God’s Plan of Salvation

Becoming a Christian is an act of faith. Jesus Christ willingly died for your sins and calls upon you to trust Him as your personal Savior. To become a true Christian believer, you must come to know Jesus Christ. Such an encounter may happen anywhere: at a church altar, in your car, at home — or right now in front of your computer screen. It is no accident that you ended up here and are reading this now!

We need forgiveness — YOU need forgiveness for your sins. The Bible clearly teaches that we are all sinners by nature and by choice. Sin is the transgression of God’s law. To sin is to voluntarily disobey God’s law. The Scripture says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Sin is a problem we all must deal with because its consequences are so devastating. Romans 6:23 states that “the wages of sin is death.” Spiritual death involves separation from God for all eternity.

We are all guilty of sin. The Scripture reminds us, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (I John 1:8) Doing the best we can, or trying to “balance the books” is not sufficient to remove even one of our sins. That is why the payment for sin always involves a blood sacrifice. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed for sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, became the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

We need a Savior. Jesus died in our place and took the punishment for our sins. Trusting Him as your personal Saviour means that you accept His death on the cross as sufficient payment for your sins. The Bible declares, “The blood of Jesus Christ…cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7) Salvation is a free gift of God made possible to undeserving sinners by His grace. It is not a reward for our good deeds, nor is it something we must spend a lifetime trying to earn.

We need to receive salvation by faith. Knowing that Christ died in our place and that God is willing to pardon our sins will not save us until we receive that pardon by faith. Faith is believing a word or promise of someone when he gives it to you. Saving faith is believing in the promise of God.

The Bible is the instrument of our faith. The apostle Paul said, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

The Holy Spirit is the agent of our faith. He convicts of sin and causes us to see our need for a Savior. (John 16:8)

Jesus Christ is the object of our faith. In relation to our salvation, our faith rests in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We need a spiritual rebirth. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Spiritual rebirth occurs when God is born in us and unites His Spirit with our spirit. The marvelous truth of Scripture is that God lives within your soul. When you receive Jesus Christ, He comes to live within you forever. (John 14:20)

We need to call upon God to save us. The invitation of the gospel is clear. Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you can do it right now. Receive Christ by faith, by praying this simple prayer in your heart: