Don’t you dare go to church Sunday” is endless.
THINK ABOUT THIS: If someone got right up in your face and told you; “If you show up at church on Sunday I’ll beat the tar out of you on the church house steps.” you would show up if it killed you. You are too brave to let something like that pass (2Cor. 11:14) but that is exactly what the devil tells you every time you think about going to church! You folks who have children please consider this.
If a cougar (mountain lion) came into your yard with you and your children you would fight it with your bare hands until it killed you so your children could escape. (1Pet 5:8 keywords: roaring lion) Yet the devil is doing the same thing and millions of parents are giving up without a whimper. Are you? Take them to Church. Fight the devil for your children. He’s already in the schools, government and much of our politically correct society. You are the only chance they have!
(1John 4:8) “God is love.” More than a thousand years before Jesus was born (Isa. 7:14) Isaiah prophesied Jesus would come (Luke 1:31-35) and even gave His name. Even before that, back at the beginning of time (Gen. 3:15) God told the devil a seed would come and bruise (break the devil’s hold on men) the devil’s head and the devil would bruise (crucify Jesus; think, nail in the feet) the seed’s heel.
(Rom. 1:3-5) Jesus is that promised seed. The details of Jesus’ birth (our Saviour) are given in (Luke 2:1-52) if you want to read it. You might think; “why should I make the first move by going to church?” Please consider this: God loves you so much he made all the first moves.
God made the first move when He sent His perfect Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice to cleanse you of your sins. The innocent animals that bled to hide Adam and Eve’s sin was a prophesy of innocent Jesus’ shed blood. God made a second first move when He made a Bible containing His word available for you. Remember all the old Bible writers who died to write and protect God’s word? He made a third first move when he sent His Christians in person to you with His words, written, radio, TV, Church and etc. (John 6:44 & 12:32) God is making a fourth first move right in your soul by having His Holy Spirit draw you toward His salvation.
If you are an unsaved person it is of the greatest importance that you know how to get saved when the time of God’s drawing comes because (Mark 8:36-37) “For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Wealth and social position can’t buy life when it comes time to die (Luke 18:19) and being a good person can’t earn mercy at the judgment.
The only reasonable question is; do you care, really care, what happens to you eternally? You may think; “Man, that’s a stupid question!” Or you may think: “Man, that’s an unfair question, especially at a time like this!” No, it’s a reasonable question.
Just look around you; how many people do you know who died and sad people said; “Well, he didn’t leave any hope because he wasn’t a Christian.” Or: At the funeral, being kind to the family, all the preacher can say is; “Well, he’s in the hands of a merciful God.” How wonderful it is to hear the preacher say; “He was a Christian and he’s gone home to be with Jesus.” And then the preacher preaches about that happy family reunion in Heaven where there will never, ever, be any more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. So what do you want for you? That is a reasonable question.
First let’s face some facts. (Rom. 3:23) You are a sinner because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Matt. 18:11) You are lost and God wants to save you. (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth (reliance upon Jesus for salvation and to entrust your spiritual well-being to Jesus) in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Rom. 8:6-17 then Luke 11:23) Jesus said; “He that is not with me is against me.” That means, according to God’s word, if you accept Jesus you have rejected Satan. If you reject Jesus you have accepted Satan.
Physical death makes sure we must leave here to go be with whoever we have chosen. (John 3:16, 1Cor. 2:9-10 & Rev. 21:3-4) Forever living in joy with Jesus. OR: (Rev. 20:10-15) Forever tormented in the fire with the devil, forever dying but never able to get it finished. Jesus or Satan; eternal life or eternal dying? It is your choice.
So many times people think God is a red faced, malignant entity who is wildly looking for any excuse to send us to hell but this paragraph tells the truth about how God really operates. Think about this: (Matt. 25:41) Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels and man was not supposed to even go there. (Isa. 5:12-14) Hell enlarges itself only as men choose to go there.
And then this: (John 5:30 & Rev. 20:10-15) God does not have a choice in the matter of who He sends to heaven or hell! When a person decides to accept salvation their name goes into the book of life. When judgment time comes God reads the names written in the book of life. If the name of the person standing before God is not in the book of life that person is cast into the fire (Rev. 20:10 & 15) to be tormented and to experience dying forever but cannot get it accomplished. So, just like Adam and Eve’s choice, each person makes the choice to live forever or die forever; accept salvation or refuse salvation!
