The very best gift of all from God was given through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. It was through him that we were given the choice of being saved. Without Him we are nothing, have nothing and would end up dying with no where to spend a joyful eternity.
Being Saved Requires Believing
Just because we know of Jesus’ death and about the gift of salvation doesn’t mean we are saved. There are actions required of us, first we must believe that His sacrificial death is what was needed for God to provide salvation for us.
John 3:14-16, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Being Saved Requires Confession
We are sinners and unable to come to the Lord because of our sin. We must know and confess our belief in Christ in order to be saved.
Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
1 John 1:7-9, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Being Saved Requires Repentance
Upon belief and confessing our sins and Jesus as our Savior, we must repent of the sins we’ve committed. Throughout life we must continue to confess and repent as sin never goes away due to our human sinful nature.
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
Acts 2:38, “ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
Matthew 9:13, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Eternal Life is a Gift of God
Being saved is a wonderful thing, but the best part, the beauty and gift of God is that death is not our end. There is something more waiting for us beyond the grace. Again, this gift is only possible because of Jesus’ death, but the power of it is His resurrection, in which He conquered death and the grave.
Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.”
Hosea 13:14, ” I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.”
Hebrew 2:14-15, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
What an amazing gift eternal life is! JEsus Christ offers us this gift, which is found only in Him!
John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 John 5:11, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
Saved and Secure
Throughout scripture we’re told we are secure in God’s gift of salvation once we’ve believed, confessed, repented and received Jesus as our Savior.
John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
1 Peter 1:5, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Hebrews 7:25, “ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Even if all we were in Christ was saved, we would be exceptionally and undeservedly blessed. Where once we were sinners, doomed to death and the grave alone, God has given us the gift of being saved. For this gift, we owe Him our lives. May we daily show our thankfulness for the gift of salvation by the very words we speak, our attitude and all that we do.
Throughout this series we’ve learned that in Christ we are…
adopted, beloved, complete, His daughter, enough, forgiven, gifted, held, imperfect, justified, kept, loved, molded, new, owned, precious, quieted and redeemed!
