Am I Going to Heaven?
You can tell a lot about a church by how they proclaim salvation: its cost, effectiveness, the works involved, and its longevity. At Grace Bible Church, it is not what we say about salvation that you should listen to or even trust. It's what the Bible states about salvation that carries so much weight, and the Bible defines salvation as a simple act of faith, nothing else.
Before a person realizes that they need a lifeguard, they need to know they are drowning. If you have never accepted Christ Jesus into your heart, then it is clearly evident that you are in need of His grace. The Bible says in Romans 3:10-12:
"…There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
There is nobody that is righteous in God's eyes; not you, not me, not even our pastor, HOWEVER there is something special that has happened that can make you right with God. You see, "…God demonstrates his own love toward us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). It is very amazing to know that no matter how bad we've been, how bad we are, or how bad we're going to be; one fact remains: God loves us. He sent His only son into this world, to be mocked, tortured, and eventually sacrificed, because He wants nothing more then for you to be with Him. Salvation from ourselves, our sins, and eventually from this world comes when "…you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Yes it's that simple. No special words, magical sayings, nor incredible feelings, because as soon as you speak with God and ask Him to save you; He will, and He does! How exciting to know that you can make that decision right now from the comfort of your chair, couch, or floor. The Bible doesn't say you have to be in church, become a member of a church, be with a pastor or priest, or even near another Christian. God will meet you exactly where you are.
This is important because others will try and tell you that you must work for your salvation, such as "doing good," or "repetitively partaking of something," or even "having an outward statement, of an inward working." Let's look at Titus 3:5 for a second; it says "Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost…" Again, it's by nothing that we do that saves us, it's purely by His grace that we are saved. It's almost silly to think about it but it would be like a drowning man all of a sudden learning to breath underwater! There is no way that they could, because salvation from drowning is to be on dry land, and it is futile to think that you can breathe underwater. You will still drown whether you think you can breathe underwater or not. There is but one solution: Christ being the ultimate lifeguard will save you from the crashing waves of sin around you, but He won't until you simply say "Help," and allow Him to rescue you.
Won't you do that right now?
If you have done that right now, we would like to encourage you in your first steps of faith! It will be exciting to hear from you, because it is always joyful to hear about another brother or sister that has been added to our family! Salvation is the most important decision you can make in your life. It is also God's desire for you to now grow in your new faith. God has many wonderful and exciting plans for your life, and all of them will need faith in Him. Please diligently pray about finding and attending a Bible believing, fundamental church in your area. We would like to be a helpful resource in that search, and encourage you to attend Grace Bible Church's worship services on Sunday Mornings, or if it is too great a distance to travel, please give us a call and we can suggest other churches that will help build your faith in Christ.
One last verse we would like to leave you with is Ephesians 1: 13-14
"…after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest [IE down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
No matter what anybody else tells you, you cannot loose your precious salvation. After you have asked Christ into your heart; it is eternal, nobody can strip that from you, not even God Himself (because He said He wouldn't). More importantly, you cannot even strip yourself of your salvation, and that is good news!
Before a person realizes that they need a lifeguard, they need to know they are drowning. If you have never accepted Christ Jesus into your heart, then it is clearly evident that you are in need of His grace. The Bible says in Romans 3:10-12:
"…There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
There is nobody that is righteous in God's eyes; not you, not me, not even our pastor, HOWEVER there is something special that has happened that can make you right with God. You see, "…God demonstrates his own love toward us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). It is very amazing to know that no matter how bad we've been, how bad we are, or how bad we're going to be; one fact remains: God loves us. He sent His only son into this world, to be mocked, tortured, and eventually sacrificed, because He wants nothing more then for you to be with Him. Salvation from ourselves, our sins, and eventually from this world comes when "…you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Yes it's that simple. No special words, magical sayings, nor incredible feelings, because as soon as you speak with God and ask Him to save you; He will, and He does! How exciting to know that you can make that decision right now from the comfort of your chair, couch, or floor. The Bible doesn't say you have to be in church, become a member of a church, be with a pastor or priest, or even near another Christian. God will meet you exactly where you are.
This is important because others will try and tell you that you must work for your salvation, such as "doing good," or "repetitively partaking of something," or even "having an outward statement, of an inward working." Let's look at Titus 3:5 for a second; it says "Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost…" Again, it's by nothing that we do that saves us, it's purely by His grace that we are saved. It's almost silly to think about it but it would be like a drowning man all of a sudden learning to breath underwater! There is no way that they could, because salvation from drowning is to be on dry land, and it is futile to think that you can breathe underwater. You will still drown whether you think you can breathe underwater or not. There is but one solution: Christ being the ultimate lifeguard will save you from the crashing waves of sin around you, but He won't until you simply say "Help," and allow Him to rescue you.
Won't you do that right now?
If you have done that right now, we would like to encourage you in your first steps of faith! It will be exciting to hear from you, because it is always joyful to hear about another brother or sister that has been added to our family! Salvation is the most important decision you can make in your life. It is also God's desire for you to now grow in your new faith. God has many wonderful and exciting plans for your life, and all of them will need faith in Him. Please diligently pray about finding and attending a Bible believing, fundamental church in your area. We would like to be a helpful resource in that search, and encourage you to attend Grace Bible Church's worship services on Sunday Mornings, or if it is too great a distance to travel, please give us a call and we can suggest other churches that will help build your faith in Christ.
One last verse we would like to leave you with is Ephesians 1: 13-14
"…after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest [IE down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
No matter what anybody else tells you, you cannot loose your precious salvation. After you have asked Christ into your heart; it is eternal, nobody can strip that from you, not even God Himself (because He said He wouldn't). More importantly, you cannot even strip yourself of your salvation, and that is good news!