Four Steps to Salvation

Step 1: Who is God?

The Bible tells us in the very first verse that God is the Creator of all things: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). He is the ultimate source of life, matter, motion, everything. Nothing came to be without God’s sovereign decree. Not only that, but he sustains all of creation with the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). Moreover, God is the Supreme King of the universe, an eternal being, who had no beginning and has no end. As the psalmist says, “You, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations” (Psalm 102:12).

But God is not a petty tyrant, making decisions or demands on a whim to soothe his ego. No, he is just, righteous, and above all, he is holy. Different, set apart, morally pure and awesome. As such, he demands perfect holiness from his creatures, “Be holy for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). What, then, are his creatures?

Step 2: Who are We?

All human beings are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and as such, we all have inherent value and dignity. As God’s image-bearers, we reflect something of his character, his nature, and his attributes. Nevertheless, we are but dust (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 90:3). We are finite, totally and completely dependent upon God for our existence (Job 12:10; Acts 17:28).

Consequently, we are accountable to him and required to live righteous, holy lives just as he is those things. Sadly, the first humans, our ancestors Adam and Eve, violated God’s commands in the Garden, eating the fruit of the forbidden tree and invoking a curse upon all of creation (Genesis 3:14-19). This Original Sin spread to all of their descendants, including you and me. All humans are born with a sin nature, and sadly, we all sin against God in so many ways. Our sin separates us from God. We become his enemies.

The Scriptures tell us that the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). When we violate God’s righteous laws, we incur a massive debt that none of us could ever repay. We deserve God’s judgment. This is bad news. But is there any good news?

Step 3: What has God done?

In his infinite, unfathomable love, God acted to solve this great problem. God sent his one and only son, Jesus, into the world to live the perfect, sinless, holy life that you and I were supposed to live. Jesus, who was himself eternally God, took upon human flesh (John 1:14), lived among us, and never sinned once. Remarkably, Jesus kept every single one of God’s commands, from the greatest to the least.

Then, he was crucified on a cross, where he took upon himself the wrath of God that we deserved. Jesus was our substitute. He died, was buried in a tomb, and then rose from the dead three days later (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), only to ascend into heaven and take his place at the right hand of the throne of God (Acts 2:33). He sits enthroned as the King of the Universe, and he will return one day to judge the living and the dead. So, now what?

Step 4: What must we do?

In light of this great truth, we are commanded to repent of our sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 2:38, 16:31). To repent means to change our mind. It means to reject our sin, to turn around and follow Jesus. We must trust in him and his finished work on the cross for salvation from God’s wrath. We cannot trust in our good works because no amount of works can save us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When we trust in Jesus, God forgives us for all of our sins, past, present, and future. He gives us the Holy Spirit to comfort us, teach us, and help us to walk in holiness. He grants us eternal life in heaven, where we will live in his glorious presence forever and ever, free from the pains of sin and death.

In short, this is the Gospel message. This is the “good news” that we preach. And this is the message we pray you will put your trust in today. Friend, you may not have tomorrow, so do not delay.

“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).