Salvation Guaranteed?

It has become clear to me that the single most important thing you can do in your entire lifetime spent on this planet is to determine conclusively where you will spend eternity! Some people believe that this cannot be settled definitively; others believe that it is indeterminate or random; still others believe that “the gods” will decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.

If you believe that the Bible is God’s Holy Word, you can have your salvation 100% guaranteed. There are just four things you need to know.

1. Every human being is a sinner, including you and me. As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” To underscore this, he says in Romans 3:21, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Sin came into the world when Adam disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is documented in Romans 5:12.

2. There is a penalty for sin, and that is eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. This terrible and terrifying news is presented by Paul in Romans 6:23a, “For the wages of sin is death,...”

3. Without pausing for breath, Paul goes on to say in Romans 6:23b, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Why is this? Paul tells us in Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth [i.e., proved] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Without Jesus having gone to the cross to pay for all the sin in the world from the beginning to the end of time, there can be no forgiveness. Jesus Christ was the Sacrificial Lamb. And this is why all Christians are so enthusiastic about Easter: it commemorates Christ’s victory over death through His resurrection three days after having been killed. He arose from the tomb and now sits on the right hand of God in Heaven, waiting for us to join Him.

4. How can we get this free gift? Paul says in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Knowing about a gift and not accepting it is the same as rejecting it. There could be a birthday present waiting for you that you never got around to opening up. Wouldn’t that be the same as not accepting the gift in the first place? What good is it to you if you don’t accept it?  You can get the free gift of salvation simply by praying and asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins, come into your heart and take you to Heaven when you die.

Here is a sample prayer. You can paraphrase it, since the whole thing is entirely between you and God. It’s really what’s in your heart that matters.

"Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I know I can’t save myself. I realize that you died on the cross for my sins. I ask you now to forgive me of my sins, come into my heart, save me and take me to Heaven when I die. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen."

Once you have said this prayer, I want you to do three things:

1. Write down the time and the date in the front of your Bible or, if you don’t have one, then write it on a piece of paper for logging into your Bible later, when you get one;

2. Send me an email (you might want to use the form on the “About SMP” page on this website) to let me know the time and date of when you said the prayer; and

3. Tell your pastor or priest about your decision so that others will know that you are standing up for Christ as He once stood up for you.

Thank you, and God bless you!

In Christ’s Service,

--DMWilson