GOD'S PLAN OF ETERNAL SALVATION
My dear friend there is good news for you, God has a plan for your eternal salvation and happiness. His salvation is both complete and absolutely free. God has provided this free salvation at great cost to himself. His is the only salvation available to man. If you are to be eternally happy, then you must accept this salvation, and it is best that you accept it now.
God's salvation is available to all, regardless of your race, culture or religious background. It matters not whether you be Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jew, Muslim, or any of any other religious background, or of no religious background. But it is available on God's own terms only.
The first thing you have to accept, is that you are a sinner, because Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, 1 Timothy.1:15. "All have sinned", Romans,3:23, "There is none righteous, no not one", Romans,2:10. Because of this none can earn salvation through "good works", Ephesians,2:8-9, salvation is by grace alone. There must be a new birth, a new beginning, John,3:7.
You must be willing to admit to God that you are a sinner, you must be willing to repent of your sins. Mark,1:15, Luke,15:18. Repentance is a genuine sorrow for your sins, and a willingness to turn from them. The punishment of sin is death, eternal death and separation from God in Hell, Romans,5:12, and chapter 6:23.
God is a just God and a Savior, Romans,3:26, he cannot forego the just claims of his own law. Yet he is a God of Love, he loves the sinner, John,3:16, and he commends his love toward us, Romans 5:8. The claims of his justice had to be met. In order for him to do this, God himself became man, took a place lower than angels, so that he might die in the guilty sinner's place, Hebrews 2:9, John 1:14.
Jesus was born at Bethlehem, and was given that name by the angels who said "...He shall save his people from their sins", Matthew 1:21. He grew up amidst poverty and hardship, and for thirty three and a half years lived a perfect, sinless life.
He then was taken to the place called Golgotha, (in Latin, Calvary), there at 9am he was crucified, and while hanging on that cross, he bore the punishment due to you and me, because of our sins.
There he became our substitute, took the personal sins of every one who will receive him as their Savior, 1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4, 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:4-6. Between 12 mid-day, and 3p.m.. darkness covered the whole land, there he was made sin for us, God's wrath was poured out upon him.
There he made his soul an offering for sin, there he purchased your pardon. Isaiah 53:4,5,10 & 12, 2 Corinthians 5;21. There he shed his precious blood and died, and that blood alone can cleanse man from his sins, 1 John 1:7,Revelation 1:5 & 6, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission, Hebrews 9:22.
There are three simple steps that will enable you to receive this wonderful Savior, and his wonderful salvation.
THE FIRST STEP, is repentance.
This we have pointed out earlier is a genuine sorrow for your sins, a willingness to turn away from every other god, every other religion. To turn away from saints, sacrament, Mary, any other false object of trust, and to turn to the Lord Jesus alone.
Whatever sinful habits that may have gripped you and spoiled your life, these you must leave forever.
THE SECOND STEP, is "Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ",
Acts 20:21. This faith must be personal, a simple genuine trust in the Lord Jesus alone.
When the Phillipian jailer, repentant , broken, and trembling, asked Paul and Silas,"Sirs what must I do to be saved?", they replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house", showing that God wishes to save your family as well.
Believe in your heart that when Jesus died on the cross, he died for you. That when he hung and suffered there, he bore your sins and the punishment that they deserved.
Believe that he shed his precious blood for you. Trust him only, trust him forever with your precious soul. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation", Romans 10:10.
THE THIRD STEP, is to receive the Lord Jesus by faith into your life as your own Savior, then confess him as your Lord.
In Revelation 3:20 he says, "Behold I stand at the door, and knock; If any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me". In John 1:12, we read, "As many as received him, to them gave he power, [the right], to become the [children] of God, even to those that believe on his name".
We quoted earlier Romans 6:23, "The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord". The gift only becomes yours when you receive it. Stretch out the hand of faith and receive Christ now as your Savior, and you will receive the gift of Eternal Life. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved", Romans 10:13.
Call upon him now, because that "whosoever", means you!
Surely you must realise that you are a sinner, then don't let this opportunity pass, cry out to God where you are, like the man in Luke 18:13, "God be merciful to me a sinner", and in the words of Peter, "Lord save me".
Pray this simple prayer, but do so only in sincerity;
"Oh God I am a sinner, I deserve to be banished to Hell, but I repent of my sins. I believe in my heart that the Lord Jesus died for me, I believe that he took my sins, every one of them, and on the cross he bore the judgment due to me" "Lord Jesus, I thank thee that thou didst take my place, thou didst suffer and die, thou didst shed thy precious blood for me".
" I believe that thou didst rise from the dead, that by doing so thou didst make me righteous in the sight of God.
" I put my faith and trust in thee now and forever. I do receive thee now as my own Savior, I do confess that thou art my Lord and my Savior".
" I thank thee that thou hast heard my prayer, that thou hast forgiven my sins. I thank thee that I am now a child of God, that I have received the gift of eternal life".
"I ask this prayer in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen"
If you have prayed this prayer sincerely, the Lord Jesus has saved you. You will be feeling happy, but do not let your faith rest on your feelings, or you will never be stable. Your faith must rest on the word of God, not on your feelings.
Let us see then what the word of God says.
Turn to John 1:12 & 13, Here God says that as many as receive Jesus as Savior, who believe on his name, are given the right to become the children of God. You have received him, you do believe on his name, so you are a child of God. Rejoice in this and thank God that it is true. You have had a new birth, you are born of God. How do I know? because God says so.
Now turn to John chapter 5:24, here the Lord Jesus himself is speaking. He is saying because you have listened to, and accepted his word, because you have believed on him that sent him, (because you have believed that God your heavenly Father gave Jesus to die for you), you have eternal life, you will never come into judgment, (never go to Hell), and you have passed from death into life.
Now confess to others what he has done for you, and that Jesus is your Lord and Master. This will give you power to stand. Because you have received Christ as Savior, God has sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise.
You need nothing more now than what you have received now to enable you to live a holy life. God has given you,"All things that pertain to life and godliness", 2 Peter 1:3.
Read the Bible daily now to discover what you have received. Let it be your food, Luke 4:4, think about what you read.
Pray about everything, ask the Lord Jesus to teach you what the scriptures mean. Ask him to keep you from sin, to keep you from falling. He will, while ever you trust him.
Look for a company of believers who follow the simple New Testament pattern of gathering, Acts 2: 42:47.
Be baptized in obedience to the word of God, seek the fellowship of true believers who gather to the name of the Lord Jesus alone.
If this tract has helped you to come to Christ and to experience his salvation, I would be
glad to hear about it, send us word.
C.E.Wigg, P.O.Yolla, Tasmania, Australia. 7325.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever beleives on Him, may not may not perish, but have everlasting life.
John, 3;16.
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans, 6;23.