Take Jesus for instance… What did it benefit Him to being whipped short of death and hung on a cross to save us from our sins? He was tortured, beaten, spit at, criticized, mocked, yet He said not a word as He was being interrogated by those who thought they were better than everyone else. Again, what did Jesus gain from all of this pain and suffering? He gained us back from Satan so He could give us back to God. God wants to reconcile us all back to Him, but He will not force us. Salvation is voluntary. Either you want it or you don't, but you can't have it both ways. You are either for God or you are against Him, which means, whether you want to believe it or not, you are for Satan, the Devil, Lucifer. As I will explain during these next few posts, you are either saved or you are wicked, as the Bible calls those who have not accepted the Salvation of Jesus Christ.
But if you do, and when you do, accept God's free gift of salvation, you will experience many benefits that you will wonder how you ever lived without them before. I'm excited! How about you?
Let's get started.
Eternal Life In Heaven
Without salvation, we can’t be sure where we will spend eternity – Heaven or Hell. By accepting God’s gift of salvation, Jesus Christ, our entry into Heaven is secure. Christians who are truly born again can say with confidence that we know where we are going when we die. Jesus was very clear about those who did not choose to follow Him when He said in Matthew 7:21-23, "21Not all those who say that I am their Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22On the last day many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, we spoke for you, and through you we forced out demons and did many miracles.’ 23Then I will tell them clearly, ‘Get away from me, you who do evil. I never knew you.’ Jesus said that there are two kinds of people (in the same chapter), "24Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. 26Everyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house, and it fell with a big crash.” (Both New Century Version) God wants us to obey Him in all things, but the one thing most of all that He wants us to obey Him in is accepting His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Again, He wants all of us in Heaven with Him. But only those who hear the words of His Son and obey them will get into Heaven. No matter how many good deeds we've done on this earth, none of them will get us into Heaven. Only Jesus can get us there, but we have to know Him first.
I cannot lose my salvation
For those who believe, or have been told, that you can lose your salvation once you have gained it need to read what the Apostle Paul wrote to His student Timothy. In 2 Timothy 2:11-13, he wrote from the Spirit "This is a sure thing: If we die with him, we’ll live with him; (12)If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him; If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us; (13)If we give up on him, he does not give up—for there’s no way he can be false to himself." (The Message)
This is the great news of the Gospel: You can never, never, never, never, never, lose your salvation. Once you are saved, you are saved forever!!! Let no one tell you different. Jesus said in John 10:28, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." (New International Version) Even if we turn our backs on Jesus, He will never turn His back on us. Because Jesus promised us that we could not be snatched away from Him, He would be lying if He gave up on us. Even if we turn away from Him, He will still do everything He can to get us to turn back to Him again. This is where the trials and tribulations in our lives come into play. Jesus would never willingly put us in harm's way, but He can and will allow them to persist until we once again see our need for Him and turn back to His loving ways.
So, rest assured: Jesus will never let you go no matter what you do. That doesn't give us a license to sin, but it does give us the freedom to do the good works that the Holy Spirit will give us to do without the fear of persecution or even death. Feel free to really live for Jesus. You will find that life is worth living and that following Jesus was the best decision you've ever made in your life.
I know that I have never regretted making that decision. Where once I was truly dead to the world, I am now truly alive in Christ, and I would never trade the two, even upon pain of death. But don't believe me; believe the Savior. Let Him show you a life that He knows you truly want. Don't deny yourself of life any longer. There is life in the Cross of Christ. Bow down to the One who created you. Give Him what is already His. You were meant for something greater, and in your heart you know you want to achieve that greatness. Until you accept and trust Jesus Christ with your life you will never even come close to the true life you want. Cry out to Jesus. He will respond and show you how life is to be truly lived.
May God bless you with His love.
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