Don't wait until you "get your act together" before seeking Jesus. You have no idea when your time in this world will end. If you leave this world unsaved, separated from Jesus, there will be no hope for you. If you put off seeking Jesus until you "clean up" your life, you will never be saved. It just won't happen. Seek Him now and let Him clean you up. You are not guaranteed another chance. Don't gamble with your eternal soul.

 

It does not matter what you have done, if you are still breathing, you can still be saved. Call on Jesus right now.

 

The most important question you will ever seek to answer in your lifetime is, "How can I receive salvation?" The answer to this question has very real, everlasting consequences. 

 

Salvation is the deliverance from sin and from the penalties of sin. We are all born with a sin nature. Every one of us owes a sin debt that we cannot pay on our own. God is Holy and, as such, He cannot simply turn a blind eye to our sins and overlook them as if they do not exist. As a Holy God, he cannot merely excuse our sins and remain true to His Holy nature. The sin debt that each and every one of us owe must be paid. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, came to this earth to pay that debt for us. He lived a perfectly sinless life, died on a cross as the sacrifice for our sins, was buried and rose again three days later. Jesus paid our sin debt in full. He is the only One who could do that and He is the only One who did do that.

 

The fact that Jesus paid the sin debt that each one of us owe does not mean that everyone will automatically go to heaven when they die. That is not what Scripture teaches. We bear some responsibility in this transaction. 

 

When judging our own selves, we tend to compare ourselves to other people who, by human standards, make us look good and virtuous. We may think to ourselves something along the lines of, "I'm a pretty good person. I don't do drugs like the guy down the street. I don't cheat on my spouse. I haven't killed anyone. I think God should let me into heaven." No matter how good you think you are, you will never be good enough to earn your way out of hell and into heaven. The thing we conveniently overlook is that, in God's judgment of us, we will not be compared to the person down the street. We will not be judged against human standards at all. We will be judged against the perfect, pure, holy standards of a perfect, pure, holy God. Furthermore, He not only looks at us, He looks in us as well. He knows every thought and every desire hidden in the depths of our hearts. Nothing, nothing, nothing is hidden from Him. There is not a single one of us who can undergo such divine scrutiny and emerge meritorious on the other side. Every single one of us need a Savior.

 

Isaiah 64:6

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. [emphasis added]

 

It is absolutely necessary to understand that salvation is obtained only through Jesus. Salvation does not come through a mere one-time, emotional recitation of some "magical" prayer. Salvation does not come from any amount of time imagined in a mythical "purgatory". Salvation does not come through performing acts pleasing to an Islamic allah or any other false religion. Salvation does not come through good works. Nothing we do can earn our own salvation. No amount of faith in anyone else will provide you with the salvation that only Jesus Christ can provide. There is no other way to receive eternal salvation. Jesus is the only way to everlasting life. There is no shortage of false religions in this world, vying for your attention, spreading falsehoods that only have the power to condemn you to hell. If you are going to recognize their lies, you have to know the truth. The only way to do that is to study the written word of God. 

 

John 3:13-18

13) And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16) 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.

17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [emphasis added]

 

For anyone who may be thinking, "Oh, a good and loving God would not send anyone to hell," you need to understand this... God does not send anyone to hell. Every person chooses for himself the eternal destination that he receives. Because of our sin nature, we are all born on our way to hell. Jesus provided the only way for us to be saved from hell. There are only two options: everlasting life with Jesus or everlasting separation from Him in hell. There is no third, fourth or fifth option. All roads do not lead to heaven. In fact, with the exception of the one road provided by Jesus, all roads lead directly to hell. Every person will choose his eternal fate for himself. God does not make that decision for us.

 

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

Acts 4:10-12

10) Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.  [emphasis added]

 

1 Timothy2:5

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

The act of believing in Jesus as referenced in John 3:15-16, and 18, is not merely acknowledging that He existed. It goes much deeper than just head knowledge. Believing in Jesus is a verb. It is an action, not a passive condition. This is believing that results in trusting. This is believing that results in entrusting one's spiritual well-being to Jesus. Truly believing in Jesus produces visible results in the life of the believer. You cannot be a true believer in Christ and stay the same as you were before you believed. The outward evidence of your change in status from unbeliever to believer is produced from the change that has taken place within your heart. The change that takes place within your heart is called repentance.

