How to be saved

This could be the most important day of your life. You are here for a reason, and it is not by chance that you are viewing this webpage. Every person receives multiple opportunities to receive salvation in his/her life. This is the day you can receive your salvation. This is the day your eternal destiny can be changed. At this very moment, the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart.

Of all the things that God is, righteous is one of them. And that part of Him is likely one of the most important identities. He is described as fair and righteous, as the One who rules and judges the universe. So, in fact, we can describe His dwelling place as a court of law. Even before time began, God and His righteousness already existed. Long before this world came into being. Justice and righteousness are things that the Bible even describes as the foundation of His throne.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Psalm 89:14

Righteousness reigned throughout the universe and sin could be found nowhere. But then something changed. The first sin in the universe took place, and it happened before man was created. A creature, who then bore the name ‘Lucifer,’ which means ‘Light-bringer,’ wanted to take God’s place and defeat Him. At that time, he was the second-highest in rank in heaven. He was perfect and faultless in all his ways from the day he was created, until pride was found in his heart. He began a rebellion against God and managed to get a third of all the angels to follow him. His attempt failed, and he was banished from heaven along with all the angels who had followed him in his rebellion. And then God took away his name ‘Lucifer,’ and he became known as Satan, for he was no longer a light-bringer. That story can be found in Ezekiel 28.

Then one of the most well-known events took place. God created the heavens and the earth. And when everything was ready, then He created us, mankind, in His image and likeness. Yes, that means that you resemble God. Man had only one simple instruction: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Apart from that, they could do whatever they wanted. We all know that they failed by doing it anyway, which caused sin to enter the world and enter into man.

We serve a righteous God. He loves us, and He truly does. But love is never at the expense of justice. So, in fact, there was only one thing God could do with us, and that was to judge and condemn us. That is why He, who knew no sin, had to come up with a solution to save us from hell. And what would be enough to wipe away all the sins of all mankind? That burden was far too great. Therefore, there was only one solution left, and that was for Him to send His Son Yeshua, Jesus, to this world to be sacrificed for our sins.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17

And so our Messiah came to this world and He took the full weight of our sins upon Himself. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. All your sins—past, present, and future—and all the fruits of your sins were placed upon Him. So that you could be forgiven. So that you could receive eternal life. So that you could know God. And He suffered extremely for that. He suffered as no human had ever suffered before. He took it all upon Himself, bore it all, all the way to the end. Until the price for your life was fully paid. Why? Love. Because His love for you is real and selfless. He chose to look past the bad things you have done. To look past your sins and look at what He could make of your life.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:7-8

This Jesus, this wonderful Messiah and Son of God, invites you today, at this moment, to surrender your life to Him. The Bible teaches us about repentance. The word “repentance” literally means “a change of mind.” So what do we need to change our way of thinking about? Two things: Jesus and sin. You may have heard about Jesus Christ. You may even have been raised with stories about Him. But the most important part of repentance is coming to the point of recognition. It is the part where we change our thinking to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as the promised Messiah, and as your Savior. That is where it all begins. And secondly, we must change our thinking regarding sin. That basically means that from this moment on, we consider everything that God considers sin to be sin ourselves. It is making God’s Word the standard for your life.

In the book of Acts, Peter invites people to change their way of thinking regarding Jesus Christ. He said: “Repent (change your mind), then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” That invitation and that promise still stand today.

Eternal life can be yours, too. Total and complete forgiveness of sin can also be given to you. Death no longer has to be a frightening thing. If that is the choice you want to make today, you can tell God that very simply. If you would like, you can use this simple prayer.

“Father God, today, here and now, I come to the acknowledgment that You truly exist and that Jesus Christ is Your Son and the promised Messiah. I acknowledge that, according to Your standard, I am guilty of sin. From today on, I choose to make Your standard my standard. What You call sin, I call sin. What You call righteousness, I call righteousness. I accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Master of my life and I accept His sacrifice. I acknowledge that His sacrifice was sufficient. The cross was enough. Thank You for that sacrifice and thank You that my sins are now wiped away! For by grace I am saved through faith, and that not of myself; it is a gift of God, not of works. Amen.”

When you have prayed this prayer sincerely, meaning you truly meant what you said, then from this moment on, your sins are forgiven. They have been erased from every book in heaven. You have received a new life, a new chance, and a new spirit. So, welcome to the family of God! Does this mean you are now free from sin? No, unfortunately not. But it does mean that you have received grace and that you have begun a new journey. Repentance, the change of mind, is a process. So, what is the right expectation?

Up to this point, your life was fairly in line with the plans of Satan. And to be clear, that plan was to ensure you would end up in hell. But now that you have chosen to change your destiny, that means there is a battle going on. The enemy of God has made it his mission to make you fail, to make you doubt God’s promises, and to ensure that you give up your faith. Fortunately, you are not alone in that fight. God will send His angels to protect you. But on the other hand, He has also given you a weapon against the enemy, and that is the Word of God.

If you were to do nothing from this moment on, your faith would slowly fade and you would squander the new life that has just been given to you. That is why it is important that you continue to grow in your faith. How do you do that? The first and best start is by reading the Word of God, the Bible, daily. You could, for example, try to read one or two chapters a day. A good place to start is in the New Testament. That is at the book of Matthew. Keep in mind that change will not come without the Word of God. When you read the Word of God, it will change you from the inside out. Only the Word of God has the power to change you.

Besides reading the Word of God, it is also important to talk to God. You have just seen an example prayer, but you do not, of course, have to use example prayers. Those are only intended as a tool. You can and must talk to Him in your own words. God is not insensitive or indifferent, and He is very involved in your life. Share your best and worst days. Share your best and your worst deeds. You cannot tell Him anything He does not already know. But He leaves the initiative to you. Prayers do not have to be long lists full of empty words. Sometimes a few sentences are enough. At other times, you will need more time. As long as you are honest and sincere toward God, He will always listen.

Finally, it is good to find a group of believers in your area. It is also good to be very careful where you go. Make sure that the community you go to lives and acts in the grace of God, instead of imposing a whole list of rules on you. It is not bad if they are direct and to the point. Jesus was, too. He always called bad things by name, but He also always provided the solution. This is also a point that you can discuss with God. You can ask Him to lead you to the right place, where His servants can help you grow toward spiritual maturity and closer to Jesus.