Introduction

Salvation is the most important thing that can ever happen to you. It determines your standing with God in this life, and your eternal destiny. It is therefore important for you to better understand salvation because it is what makes the difference between heaven and hell for all people.

God wants us to be saved and know that we are saved. And to be saved, there are some truths you must know and believe: the truth about who God is, about who you are, your depravity, your alienation from God owing to your sins, and how you can be redeemed and restored into relationship with Him.

In this study, I will be answering five essential questions relating to salvation and the gospel. I do this in the way that even children can comprehend. My goal is to provide the clear understanding of salvation, why you need it, and how to receive it freely through Jesus Christ.

In addition, the study will serve as a source of assurance for the believers in Christ. If you have received the right knowledge and trusting in Christ, this study will reassure you that your salvation is wholly a result of His eternally completed and incorruptible work.

I hope and pray that this is a blessing to you.

The Five Essential Salvation Questions

The gospel is the good news of what Christ has done to bring salvation to sinners who do not deserve it. This message is so essential that your eternity depends on your understanding of it and believing (trusting) it.

To assist you in comprehending the message, I have provided these five essential questions regarding salvation and the good news of the gospel. I begin with what salvation means.

Questions 1: What is Salvation?

Salvation is the forgiveness of sin and the deliverance from the wrath of God. The forgiven sinner is reconciled to God, recreated with a new nature (born again), and given the gift of eternal life.

Any view of salvation that is not focused on the forgiveness of sin and justification is either false or incomplete. This is because it was our sin against God which led to condemnation and separation from Him, and in turn made salvation necessary. More to come on this point.

The Sole Source of Salvation

In Romans 3:24, the Bible says we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The very next verse says that redemption comes “through faith in his blood.” That’s a reference to the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus is significant in His death for our sins. The blood is the ransom for our redemptions.

Remember, salvation is the forgiveness of sin. And forgiveness only comes through the blood. Hebrews 9:22 says “and without shedding of blood is no remission.” This is the reason why Christ had to shed His blood and die.

The Bible says “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Hence, forgiveness can only be received by trusting the blood that Christ shed on the cross.

Ephesians 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

1 Peter 1:18-19  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 Peter 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Questions 2: Why Do I Need to Be Saved? [Why Do I Need Salvation]

Question 1 above gives us a clue to how to answer this one. The reason you need to be saved is because you have sinned against God (Romans 3:10-12,23) and your sins have serious consequences which include both temporary and eternal separation from God.

Isaiah 59:1-2  Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As you can see from the above passages, sins have one major consequence: death or separation from God. This begins with a temporary separation to eternal death sentence if the sinner is not redeemed before physically dying.

The final home of the unsaved sinners is the lake of fire where they will face that wrath of God and suffer for all eternity. Sins against the infinite God require infinite punishment. That’s something we don’t find joy saying, but it needs to be said because that is the word of God.

Matthew 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Therefore, when you get saved, this is the tragedy from which you are saved. There are of course more to salvation than the deliverance from wrath, we will this later.

Questions 3: What Does it Mean to Be a Sinner?

It is interest to see that in the world where everyone admits they are not perfect, some people still deny being sinners. This is because they have the wrong definition of sin. To them, sin is all the evil they are not doing, yet. As a result, a liar feels great about himself when he compares himself to mass shooters.

Therefore, let me begin here by defining sin. Sin is disobedience against God – missing the mark or crossing the line. You commit a sin when you disobey any of God’s commandments. 1 John 5:17 says “All unrighteousness is sin” and you only need to do it once to be a sinner. See also: Deuteronomy 5:32; 12:32; 1 John 3:4.

James 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

So, among many other sinful things, if you’ve ever stolen, or coveted anyone’s possessions, disobeyed your parents or any godly authority, killed or hated anyone, committed adultery (including all sexual sins and lusts), or told a lie, you are a sinner.

