STEP 1:  Make Sure You Are Saved

There is only one requirement for salvation-faith in Jesus Christ. Just believe in Him. That's all you need to do.

You are not saved by belonging to a particular church or denomination; no church saves you! You are not saved if your good works outweigh your bad works; they never will!

You are saved only by faith in the Saviour-Jesus Christ.

A man named Saul once struggled with the problem of how to please God. His story is found in the Bible.

Before he became a believer in Jesus, Saul had investigated all the possible "religious" things he might do to please God. He considered himself morally upright. Surely he had done enough "good" things to please Him.

But one day, while traveling on the road from Jerusalem to the Syrian capital of Damascus, Saul heard the voice of Jesus Christ. Suddenly he realized that he was a sinner, and by the power of God he was gloriously saved. His whole outlook on life was turned around. He would never be the same again, and later he became known as the Apostle Paul.

 After Paul believed in Jesus, he thought about how a person can be saved. He studied the Scriptures and reviewed his own personal experience, and He reached a conclusion: "A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28). The great reformer Martin Luther came to the same conclusion. Millions of others have as well.

While Jesus was hanging on the cross, a thief hung beside Him on another cross. This thief turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). No one could have spoken those words without real faith. He believed. Jesus responded, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise."

That thief had no opportunity to be baptized. There was no time to join a church, no chance to do good works. He was dying. All he had time to do was trust Christ.

Yet Jesus Christ turned to him and promised, "Today you will know the joy of full salvation."

There is only one requirement for salvation-faith in Jesus Christ.

But this faith must be yours alone. It must be personal. You are not saved because your parents believe. Your salvation doesn't come through someone else, not even your priest, your pastor or your rabbi.

Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Notice the use of the personal pronouns-you and yourselves. Faith is personal.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Souls are not saved in bundles." You must exercise faith in Christ for yourself; and if you have, you are saved.

Once you have exercised faith, you are placed into the security of God's hand. Here is Jesus' promise to you. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:27-29).

Have you trusted Christ as your Saviour? If so, you are saved, secure in the hand of our Sovereign God. You couldn't be in a better position. You have taken the first step as a new Christian.

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