Salvation Q&A

November 15th, 2005 | by John |

• What does it mean to be “saved”?

Being saved means that you believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God, that he died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven, that he arose from the dead through God’s power, and that you’ve prayed asking him into your heart to lead you in his ways.

• Well, that’s nice. Why do I need to be saved then?

Without being saved, you will not go to heaven when you die. It does not matter how much good you’ve done – without Jesus, you will be eternally separated from God after death, sentenced to hell.

Being saved is much more than just being rescued from hell though. Once you’re saved, you become a child of God. God will guide you through the most difficult of times (after all, what father wouldn’t look after his kids?).

• Okay, so there are benefits to being saved. But I thought that all you had to do to go to heaven was to be sure that your good deeds outweighed your bad?

As unfair as it may seem, that’s just not the way it works. We are sinners – sin is part of our imperfect human nature. The only way we can go to heaven is if our sins are forgiven.

But how do we get our sins forgiven? That’s the problem. We can’t do it ourselves. The penalty for sin is death, and there’s no way we can pay that price alone.

• That seems awfully unfair. I thought God loved everyone. How could he let anyone go to hell?

That’s where Jesus comes in. God loved us so much that he provided a way out of our sin, so that no one would be forced to go to hell. God sent his one and only son, Jesus, to come and live life as a human being, just like you and me. Jesus did everything that needed to be done so that sins could be forgiven – he lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead through God’s power. God loves us so much, that he ALLOWS the death of Jesus on the cross to count as payment for our sins, if we just ask him to do so.

• Well, I guess that kind of makes sense. So how do I get saved?

Getting saved is really very simple. Once you’ve realized that you have sin in your life and that without Jesus, you’ll have to spend an eternity separated from God (in hell), all you have to do is pray. In that prayer, admit to God that you have sinned and that you need Jesus to save you. Tell him that you want to be forgiven for your sins. Ask Jesus to come into your life to guide you, direct you, and be your savior.

• Okay, but I’ve never prayed before. How do I pray?

Praying to God is just like talking to anyone else. Just speak from your heart and talk to him about it. You could pray something like this:

“Dear God, I’m a sinner. I’ve done many things in my life that I know you’re not happy with. I’m sorry for those things God. I know that without Jesus, I’ll spend forever away from you. God, I don’t want that to happen. I believe that you sent Jesus to pay for my sins. I believe that his death on the cross was for me and my sins. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to turn from my sins and live a new life for you. Lord Jesus, please come into my life and lead me in your ways. I want you to be my savior.”

• Okay, I did it. I prayed to God, and now I’m saved! What now?

Let someone know! Tell someone who you know is a Christian! Find a church home where you can learn more about Jesus and what it means to be a Christian. Church life is VERY important, as it helps you to grow in your new-found faith and stick with it.

Second, get a Bible, and start reading. The Bible is God’s written word. He gave it to us to help us to grow in our faith and find His answers to life’s questions.

Last, PRAY. Do you have a friend you can talk to when times are tough? Prayer allows us to talk directly to God, just like picking up the phone and calling that friend.