What is salvation

Salvation is not a reward to be earned by works - but a free gift to be received by faith.

We are saved by trusting Jesus' death, burial and resurrection as the complete payment for our sins. We cannot be saved by turning from sin, or by doing good works, or by living the Christian life. It's only by putting our trust in Jesus alone and in what He did for us (His death, His burial and His resurrection). No amount of good works can undo the bad that we've done. No one is good enough to go to heaven on their own merits. If we could be saved by our own doing, we would have to be a 100% perfect all the time and only do good without ever committing a single sin for our entire lives- and be absolutely perfect like Jesus Christ. But truth be told, we've all sinned before, and as long as we are in this corrupt, sinful body, we will always sin (no one keeps God's commandments perfectly - the flesh cannot keep the law - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us - - Romans 8:3, 1John 1:8). This is why turning from sin will not work - your past sins are still recorded against you, and you will always sin either by will or by ignorance. In order to go to heaven, you have to be a 100% perfect- which is why your sin needs to be paid for and covered, and Jesus' finished work is the only acceptable payment for man's sins. God will not accept any of our good works or efforts as a substitute to Jesus' death and resurrection. You must put a 100% of your faith and trust in Jesus alone, and nothing of yourself (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom 4:5). 

Salvation is eternal - there's nothing you can do to lose the gift of eternal life because it depends on Jesus alone.

The good news is that once you are saved, you're saved forever because all of your sins have been paid for and covered by the blood of Jesus the moment you received Him as your Savior. Now, if you commit sins after you're saved, God will correct you (nobody is getting away with sin in this life - whatsoever any man soweth, the same shall he also reap (Ga. 6:6)), and if you do good things (as a means to serve God and not as a means to earn salvation), God will reward you and bless you - but regardless of what you do or how you live, you will always be saved. You've become a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Ga. 3:26). That is because salvation is all by grace (by God's unmerited favor) through faith in Jesus' finished work alone. It’s not by our own works of righteousness (i.e., the works that we do to earn salvation). Salvation depends on Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, and not on what we do to earn it. One sin has condemned us all to hell (Romans 5:12), and only one sacrifice can save us - the blood of Jesus (Heb. 9:22, 10:12).

This is how salvation works - it's free grace, and it's once saved, always saved. Salvation is only through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Salvation is truly free.

If you desire to be saved, you must stop trusting in your own works and you must simply believe that Jesus died, was buried and rose again to pay for your salvation. You cannot add anything to His finished work - simply believe, and you will receive eternal life. If you think that you have to be a good person, or do good works, or be baptized, or go to church, or keep the commandments, or do anything other than BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation (Acts 16:31), then you will not be saved - because you're trusting in your own works, instead of depending on Jesus' finished work alone. Nobody ever worked hard to enough to make it to heaven. My friend, it's the sinless blood of the Lamb versus your filthy rags of good works. Don't trust any of your works (Is. 64:6)- only trust the blood of Jesus. ''What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.'' 

In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7

And if by grace, then is it no more of works - Romans 11:6a.


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