(John 5: 24-30 esp. V28-29) “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good (accept salvation), unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil (refuse salvation), unto the resurrection of damnation.” (Rom. 8:6-17 esp. V.7 keyword: carnal: defined: unregenerate) God sends each person WHERE THAT PERSON HAS CHOSEN TO GO!
You already know all these things about your life: You know what you have done and how you have lived. You know something is missing and things are just not quite right in your life. What you do not know is there is a God place in you that is empty because; (Col. 1:16) you were made by God and for God. God wants you to love Him for who He is and what He is. God is not living in your soul in your God Place and that causes the sense of lacking within you that asks: “There must be more to life than what I’ve got and what I feel.” From that God place comes the need to worship.
People try to fill God’s place with things and, in a sense, people worship pleasing self by entertaining self (god self), by wanting money, possessions, power, popularity, or other people. But the God place will still be empty and you will always want more of whatever it is you are attempting to fill your God place with; but it will never be enough because it is God’s place in you and nothing else can ever fill that place except God.
(Ezek. 33:11) God takes no pleasure that you are lost, (Isa. 45:21-22) it breaks His heart (Joshua 24:15 & Matt. 12:30 then Matt. 11:28-30) but God’s honesty makes Him live by your choice. Being saved brings you an assurance that overrides all disappointment, worry and defeat because you know everything will be alright in the end. (Luke 12:32) It is God’s good pleasure to save you. (James 5:11) God is very pitiful and of tender mercy (Luke 15:10) and God expresses His joy in the presence of His angels when a person accepts the salvation He offers.
Please understand that you are caught right in the middle of God and Satan’s (Rev. 12:9: the Devil’s) war for your eternal soul. (John 14:30) Jesus identified the devil, Satan, as the prince of this world who has nothing to do with Jesus and (2Cor. 4:3-4) he is later identified as the god of this world who tries to, and will, blind your mind to God’s salvation efforts. (2Cor. 4:3-4 & Eph. 6:10-18) Reveals the devil’s method of attack on you, and we Christian’s war with him, are identified and (V.12) he is called a powerful ruler of darkness who deals in spiritual wickedness.
We humans, me, you, all of us, are by nature tuned in to our own thoughts and we think every thought originates within ourselves but they don’t.
In our thoughts is where both God’s Holy Spirit and the devil’s unholy spirit work. Your “thought” comes; “Maybe I ought to go to Church Sunday and see about getting my life straightened out.” and immediately more “thoughts” come concerning reasons not to go to Church; “Maybe I’ll go next Sunday ’cause this Sunday I’ve got to—— OR ’cause this Sunday I want to——.
Your first thought came from God’s Holy Spirit invitation to help yourself AND your second thought is from the devil’s unholy spirit suggestion to resist God’s invitation by bringing to your attention the things you already like to do. AND: (Gen. 3:1-7) That is the exact pattern the devil used on Adam and Eve in the beginning, it worked then and it still works today. Your thoughts are the arena in which God and Satan fight their war for your soul (Rev. 20: 10-15 & 21:27) and the one you choose as the winner will be the one with which you will go with into eternity.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Jesus did not bring a religion. Jesus did not bring a bunch of impossible to keep rules and laws so He can send people to hell for breaking them. The following one sentence paragraph is based on these two scriptures: (Rom. 8:13-17) for non-Jews and (Gal. 4:4-7) for Jews.
(John 14:1-23 esp. V.9, 18 & 23) Jesus brought the offer of an individual, personal relationship with God (1John 4:8 & 16) founded on love because God is love, (Rom. 5:8 & Gal. 2:20) based on love because Jesus loved us enough to die so we can get saved and (all through the New Testament) built on love by keeping our Christian relationship with God alive and well through the Holy Spirit, God’s Holy Word, our own values, attitude, activities, desires and abilities in our growth as a Christian after we get saved.
Normally a seeker of Christ doesn’t know the scriptural process of getting saved. He or she is simply drawn to church and Jesus and they go. They listen to some preaching and teaching about Jesus and salvation. They realize they are lost and they want saved. A time of decision comes. They decide to either accept Jesus as Saviour or refuse Jesus as Saviour. It is obvious they already believe in Jesus if they are willing to pray. They pray and it is done; they are saved. When they get done they are glad to confess that Jesus saved them. It is that simple.