 

Repentance is an essential component of the Gospel message. Jesus called for repentance from the beginning of His public ministry, right up until He ascended into heaven. True repentance involves a changing of your mind, a changing of your heart, from being in agreement with this world and the prince of this world, to being in agreement with God. True repentance involves turning away from the worldly and turning toward God. True repentance produces a strong desire to live a life that is honoring to God. Repentance is inextricably linked to the remission of sins. You cannot have remission of sins without sincere repentance. To claim otherwise is to cheapen and to insult the divine sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. To claim remission of sins without repentance is to deceive yourself into believing you have received salvation when, in fact, you are on your way to hell the moment you take your last breath in this world. To claim salvation while continuing to revel in your favorite sins is to treat Jesus' sacrifice as a "get out of hell free" card. This is not a game and that is not how it works. The inseparability of repentance and salvation are clearly taught in Scripture by the very One who died to pay our sin debt in the first place. 

 

Both Matthew and Mark record Jesus' first words of His public ministry as a call for repentance. 

 

Matthew 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [emphasis added]

 

Mark 1:14-15

14) Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. [emphasis added]

 

Jesus did not come to this earth to affirm people in their sins, as many so-called religious leaders seem to claim today. Jesus came to help people see their sins for what they truly are, call them to repentance and offer Himself as Savior. All three synoptic Gospels record the following exchange between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees.

 

Matthew 9:10-13

10) And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

11) And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

12) But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

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. [emphasis added]

 

Mark 2:17

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [emphasis added]

 

Luke 5:31-32

31) And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

32) I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [emphasis added]

 

Jesus continued preaching repentance throughout His public ministry.

 

Luke 13:1-5

1) There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 

2) And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

4) Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

5) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. [emphasis added]

 

Luke 24 records Jesus' final words to His disciples just before He ascended into heaven. 

 

Luke 24:45-47

45) Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 

46) And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. [emphasis added]

 

Jesus called sinners to repentance throughout the entirety of His public ministry. Among His final words to His disciples before He ascended to heaven was a direct instruction that, "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations..." The fact that these were among Jesus' final words spoken to His disciples before He left this world and ascended into heaven should serve to underscore the severity of the message He conveyed. Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations. In Jesus' own words, repentance is necessary for the forgiveness of sins that only He can provide. Any other message is a deception leading only to damnation. 

 

Even after His ascension into heaven, Jesus appeared and spoke to Paul (who, prior to his conversion, was called Saul, of Tarsus) on the road to Damascus with the same gospel message of repentance.

 

Acts 26:15-20

15) And I said, Who are thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

16) But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

17) Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18) To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 

19) Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

20) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. [emphasis added]

 

Salvation does not come through anyone or any means other than the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our sincere repentance is necessary for us to receive the forgiveness of our sins that Jesus sacrificed Himself to provide. No amount of good deeds will suffice. It is the condition of our heart that makes us able to receive salvation. 

 

Romans 10:9-10

9) 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.

10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

 

 

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Definitions from Updated Edition Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, copyright 2007:

 

- believeth - (G4100) Greek word "pisteuō" from G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):- Also translated in the KJV as believe, believer, commit (to trust), put in trust with.

 

- (G4102) Greek word "pistis" from G3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:- Also translated in the KJV as assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

 

- repent (G3340) Greek word "metanoeō" from G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally feel compunction):- Translated in the KJV only as repent.

 

-repentance (G3341) Greek word "metanoia" from G3340; (subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication reversal (of [another's] decision):- Translated in the KJV only as repentance.

 

-remission (G859) Greek word "aphesis" from G863; freedom; (figuratively) pardon:- Translated in the KJV as deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission.

 

-salvation (G4991) Greek word "sōtēria" feminine of a derivative of G4990 as (properly abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physical or moral): - Translated in the KJV as deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.

 

- (G4990) "sōtēr" from G4982; a deliverer, i.e. God or Christ:- Translated in the KJV as saviour.

 

-salvation (G4992) Greek word "sōtērion" neuter of the same as G4991 as (properly concrete) noun; defender or (by implication) defence:- Translated in the KJV as salvation.