There are numerous religions and beliefs that are practiced globally, which offer a path to salvation, which is epitomized by a divine reconciliation with God or another higher being, or alternatively, the achievement of an elevated cerebral state.
In Christianity, however, Salvation is a gift from God that He makes available by His grace to those, who will accept it (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We cannot earn Salvation through our own merits; instead, Salvation is given to us through our loving and merciful Father, who sent His only Son Jesus Christ to pay the wages of our sins (John 3:16).
Through Salvation, we can be in eternal righteousness with God, not only during our time on earth but for all eternity.
However, in order for us to receive Salvation, is there a path that we need to follow?
Relying on What the Bible Says
There are a plethora of theological sources informing us about Salvation, including the number of steps that are required to do so. The number of steps varies, depending on the author and their interpretation of the Bible.
What is important is that we can rely on the Bible as a source of guidance, a tool for study, a method of correction, and a source of comfort and encouragement (2 Timothy 3:16). It is God-breathed and without error and can thereby be relied upon explicitly.
The Bible provides specific Scriptures on how to receive Salvation that we can adhere to. Let us look at a few of these more closely.
Acknowledge That you Are a Sinner in Need of Saving
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Since the fall of man through the transgression of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, man has been separated from God through his rebellious, sinful nature into which he is born (Psalm 51:5).
God, in His ultimate righteousness, cannot abide to be in the presence of anything unholy: As sinners, we are unable to be in the presence of God (Isaiah 59:2).
It matters not that we may consider ourselves to be good people, or that we may lead morally exemplary lives. Unless we admit that we are sinful in nature and ask God to forgive us our trespasses, we remain spiritually dead to Him.
The Bible states that in order to enter into an eternal relationship with God, we need to acknowledge that we are sinners: Unlike in other religious practices, we cannot earn our Salvation through performing good deeds or other forms of merit. Only God can save us.
Repent of Your Sins
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19).
Once we have come to the recognition that we are sinners, we need to repent of our trespasses.
Why?
In Romans 6:23, it states that the wages of sin is death. However, if we are to confess our sins, God gives us the gift of eternal life — Salvation.
So, how do we repent?
Repentance is achieved by confessing our sins out loud and asking God for His forgiveness. Additionally, when we repent, we are declaring to God our intention of not repeating those transgressions to the best of our ability.
Believe That Jesus Christ Died for Your Salvation
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
In order to bridge the spiritual cleft between man and Himself, God’s plan of redemption and Salvation came in the form of His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Jesus was the sacrificial lamb, the One who paid the bondage price for our sins — past, present, and future — by the spilling of His precious blood on the Cross of Calvary.
God made Him who had no sin to be sin, for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In order to be saved, we need to recognize that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, acknowledge that He bore the sins of the world on that Cross and atoned for them and that He defeated death by rising three days after His crucifixion from the grave.
Accept God’s Gift of Salvation through Faith
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
God offers us His gift of Salvation, however, we need to accept it through faith, by His grace.
How do we do this? Once again, the Bible offers us instruction:
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10: 9-10).
A New Life Dedicated to Christ
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1).
As part of our search for Salvation is the desire to start a new life, and by doing so, be free of the shame, guilt, and mistakes of the past.
By accepting God as our Lord and Savior, we can embark on a new beginning by dedicating our bodies, minds, and souls as a living sacrifice of worship to the One who saved us from eternal damnation through His grace, forgiveness, and mercy.
What If There Was One Essential Step to Salvation?
What if, after all, there was one step to Salvation that summarizes all the points we’ve discussed thus far?
What would it be?
In Acts 16:30, a Philippian jailor, after experiencing the miraculous liberation of Paul and Silas from their prison bondage, inquired,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Paul and Silas’s response in Acts 16:31 answers the question that many of us ask:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
The essential step to Salvation — Believe in Jesus Christ!
A Prayer of Salvation
If you are wanting to give your life to Christ, feel free to speak this Salvation Prayer over yourself, which covers all of the points we discussed above:
Lord, I recognize that l am a sinner. I have broken Your laws and through my thoughts and actions have separated myself from You. For this l am truly sorry and l humbly ask You for Your forgiveness.
I believe and confess that Your son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to pay for my sins and rose from the dead after the third day. I believe that because of His sacrifice, Jesus has cleansed me of my sins and I can be born again, as a brand-new creation.
Lord, I want to turn away from my sinful life. I am unable to help myself — l need You. By Your grace, I wish to live a new life full of Your unfailing love and great compassion. By faith, l gratefully receive Your offer of salvation. I ask You to enter my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
My life is Yours to do as You will. I will trust You and follow You in all Your ways from now on and into eternity.
Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/lili_popper
Madeline Kalu is an Australian Christian writer and the co-founder of Jacob’s Ladder Blog and The Proverbs 31 Home. She is also the co-author of the “My Year of Miracles 2024” journal, which encourages a daily reflection on the miracles that God performs in our lives throughout 2024. Madeline lives in Germany with her husband Solomon and the family’s two cats who were rescued from the Ukrainian war zone.