The information below explains in detail and by scripture the spiritual mechanics of the salvation process. By this you can see all the beautiful effort, wonderful patience, amazing love, locked in safeguards and infinite grace and mercy God exerts to help a seeker obtain salvation.
The steps of the process are numbered for easier understanding BUT the first five steps happen simultaneously in an ever-increasing magnitude as long as you follow God’s drawing. The sixth is your decision and the seventh depends on your decision.
#1 (Acts 4:10-12) Jesus is the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
#2 (John 6:44 & 12:32-33) “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men to me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” Jesus was lifted up (Luke 23:33) when He was crucified, (Luke 24:1-6) lifted up when He rose from the dead and (Luke 24:51) lifted up when He ascended into heaven. God uses His people as part of His drawing. He will send Christians to witness to you and ask you to come to His church. He has His Christians on radio, TV, internet and publishing articles that draw you by their testimony, preaching and teaching.
(1Cor. 15:2-7) Jesus died for your sins. Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day and after forty days of visiting His friends (Luke 24:46-51 esp. V.49) and giving final instructions about waiting in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12 thru 2:47 esp. 2:1-4) for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit who would guide them in establishing a church He ascended into Heaven. God’s drawing is the key to the whole thing.
God’s Holy Spirit presents GOD’S DRAWING to your soul through your thoughts in three ways: (Luke 5:32) A calling, which is an invitation from God to stop living a life of sin and stop being lost. God will open your understanding and you will see the need for something more in your life. Nothing will ever completely fill that need but the presence of God. It is an invitation to come on back home to God where you are loved and appreciated; back where you were meant to be.
(Luke 10:21-22) A revealing: God reveals to you that you are lost; that you, precious you, are really going to die; and that hell is a terrible reality. God reveals His own loving and forgiving nature, the reality and goodness of His person and that salvation is possible for you. (John 16:8) A reproving: God convicts you of your lost and sinful condition; that you are terribly vulnerable; that the devil is really using you and mocking you; that your life is just plain old wrong, and that the world is really a taking place and by its actions it is attempting to take away your shot at eternal life with God in paradise.
(John 3:16 & Rom. 5:8) You must understand that God loves you; He does not want to hurt you; He wants what is best for you. He is not some “weird dude” entity who takes a twisted, perverted, hateful delight in being cruel and punishing you. (1John 4:8, 15 & 16) God is love.
Please read these two scriptures: (Isa. 14:12-14 & Ezek. 28:13-17) Satan is just the opposite. Satan is hate. Satan is in rebellion and is working to replace God. Satan doesn’t want you to have a choice or a chance to escape his grasp. (John 3:16 & Rom. 10:8-13) God loves you so much He gave His only Son to die on a cruel, bloody cross so you can get saved. Think of that! His Son! For you! That is what you are worth to God. Jesus or Satan; eternal life or eternal death?
#3 (James 4:7-8) “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.” Each of these steps begin with God’s word because it is His instructions, promises and guarantees and only God can fulfill them. God’s drawing is so gentle and starts so early in life most people are not even aware of it for a long time. Think about this a minute: Before you got hardened by life and before you got in such a big hurry living your life you were aware of God’s creative hand in the natural world around you (God’s drawing). In your life experience there is a little attraction when you hear about God (God’s drawing).
Life goes on, you hear about God, His Son Jesus, and salvation and you can’t help but wonder about it (God’s drawing). You may disregard it; you may scoff at it; you may not believe it; you may even say you stand against it; but somehow the God awareness is there (God’s drawing). Way down deep inside you where nobody else is allowed, in that terribly empty God place; you wonder about your death and eternity (God’s drawing). You have probably heard all your life that scared religion is worthless but the Holy Bible, God’s word, screams that is a lie. (Psa. 111:10) “Fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Everybody that came to Jesus had a problem, a disease, an emergency, or a need and they were afraid of their problem because they could not handle it. Please understand: these people knew who to go to for help (God’s drawing). Even atheists, why are their activists and organization so vocal and loud and fight so hard against Someone they say isn’t even there?
It does not make sense to waste their time fighting against their concept of nothing, yet they do! They seek something and wish to hide their inner emptiness with their godlessness. It is conceived in their pride and their awareness of and resistance to God’s drawing because they are afraid to love and give of self. (2Cor. 4:4) They are victims of Satan’s blinding.
