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Salvation
Salvation is God's rescue of people from sin and death into eternal life, given not as a reward for good works but as a gift received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Because the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ (Romans 6:23), anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes God raised Him from the dead will be saved (Romans 10:9). It is the heart of the good news.
Key verses about salvation
What Jesus taught about salvation
Jesus said plainly that He came 'to seek and to save that which was lost' (Luke 19:10). He told Nicodemus that a person must be born again (John 3), and He is the one way to the Father (John 14:6). He welcomed the tax collector, the outcast, and the dying thief, all saved by faith and mercy, not by merit. 'For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved' (John 3:17).
Examples of salvation in the Bible
- The thief on the cross was saved in his final hour by simply turning to Jesus (Luke 23:42-43).
- Zacchaeus was found by Jesus and his whole life changed: 'this day is salvation come to this house' (Luke 19).
- The Philippian jailer asked, 'what must I do to be saved?' and believed with his household (Acts 16).
- Paul the persecutor, met the risen Christ on the Damascus road and was made new (Acts 9).
- The woman at the well met Jesus and ran to tell her whole town (John 4).
How to grow in salvation, practically
- Admit your need; 'all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23).
- Believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again (Romans 10:9).
- Turn to Him and receive the free gift; it is by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Confess Jesus as Lord, out loud, to God and to someone else.
- Take the next steps: be baptized, read the Bible, and join God's people.
- If you are ready now, walk through it step by step: see How to Become a Christian.
Where to go from here
You do not have to walk this alone
Pray, hear how Christ met someone else, ask anything, or find people near you.
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- What does the Bible say about salvation?
- Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is God's gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23), received by believing in Christ (John 3:16, Romans 10:9).
- How can I be saved?
- By believing in Jesus Christ, confessing Him as Lord and trusting that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Salvation is a gift received by faith, not earned.
- What does it mean to be born again?
- Jesus taught in John 3 that to enter God's kingdom a person must be born again, given new spiritual life by the Holy Spirit through faith in Him.