Sinners Must Pay the Price

Part of being a sinner is that you now come under the eternal death sentence. All unsaved sinners are under the wrath of God (John 3:18) and will be judged for their rebellion against God.

There is therefore the need for a Redeemer and Savior, which is what we find in Jesus Christ who died to pay for our sins and rose again. Hence, salvation can only come through faith in His shed blood.

Hebrews 9:27-28  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Questions 4: How Can I Receive Salvation?

This is like the question that someone asks in the Bible: “What must I do to be saved?” To which the simple answer is given: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” Acts 16:30-31.

Salvation comes by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone. Jesus Christ has died, paid for our sins, and rose again for our justification. And the Bible commands us to believe (have faith) in Him and we will be saved. See John 3:16,18, 5:24; Romans 1:16-17; 10:9-10; Acts 13:38-39; etc.

Inviting people to believe in Jesus Christ is biblical and a common practice among Christians who share the gospel. However, there are many people who believe (or claim to believe) in Jesus Christ but are not trusting in Him for salvation.

What Does it Mean to Believe in Jesus Christ?

Remember, forgiveness can only come through blood sacrifice (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). Again, Christ has shed his blood, He died for our sins and rose again for our justification. He paid the full penalty for our sins with His precious blood – see Romans 3:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Colossians 1:12-14; 1Pe 1:18-19.

Colossians 1:13-14 says that God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

Therefore, believing in Him for salvation is trusting in His blood atonement for the forgiveness of your sins. This of course is after having admitted your sins against God and the fact you can do nothing to save yourself.

You can believe anything you want about Jesus Christ: born of a virgin, a good teacher, great prophet, miracle worker, etc. But you cannot be saved until you trust in His blood for your salvation. This is because we cannot be reconciled to God apart from Christ’s sacrifice.

Questions 5: What Does it Mean to Be Saved?

This question is often confused with the preceding one, Question 4, but they are not the same. To understand what it means to be saved, you must first understand what salvation means (Question 1) or what you are getting saved from (Question 2).

Hence, to be saved primarily means to be forgiven and delivered from the wrath of God. It is a complete change of standing from an enemy of God with death sentence to a born-again child of God with eternal life. We can break this down as follows.

In terms of:

• What happened to you: deliverance from the wrath of God – Romans 5:9-10; Galatians 3:13; 1Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9.
• What you have received: the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God (peace), eternal life – John 5:24; 10:27-31; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19,21; 1 John 5:11-13.
• What you have becomes: a child of God – new creature, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and guaranteed to be glorified. John 1:12-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Romans 8:29-30.

Having being saved, the believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit Who begins to transform them and produce in them the desires to please and serve God. For more on what it means for the saved, please check out another study titled: What It Means to Be Saved.

Conclusion

As you can see, the issue of salvation begins with sins, the remedy for sins, and how to apply the remedy. I trust the above information helped you better understand this subject and determine where you currently stand.

Here are some questions for personal reflection: Are you saved? Have your sins been forgiven you? Have you been reconciled to God and at peace with Him? If you answer ‘no’ to any of these questions, you must respond to this truth today.

Remember salvation is a gift that must be received by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. There is nothing you can do to save or make yourself clean. Your best righteousness is as filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6).

Respond to God’s Truth

The knowledge in this study is not the kind you receive and ignore. You must decide today whether to receive or accept the salvation offered TO YOU by God through Jesus Christ or not. So, what will you do?

Like any other gift, salvation is not yours until you accept it. But you cannot wait too long because there is time limit for accepting this offer. Death sets that time limit and none of us is promised tomorrow. Therefore, make hay while the sun shines.

Hebrews 9:27-28  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

You now have the knowledge, you know what to believe and who to trust. Believe today and be saved. But if you choose to do otherwise, realize that the rejection of Jesus Christ comes with serious and eternal consequences. But that’s something you don’t have to experience. Therefore, make the right choice.

Thank you for reading!