Being lost and on the way to hell is the greatest emergency that can be imagined because what could possibly be worse than to be in torment forever and no way out (God’s drawing). (Matt. 18:11) Think about it: what if you, precious, precious you die lost? When you draw nearer to God by thinking (meditation) about yourself and God, praying, reading the Bible, talking about the Bible and going to church; (James 4:8) God guarantees He will draw closer to you and God’s calling, revealing and reproving will intensify.
Please understand this: (Eph. 2:8) As long as you keep drawing closer to God He will give you the faith you need to keep going through the process of drawing right on through to being saved. Think of the fairness of that! (Psa. 94:11 & Matt. 12:25) God knows each of us intimately. Examples: (Acts 9:1-21) God will “draw” a very stubborn man a little harder than He does a less stubborn man OR: (John 20:24-28) God will give an extra measure of faith to an extremely doubting man and give less faith to a less doubting man thus we all get an equal opportunity to be saved.
Think about the loving, wonderful, fairness God shows each of us! God may have been drawing you for years and you just did not understand what was happening. No man understands it completely until he goes through it for himself. No man can tell you how long it takes for you because he isn’t you and he sure isn’t God. (Psa. 94:11) God knows you intimately; He knows your needs, your fears, all that you think, feel and are; He knows what it takes and how long it takes to draw you.
The final realization of His drawing may be only minutes, a few hours, or some days. No man can tell you because it is God’s time for you and your time for God. You can “feel” God’s beautiful, amazing and wonderful love for you and you “know He is God.” Follow that love because it will lead you to wonder, beauty, peace, security and joy. (Luke 15:10) GOD IS ANXIOUS AND HAPPY TO SAVE YOU!
You cannot reason your way to God. You cannot just decide to make yourself saved. GOD MUST BE THERE TO WORK HIS DRAWING IN YOUR SOUL, YOUR EMOTIONS. (James 4:8) When you draw nearer to Him He will draw nearer to you and His revelation of Himself will cause a time to come when you know it is time to make a decision. IT IS YOUR CHANCE AT SALVATION; RELIEF; A PEACE YOU’VE NEVER HAD; AND FINALLY, SAFETY. Jesus or Satan; eternal life or eternal death?
#4 (1Tim. 1:12-14) It does not matter what you have done in the past. (Eph. 2:8-9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Only by God’s grace can you be saved because #1) you have nothing valuable enough to purchase salvation, #2) you cannot live good enough to deserve salvation and #3) you will not be able to generate enough faith to just take salvation. Enough faith to get saved is a gift from God. What amazing fairness!
#5 (Rom. 10:9-10) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe (to depend upon Jesus for salvation, to entrust one’s spiritual well-being to Jesus) in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth (to accept the truth of God’s word, to depend upon Jesus for salvation, to entrust one’s spiritual well-being to Jesus) unto righteousness (justification); and with the mouth confession (acknowledgement of sins) is made unto salvation” Do you believe Jesus is the virgin born Son of God? Do you believe Jesus died for your sins and that He was resurrected from the dead? Can you say it?
It is a tender, sorrowful, poignant time of almost unutterable sweetness as God reveals the reality of the remarkable depths of His loving character and that He loves you enough to send His own Son Jesus to the cross to pay your sin debt which, because of your sins, you could not pay. TAKE IT! Take salvation while it is offered! (Luke 12:32) It is God’s good pleasure to give you salvation. It hurts God when you choose Satan, the devil, instead of God’s Son Jesus. God gave all He had; God gave His level best for you; GRAB IT!
It is a fearful time too. Mortal words cannot describe how awful are the consequences are of dying lost. Please read (Prov. 1:23-33) because if you keep refusing God; a time will come when He will depart, He won’t be back, and you can never get saved. I love you and I’m really sorry to have to tell you this part but you must know the truth. I have lived (Prov. 1:23-33) with a dear friend to three generations of my family and it was a horror story! Please see this website Jesus Me And Why.com, the commentary The Holy Spirit & You, the menu article The Holy Spirit is Truth about two-thirds of the way down the article to the paragraph starting with the words PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
You are made in God’s image: Have you ever given someone something really special and they treated your “special” gift like a piece of garbage? Of course you have and that hurt you and made you angry; didn’t it? I will bet you never offered them something “special” again did you? God feels the same way about His “special” gift of Jesus and salvation that He offers you.
