FORUM 1
Salvation is the one and most important need in all humanity because of
our sinful nature. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God”. We don’t need a savior necessarily because of our
sinful actions, but because of our sinful heart. Sin is at the very core of
our being; it was through Adam and Eve’s disobedience that sin entered
the world. So no matter how many good actions I do, I am still in the
need of a savior because it is not the actions that save but the change of
heart that can only occur by accepting Jesus, who is the way, the truth
and the life (John 14:6).
Accepting Jesus is not just repeating a prayer, or knowing and/or
believing the facts about who Jesus is because even the demons believe
and know much about scriptures. This step towards salvation is about
the will. The person is willing to fully surrender in dependence to Christ
and commitment to His word. As a result, it’s not that the person will be
perfect and will never sin again, but will definitely not be comfortable
with sin, and will run to repentance when committed. The person wants
to progress in his relationship with Jesus and will want to be more like
Him. To be saved is a desire and the will that comes from the heart.
An unbeliever may not want to be saved because he thinks he’s a good
person and does quite a lot of good actions that he believes could
probably outweigh the bad ones, so he doesn’t feel the need of a savior.
Another big reason why people may not want to be saved is because
they think that there are many ways to God; Jesus happens to be one of
them, and if I don’t want Jesus I can still choose another path and still
get to God.
It is important to accept Jesus personally. Not because one’s family goes
to church and believes in Jesus means that one is automatically saved.
God is a personal God and is interested in fully having a person’s heart.
This is more than knowing facts about Jesus. It’s not something only
done with the intellect, but a decision made from the heart. In John 3 we
see Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, who knowing the law (in other words,
cognitively knowing the word of God) he wasn’t born again.
Works without faith is dead and faith without works is also dead (James
2:14-26). Our good deeds will not save us; however, our actions, words,
and attitudes are evidences that we have accepted Christ. Once you
willfully give your heart to Jesus and commit your life to His word, the
process of sanctification begins, and here is where the changes begin to
occur in our lives. Matthew 5:16 say, “let your light shine before men;
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
heaven” (ASV). Our actions become a testimony and a proof of our
genuine conversion to Christ. Because salvation is a matter of the heart,
it automatically begins to reflect in how we think, how we speak and
how we act; this is why Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit”
(Matthew 7:16, CEB).
