The Sinner's Guide To Obtaining Salvation

I'm a Good Person, I Don't Need Salvation

The apostle Paul summed it up best in Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)

Saved by grace, through faith. Faith in who? Jesus. The grace of who? God. What is grace? Undeserved kindness--the gift of God. The Lord offers mercy to all who would accept it by having faith in Jesus.

Not of Works--this means you cannot earn your way to eternal life. You cannot be righteous. In fact, Paul also stated in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We're all wretched sinners (myself chief among them before I was saved and justified by the blood of Jesus) that come up short before God. Without His mercy, we are destined for eternal suffering as righteous punishment for our sins.

In fact, if you measure yourself by the highest moral standard--that created by God, also known as the Ten Commandments--you will find that you fall well short. Take these following tests to see if you're a good person, and remember, if you've violated even one thing, one time, you're guilty, just as a murderer who's only murdered once is guilty regardless of what other good deeds they might have done to offset their crimes.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. - Do you worship the one true God? Do you love Him above all else? A false god can be another deity or entity and it can also be the love of something earthly that prevents you from loving God, like money, sports, etc.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain - Have you taken the Lord's name in vain? Things like exclaiming Jesus' name or saying Oh My ___ out loud?
3. Thou shalt not kill - The Bible says "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). Have you hated anyone?
4. Thou shalt not commit adultery - Jesus said "whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:28) Have you ever looked at another person and lusted after them?
5. Thou shalt not steal - Have you ever stolen anything ever in your life?
6. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor (Lie) - Have you ever told a lie to anyone about anything?

Created unto Good Works: Once saved, we are a new creation and begin a life of shedding our old bad works and beginning new good works. But these good works are not for our salvation, but for Christ's glory and an outward sign of our saving faith in Jesus.

How Then Can We Be Saved?

First, realize and admit you--like the rest of us--are a sinner. If you can't admit this, your pride will get in the way of accepting the Lord.

Second, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins on the cross, and was raised again the third day.

Third, confess your sins to the Lord and seek his forgiveness and mercy.

Ultimately, realizing that you're a sinner comes with an understanding that without mercy and salvation, you're going to receive God's righteous punishment. But, thankfully, you can follow these steps to have your sins washed away, and you have His promise that you'll be reborn spiritually and receive everlasting life.

I've Accepted Jesus, Now What?

In the bible, after Jesus forgave people's sins and healed them, He usually told them to "go and sin no more." This means that, just because Jesus' sacrifice has covered your sins, it doesn't mean you should continue willfully and knowingly sinning. Yes, his sacrifice covers your past, current, and future sins, but if you love Him, you will keep his commandments. When you accept Him, you will receive the Holy Spirit, and He will start the process of conforming you to a Christ-like state. This is a gradual transformation as you seek to avoid sin and please the Lord. When you sin as a believer in Christ, you simply confess your sins in prayer to the Lord, asking forgiveness, and continue improving.

The Bible acknowledges that before we are saved, we are slaves to sin, having committed sin and lived in sin. But also guides us to be obedient to the Word and the Lord's will.

Once you are the Lord's you will love righteousness and the old person passes away along with his/her deeds, and you receive a blank slate from the Lord.

Once you've converted and become a Christian, you should endeavor to read God's Word (the Bible). Share your new found faith with others. Seek other Christians to fellowship with. Forsake the things of the world and lay up your treasures in heaven.

Do I Need to Be a Member of a Church?

Strictly speaking? No. Being a believer in Christ makes you a member of His body and His church--THE CHURCH. This is a spiritual thing, not a physical thing, not a religion thing, not a traditions of man thing. Your Lord is now Jesus, it is not a man in fancy clothes preaching and requesting money. If you feel led by the Holy Spirit to join a church or donate your money, then by all means you should. But these are not requirements for salvation, and there are many online resources to allow you to study God's Word, watch sermons, fellowship with other Christians, and more. Money is not required for salvation!