There is nothing more terrifying and pitiful than to die, to depart from all you know and face the judgment alone and without hope. (1John 4:8) God is warm and loving; (Psa. 86:15) God has feelings (Eph. 4:30 & 2Pet. 3:9) and He can suffer hurt just like us; God is filled with compassion and mercy. (Psa. 103:4-8) God offers His lovingkindness and He is gracious, merciful (James 5:11) and regards our lost, sinful state with tender pity. (James 4:8) God reveals more of Himself as His drawing continues when/if you start following His drawing.
God looks at it this way: (John 12:46) Jesus is the light of the world. (John 3:19) “And this is the condemnation, that light (Jesus) has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” You read these words and you know they are the truth because God isn’t taking anything. God wants to give but God despises sin so there are conditions to His giving.
(Heb.10:29-31) Imagine how you would feel if you have to face God while you are still in your lost, sinful condition. Salvation is a chance to be cleansed of your sin, get a brand new start, then when you die and go meet God, you can be glad and happily receive His rewards.
#6 (John 3:3) “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, (truly, truly,) I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (to regenerate), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
When you confess that Jesus is the Son of God and genuinely believe (to accept the truth of God’s word, to depend upon Jesus for salvation, to entrust one’s spiritual well-being to Jesus) in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; when you genuinely want to be saved more than anything; when you genuinely repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you of your sins; you will be saved through the born again event which is the spiritual regeneration of your soul, (2Cor. 5:17) you are a new creature (creation) in Christ and (Rom. 8:13-16) you have become a Son or a Daughter to God. You will know you are saved because God will tell you and your sin burden will leave.
God is the only one who can accomplish these things. It is a time of the most incredible love. The wonderful relief you will feel is because you have been judged, your sins have been cleansed from you by the blood of Jesus Christ, you have been cleared before God, the great and eternal judge, and you are free. (Mark 3:35 & Gal. 4:7) Best of all you have become a member of God’s personal family and when your lifetime is over you can go live in eternity where (Rev. 21:4) “there is no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:” JESUS OR SATAN; ETERNAL LIFE OR ETERNAL DEATH? Your choice.
(John 14:23) “we will come unto him and make our abode with him.” When you are saved you will know it because Jesus will move right into your God place and live within you through the Holy Spirit and start teaching you how to live as a Christian through His Holy Word. You do not have to be perfect to get saved, (Eph. 4:12-15, 2Tim. 3:16-17 &1Pet. 2:2-5 keyword: grow) just like all the rest of us, you start working on perfect by learning how to be a Christian after you get saved.
#7 The next step is baptism. (1Peter 3:21) “The like figure whereunto even baptism (make fully wet) doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth (depravity, wickedness) of the flesh (carnal human nature) but the answer (reply) of a good conscience (moral consciousness) toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It is obvious baptism is complete immersion in water and baptism does not cleanse a person of sin. BECAUSE:
Scripturally baptism takes place after the born again event or you could not have a good (Psa. 103:12- your sins are gone Luke 15:9-10- and you are found) conscience (moral consciousness) toward God. ALSO:
#A (Rom. 5:10-11) Baptism publicly signifies you have already been saved and your moral consciousness (conscience) of your sin has been cleansed by God through the cleansing atonement of Jesus’ blood.
#B (Rom. 6:3 & 1Pet. 1:23) Baptism is a public demonstration that represents the spiritual born again event; that you, the old person of sin, has spiritually died, been buried, then you are resurrected from the water a new person but still living in this world.
#C (Rom. 6:4-5 & 1Cor. 15:42-55 esp. V.46) Baptism is also a public demonstration of your faith that after your physical death at the end of your lifetime on earth, at some future time chosen by God, you will be resurrected in a glorified spiritual body just like Jesus and you will live forever with Jesus in paradise. Think of that! It’s all free!
If you desire more in-depth information about the above go to the article The Holy Spirit is Truth and read both parts. The first contains a true story about my Daddy’s best friend and the second contains a true story about my Daddy. ALSO: If you have a friend, acquaintance, family member, or just whoever who is not a Christian please send them a link to this one article commentary or if you can make a hard copy and give it to them. (Mark 8:36) Thank you with all my heart. GOD BLESS YOU.