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How to be saved and ready for Eternity

How to be saved and ready for Eternity

A darkness is falling on the world and soon the seven-year Tribulation period will begin. It will be an unprecedented time of sorrow for the entire world. There will be wars, economic upheaval, and unparalleled religious persecution. Governments will fall and wars and death will be common—billions will die. There will be plagues, poison waters, scorching heat, unexplained darkness, painful maladies, great earthquakes, celestial anomalies, animal die-offs, and much, much more. However, God in His mercy has provided a vehicle by which one can escape Tribulation period terrors—His name is Jesus Christ.

The means of escape and rescue from the tribulations to come is a relationship with Jesus Christ. And as the Rapture event will happen suddenly, there will not be even a split-second opportunity to seek forgiveness and make things right with God when the Rapture event begins. The only way to be prepared to be rescued by Christ in the Rapture is to already be in relationship with Jesus before the Rapture takes place.

Noted below is a simple, three-step plan to receive Christ, forgiveness, and salvation. Some refer to this process as being saved (1 John 2:2; Acts 4:12) or born again (see John 3:3 and 2 Cor. 5:17). Born-again believers are disciples and followers of Christ. The courageous identify as Watchmen (see Ezek. 33:1-9). Those who believe in Jesus Christ, are saved by Jesus Christ. They are forgiven of their sins, assured of eternal life in heaven, and will be rescued by Christ in the Rapture.

The ABC's of salvation

Are you absolutely certain you would go to Heaven if you died today? You can be. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said, "Unless you become like this little child you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.” The Gospel is child-like simple, as simple as A-B-C. The Apostle Paul summarized the Gospel: "I declare to you the Gospel … by which also you are saved … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

The word Gospel means "good news," and there is good news, but first the bad news: we are all sinners. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The penalty for sin is death—spiritual death—eternal separation from God in hell. Scripture notes, “For the wages (penalty) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Because we have sinned, we owe a debt so great it can never be paid (by human effort). We need a Savior, one willing to die for us, in our place, and pay the debt we could not pay. That is what Jesus did—such wonderful news can not be adequately expressed in words.

The good news is that eternal life in Christ Jesus is His free gift to you. Scripture notes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Jesus paid your debt. He died for your sins. You can be forgiven and free because of Jesus Christ. How does one receive this gift? A simple three-step process is outlined below:

A three-step plan to be saved - The A-B-C’s of Salvation.

Admit that you are a sinner. We are all sinners. Romans 5:12 says, “… sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, so death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.” All have sinned. All have fallen short of God's standard. All need to be forgiven. The only way to be forgiven is to admit you are a sinner and confess your sins to Jesus.

Believe in your heart. Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Those who believe and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior are saved. They can know the sins they confess to Jesus are forgiven and forgotten, and that they are promised an eternal, glorious home in heaven in eternity.

Call upon the name of the Lord. Romans 10:13 says, "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." How can you be saved? That’s the best part of the Good News – just ask Jesus to save you. There is something notable in declaring a truth out loud. Therefore, if you believe, others should know it. Share your testimony. Declare your faith. Challenge others to call upon the Lord as you have.

This can be your day of Salvation (see 2 Corinthians 6:2). Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and committing to follow Him is the most important eternal decision you will ever make. Don't wait — do this now. There is no secret formula or specific words you must say. Just speak to the Lord from your heart. You can tell Him you believe, you need his forgiving touch, and express your commitment to follow Him in your own words. God knows your heart. A sample prayer is noted below as an optional guide.

"God, I admit I am a sinner and I'm sorry for my sin. I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross so that my sins can be forgiven. Right now, I place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I ask for your mercy and grace. I ask for strength and wisdom to live for you, and I thank you for saving my soul and promising to take me to Heaven so I can enjoy eternal life with you. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for loving and saving me. Amen."

If you followed those simple A-B-C’s, you are saved. You are forgiven. You will spend eternity in Heaven with Christ and all those who believe in Him. You have been born again, and like any newborn, you need to grow and become strong. Many free resources to help you grow can be found at iamawatchman.com We would love to hear from you. Use the Contact Us button to tell us about your decision to follow Christ.

You can be sure of your salvation

Those who commit their lives to God, confess Jesus as Lord, and accept Jesus in their heart as Lord and Savior will receive the indwelling presence of His Spirit and the promise of eternal life. Our new and eternal lives in Christ begin with a spiritual decision to live for Him—not when we die. Your eternal life in Christ can begin now.

In Christ we are born again (John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17). The Spirit ‘seals’ believers in God’s overwhelming and eternal love (Ephesians 1:13-14). Note what the Apostle Paul wrote about this in the book of Romans:

“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:33-39)

A few supporting Scriptures are noted below

  1. “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
  2. “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)
  3. 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:9-11)
  4. “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”(1 Timothy 1:9-10)
  5. “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Heb. 9:27-28)
  6. “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47)
  7. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
  8. “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)