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SALVATION GUIDE |
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SalvationA Self-Study Guide Why should salvation be important to you? It is nothing less than God’s gift to us of eternal life, a second life, which will be without end. This self-study guide is intended to provide you with a basic understanding of the main Biblical concepts about salvation. While this pamphlet is not designed to cover the subject in its entirety, it is hoped that it will clear up a number of misunderstandings concerning the subject, and show you the correct beginning path to obtain salvation. Salvation is a very personal issue. No human can give you this gift, you can not earn it, nor can you buy it. So how is it obtained? |
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We all struggle at first, trying to find the way to obtain God’s gift of eternal life. The first way you may try is being good enough” and doing “good works”. Many people stop progressing at this point and continue all of their life, trying, by good works, to earn their salvation. But if we continue to study, the first thing you will learn is that you can not earn your salvation. Many people do not find salvation because of their lack of faith, misunderstandings, ignorance or just apathy. Even though salvation is available to everyone, the Bible teaches that very few people will find salvation. (1) Ephesians 2: 8 - 10 Once you understand the basics of the Christian faith and come to believe in God, Jesus Christ and who He is and what He has done for you, then, with repentance, there is first a divine side to salvation. God acts to forgive you of your sins. This is a necessary requirement for salvation. God sent His son, Jesus, to die a substitution death on the cross for your sins. (You need to understand this concept.) Jesus paid the penalty for your sins which you can not pay. Otherwise, the Bible says the wages of sin is (eternal) death. When God grants forgiveness, your past, present and future sins are forgiven, providing you remain in the faith. We are all sinners, even after we are forgiven. God’s basics plans are referenced in: But there is also a human responsibility in salvation as well! Man’s part in his (or her) salvation is a gradual process and is often overlooked. Some say it can be instantaneous, and maybe it can be, but normally it is not instantaneous. It is important to understand, there is nothing magical about it. In fact in the vast majority of cases it is a gradual process, lasting many months or even years. It does not occur from just going to church, or taking communion, or being baptized. However, all of these contribute to a person’s spiritual experience and understanding. Your church is important in that you should learn from its teachings and it is a place to have your questions answered. Man’s part matures when he (or she) realizes that through the love of God your sins were forgiven, which causes you to change from your past sinful life. This is known by many names, but “Being Born Again” is descriptive of the change. Your thinking and your life style changes. You desire a close relationship with God. Your concern for your fellow man intensifies. Your benevolence becomes greater. Your interest in the Scriptures increases. All of these are positive signs of your salvation. These are spiritual changes, not actions on your part. But after receiving forgiveness and you are “Born Again”, still you are warned that you must avoid certain life styles as described in Galatians and 1st Corinthians. (See below) It might be argued that if your saved and born again, would anyone live these life styles? Probably they would not, but it is not out of the question either. These are life styles and not a one-time occurrence. Paul did list them so we would avoid them, for salvation is not given if they are practiced. Life styles to avoid: The struggle may be long. It might even be difficult. But the reward of eternal life is great. In fact, what can be a greater than the gift life itself. We wish you success! |
