The gospel message – God’s good news to us – is glorious. God loves us all and He wants us to be saved, to join His family. Everyone who lives has a chance to be part of that family (even though we don’t deserve it).

8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

God is good, but we are not. We have all sinned and all stand in need of God’s mercy in order to be saved from our just punishment – eternity without God in hell.

So what do we do? How can we escape the wrath of God?

God Himself has provided the way for us to be able to join His family. God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us and all we have to do is trust in Jesus. That is why the gospel is called the “good news”.

So we all have a choice to make – will we trust Jesus?

What is Salvation?

When we say we “are saved” or talk about salvation, we are talking about being rescued. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from darkness – sin, death, and hell – and to forgive our sins, which Jesus paid for on the cross.

13 For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, 14 in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:13-14

Without God sending Jesus, we would all be condemned to eternity without God, in hell. Since God is love and light (and hell is without God), there is no joy, no peace, no goodness at all there – forever. That is what Jesus is willing to rescue us from – if only we are willing to be rescued by saying “yes!” to His offer of salvation.

God has done the work. All that remains for us to do is to accept the gift that God is providing.

How to be Saved

For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

To be saved, all you must do is trust in Jesus – Who He is and what He has done:

Jesus is God’s Son, and also a true human (Philipians 2:5-8). Jesus died to pay for all the wrong you have done (Romans 5:8).

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

Trusting in Jesus is the only way to spend eternity with God when you die. With the sacrifice of Jesus, God has paid the price for all our wrong and is freely offering us a chance to spend forever with Him. Trust that what God has said about His Son is true.

Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. – John 3:33

When you trust in Jesus, the Bible says this about you:

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him Who is true. And we are in Him Who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. – 1 John 5:20

Sadly, even though God loves everyone and wants everyone to be saved, not everyone will be saved – only those who accept who Jesus is and what He has done will spend eternity with God. Through the Person and Sacrifice of Jesus, God has made provision for all people to be saved, but only those who put their faith in Jesus will actually receive salvation.

12 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. – John 1:12-13

God’s love is so wonderous and so gracious. Jesus has done all the work in order for us to be saved – we are free to enter into God’s family by trusting in that truth.

Things that Can’t Save Us Church attendance or membership

Going to church or being part of a denomination is not what saves us – trusting in Jesus and His sacrifice is what saves us. God does not save us because we went to church enough times or were part of “this or that” church. God wants us to believe in Jesus.

Living a Good Life

We have all done wrong and we are all imperfect. No amount of “good” things we do could ever make up for the wrong we do.

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, – Romans 3: 23

6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away. – Isaiah 64:6

Only God is pure. Only God is holy. We can’t be “good enough” to deserve eternity with God. That is why we can rejoice that Jesus came and made the perfect sacrifice!

Water Baptism

Water baptism does not save us – only trusting in Jesus can save us. We are only washed clean when we receive Jesus’ payment through faith. We do not need water to wash our bodies, we need Jesus and the Holy Spirit to wash our hearts and make us able to live with God.

5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, – Titus 3:5

Being Religious

We can not earn or buy our salvation by being religious. God does not want us to follow man-made rules, He wants us to believe in Jesus.

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” – John 6:29

28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. – Romans 3: 28

Jesus is the Only Way to God

Apart from Jesus, there is no way to spend eternity with God. No one can come to God without having faith in His Son, Jesus.

12 Salvation is found in no One else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

6 Jesus answered, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. – John 14:6

We all decide where we will spend eternity. We all get to choose either a life forever with God…or forever without Him. God wants you to be with Him. Don’t ignore the gracious gift of Jesus.

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

2 For He says, “In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:2

20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. – 2 Corinthians 5:20

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