The gospel message of salvation

(written by Brian Dickson springburst.net)

The essential facts on what Christianity is all about

Today, it is easy to get confused on what Christianity is all about, or why anyone needs 'saving' in the first place, and saved from what?

Why the need for salvation?

What follows is a cut down overview of why man requires salvation: In the beginning, God created the universe and all living things, including man. Man walked with God. God gave commands on what man could, and could not do. Man disobeyed God. God punished man. Man went his own way and turned his back on God. Man's way led to death and sorrow. God never desired sickness, death and poor quality of life for man, so God provided a way to restore man, to better than his original state with eternal life. (See the book of Genesis for a full account)

What do you need to do to get saved ?

Such a simple question which unfortunately, often leads to plenty of muddled responses. Do you have to go to a particular church to get saved? No. Do you need to be prayed over by a minister or other senior church official before you can receive salvation? No. Do you need to say a special type of prayer in order to get saved? No.

So what do you need to do? Just follow the three simple steps below. http://www.springburst.net - Springburst Christian Ministry - Copyright 2011

It's easy as 1 2 3...

Let's get straight to the point and give you only the essential information of what you need to know. If you just want to find out what the core message and reason for Christianity is: Go to step 1 Want to receive salvation right now? Go through steps 1, 2 and 3 If you just got saved and are now wondering what to do next: go to step 3

Understanding what salvation is

Christianity can be seen as the remedy and conclusion to the 'fall of man', as described in the first book of the Bible. Genesis records how man disobeyed God by doing the ONLY thing God commanded him not to do, and as a consequence of his actions, man brought sin and death into all of God's creation. At the very heart of Christianity is the gospel message, 'gospel' being Greek for 'good news', and what is this good news? It is that God, through Jesus his son, provided the only possible solution to the problem of sin and death. A sinless life was the required payment, and this came in the form of none other than God's own son, Jesus. Who willingly sacrificed his life for all. The sacrifice of the son of God was the required payment for the sins of mankind. This payment purchased the redemption that was necessary to set him free from the power of sin and of death. God has made this redemption available to everyone and without cost. All God requires, is for us to turn our lives around and put our faith and trust in Him. Let's look at all this in a bit more detail.

All have sinned

The Bible says "the wages [that is, the payment] of sin, is death". This is not just physical death, but a spiritual one too. Imagine your life and soul are represented as a glass of water, and that sin and death are represented by black ink. If you were to put a few drops of that ink into the glass of water, that water would then become contaminated, and the ink would spread throughout the water. This is a graphical analogy of what happens to you spiritually, when you sin against God.

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The Bible confirms that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. God says the punishment for sin is death, which would result in us being sent to a place we call hell, a place of unrelenting torment day and night FOREVER.

Sacrificed for you

Jesus gave up his life and was crucified. He paid with his life so that you could escape this punishment. What is the cost to you? Nothing, it's a free gift, received through having faith in God. You can sum up what Jesus did for mankind, like this: Jesus the Son of God Sacrificed HIS life He died in YOUR place He paid the price for YOUR sin So that YOU need not be tormented in hell But have eternal life, peace and happiness with God, forever.

What does the Bible say about salvation and eternal life?
That whosoever believeth in him [Jesus] should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15) And That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:10) and again For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8)

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Get saved NOW in under 60 seconds

Below is a model prayer for you to pray, to help you receive the forgiveness of sins and receive the gift of everlasting life: Lord God Please forgive all my sin and all my wrong doing I accept Jesus, the son of God, as my Lord and saviour I repent (regret & turn away) from my sinful ways I want to live my life according to your ways I thank you Jesus for dying in my place and setting me free from eternal torment and for making available to me a life of joy and peace to be with you and our heavenly Father forever and ever Amen

Is that it? What now?

There is no special prayer you need to pray to get saved, there is no 'sinners prayer' in the Bible, but if you have just prayed the prayer outlined above and you were sincere in your heart, your sins are NOW forgiven, all of them. Jesus has paid the price for all your sins no matter how bad you are or have been, God has cleaned your slate. You now have the gift of eternal life, to live forever with millions of others who have done the same as you, and have made Jesus their Lord and saviour. You now have a fresh start with God, a new life. So what are the first steps you should take as a new Christian? First you should know that this new path can be fraught with confusion and obstacles, and no doubt you will have hundreds of questions. Having good Christian friends and being part of a good church, can definitely help. If you do not have any Christian friends, the next step would be to find a local church, but http://www.springburst.net - Springburst Christian Ministry - Copyright 2011

beware not all churches are equal. Contact this ministry giving brief details of your situation and we will do our best to help you. It is also helpful to get hold of your very own Bible. It is crucial that you choose a good Bible version, this ministry recommends the King James translation for accuracy. If you think you would prefer something with a more familiar modern language, then try the New Kings James version or the English standard version ESV.

Further information and free download

For further guidance please use the contact page, and I will be only too pleased to give all the help and advice you need to begin your new and exciting life in Christ. Find out more about your new salvation with this introductory series on redemption, which can be found on our website at: http://www.springburst.net/article/christian-salvation-redemption-overview/53 It can also be helpful to read the testimonies of others, what led them to Christ and what happened after they got saved? I will put a link here when I have mine ready for publication. You can also freely distribute copies of this PDF and resulting print outs, but you must keep all acknowledgements in place. Brian Dickson Springburst Christian Ministry http://www.springburst.net

http://www.springburst.net - Springburst Christian Ministry - Copyright 2011