What Must I Do to be Saved?

What you need to realize above all else is that God loves you profoundly. He created our race to have fellowship with Him. In other words, He wanted a close, personal friend.

Yet, He did not want a robot. He wanted to create a being that was like Him in a sense that that creation could choose to do things, such as love others. Freewill is one of the complexities of the human soul. It guides not just our thoughts, but emotions. And those emotions in turn affect our thought life.

So God took a painful risk by giving us freewill. However, that was and is the only way we can truly love Him. And by giving us freewill, He wanted and needed his creation—his friend—to obey Him.

He had actually already given this freewill to a previous creation. At first they obeyed, but some of them later rebelled because they did not love God enough. Satan was the ringleader of this rebellion.

God decided to next create a being in His image. I believe that God thought that this greater similarity would engender a greater union of love and trust, thereby reducing the risk of another rebellion.

However, Satan was privy to this new creation by God. He now didn’t just think he was like God; he actually hated him now for casting him out of Heaven and promising a severe punishment for him. Satan was determined to turn this new creation, called mankind, against God. He would do this by getting the man and woman to disobey the only command that they were given (Genesis 3). He used a ploy that appealed to him when he rebelled- he told the man and woman that they would be like God. Yet, he added an element of truth. He said that they would then know good from evil. By the way, this is what all great and effective deceivers do: they mix lies with an element of truth annexed to it.

When Adam and Eve decided to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, the bond between God and His new creation was forever disrupted. He now had to punish his new friends that He loved so dearly. But Satan didn’t stop there. He kept on encouraging disobedience in the man and woman so that it became a habit for them, drawing them further and further away from God. So now the punishment would be severe. If the man and woman continued in their disobedience without repenting and making amends, they would suffer the same fate as their deceiver- Hell.

After repentance for the evil committed, God ordained that sacrifices—in this case, innocent animals—needed to be offered. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Yet, the shedding of animal blood could not ultimately save a soul; only a perfect human sacrifice could do that. That is why God begat His Son, bringing a part of Himself into the world. He wanted to save His friend: you. His Son Jesus Christ could only accomplish this by living a sinless life- which he did (See Gospel of Matthew for best portrait of this accomplishment.).

What must you do to be saved? First, you must acknowledge that God is infinitely holy. This means that He is perfectly pure, and that He cannot sin (which is a deviation or perversion of that holiness) and cannot tolerate it. You must be honest with yourself, and admit that you have broken His commandments which He gave through the Old Testament and through Jesus. (Read Exodus 20 or Matthew 5 if you are unsure)

As a result of this condition, God tells us that there is penalty for sin, which ultimately is eternal death. In ancient Israel, God instituted animal sacrifices to atone for sin. These sacrifices, called burnt offerings, had to be without blemish- which was a sign of purity.

God, in the process of time, sent His Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth to save His people. Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life, as He revealed God’s will for us in addition to healings and the destruction of Satan’s kingdom. Satan thought he would win by killing Jesus, but in fact Jesus, by his death on the cross, became the ultimate atonement as He took our sins upon Him- cancelling our debt with God. Jesus could do this because he was spiritually without blemish. Additionally, He is able to take all of mankind’s sin upon Him because He is of God’s being. He was made with God’s essence in His incarnation by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary.

In order to take advantage of this gracious gift of atonement by God, you need to believe that God accepted Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and raised him from the dead after three days. This means that God is willing to let His Son Jesus take the penalty for your sins. You really and truly must acknowledge your sin and confess your need for a Savior. You must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and King, as well as repent of your sins, This means that you must apologize for as many sins as you can remember, and then ask for forgiveness from God the Father. Once you make this confession, you must turn from your sinful lifestyle, making a commitment to not return to it again. Jesus will give you the power to do this by the Holy Spirit. Read your Bible regularly to know what God’s commandments are; these will help you live a holy life and will justify you (if they are mixed with faith) before God. Obedience is always the fruit of a genuine faith in God, and obedience to God involves obeying His commandments. Jesus came to uphold the Law (Torah), and make it glorious.

Here is a simple prayer to guide you to Salvation:

“Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner and deserve to die in Hell. I thank you for your love and mercy for me by sending your Son Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe that he died on the cross and rose again after three days. I want him as my Savior, and I agree to serve him as my Lord and King. I am sorry for all of the sins that I have committed against you. [Confess as many specific sins as possible]. Please accept my apology, and I promise to do my best to serve and obey you all of my days. Please send me the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for graciously forgiving me, and please teach me how to live for you through your Son Jesus. In Jesus Christ your Son’s name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, congratulations! You are now part of God’s family. Read your Bible (King James Version, avoiding anything written by Paul), and continue to pray all the time. Try to find other followers of Jesus in your life. Feel free to email me if you want at info@danitenazorean.com. Remember: angels in Heaven are rejoicing at your decision! God bless you!