“REPENT, BECAUSE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR!”
No matter who you are or what you’ve done, Jesus came to this earth for you. He didn’t come to condemn us, but to seek and to save the lost, and that’s good news!
Salvation
Salvation is a gift from God. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you are saved from death, Hell, and the grave and given eternal life. Salvation is about what God has already done for you, not what you can do for Him.
How am I saved?
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." You have been saved by the grace of Jesus through faith—not because of anything you have done, but only because of what He did for you when He died on the cross and rose again!
What do I need to do to be saved?
Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Salvation is when you repent of your sin and believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It’s a gift from God, so all you got to do is receive it by faith!
Why is following Jesus the most important decision I’ll ever make?
Through Jesus, you are given a living hope (1 Peter 1:3-6). Your sin is forgiven, your relationship with God has been restored, and not only are you free from the penalty of sin (death and Hell), but you are free from the power of sin here and now!
Salvation begins a process called sanctification, which means that day by day, you fall more out of love with your sin and fall more in love with God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This means that your former way of life has ended and a new life with Jesus has begun. You’re no longer enslaved by your sin… you now live in the freedom that Jesus won!
Finally, making Jesus Lord of your life gives you direct access to God the Father. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Jesus is the only way to the Father and the only way to receive salvation. Believing in Him gives you access to everything that God has for you.
As you start to understand what salvation is, you will likely be led to ask more questions.
Why is there sin in the first place?
Why did Jesus need to die for my sins?
Why do I accept the gift of salvation rather than earning it?
In order to gain a deeper understanding of God’s plan—not just for your life, but for all of humanity—you have to become a student of His Word, the Bible. At Awaken, we believe that when you get into the Word, the Word will get into you and it will change your life!
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3