Salvation

Welcome to the Kingdom of God!

The Basics of Salvation

When I come down the aisle at worship service and repeated the prayer with the minister - what did I really do?

Glad you asked! Whether you realized it or not, you were not just responding to the minister's invitation, but to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to turn your life over to God by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. We refer to this process as accepting salvation, and in this lesson we want to help you understand just what it means to be saved.

What is Salvation?
The word 'salvation' implies that there is a need for rescuing. When someone is rescued they are saved from hurt, harm or destruction. The spiritual salvation that we refer to in the church deals with our need to be rescued from eternal damnation and eternal separation from the presence of God. This salvation restores the relationship between God and man that was severed by Adam and Eve, and allows us to receive His love and communicate freely with Him.

Why is salvation needed?

• In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve in a perfect environment. (Genesis 2)
• God created man with a free will to choose obedience or disobedience (Genesis 2:16-17)
• Man chose to disobey God and sought to be like God (Genesis 3:1-7)
• Man's disobedience causes separation from God (Genesis 3:22-24)
• God developed rules and regulations (the Law), for man to attempt righteous living and be made aware of his sin. (Romans 7:7)
• Jesus comes to fulfill the Law, pay for our sin, and end the separation between us and God. (Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:4)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV) "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)