Christian-Newswire.com ~ Salvation

Faith - What Exactly is 'FAITH'?

Faith is BELIEF that is not based upon proof...
Do you find that it is hard to believe in something you cannot see? Do you feel that you have to 'see to believe?' If so, welcome to the "Club of Non-Belief". Jesus used to tell His disciples over and over "Oh you of little faith", because they would actually see Jesus perform miracles with their own eyes, but after a short time, would 'forget' what they saw, and start to doubt again. Actually, it wasn't until Jesus' resurrection, after His crucifixion, that His disciples stopped doubting. Why do you think this was? Was it because of a lack of short-term memory on the disciples' part? No, not really. It was more so because sometimes the human mind cannot fathom such miracles. Think about it. Hypothetically speaking: If you actually saw a UFO up in the sky, and full of excitement, went to tell your friends about it, do you think they would actually believe you? Even if you know - that you know - that you KNOW it was for real? No. They would not believe you. Then you too would begin to doubt what you "thought" you saw. This very thing happened with the disciples on several occasions where there was disbelief amongst the crowds, and they too began to doubt that they what they actually saw with their own eyes. Here is what Jesus said to His Disciple Thomas in The Book of John 20:24-29 after His resurrection and after having appeared to the other disciples, when Thomas was not present:

Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Jesus also talked about faith in James 2:14-20:

Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

If you can just get past the idea that you have to "see to believe", you could open up a whole new universe for yourself. Believing in Christ comes from within. It is based upon knowing that Jesus lives, without actually seeing him.

Scripture from the Book of Romans:
Romans 1:16-18 (New Living Translation)
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--Jews first and also Gentiles. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

Salvation - What Exactly is 'SALVATION'?

Have you ever been asked the following question: "Are you saved?" If you have, and you answered "Yes"; Are you really sure that you are saved? If you have, and you answered "No", would you like to be saved? How about this - If you have never been asked that question before - you are NOW being asked, "ARE YOU SAVED?". It takes a strong person to not struggle with his or her pride and not pretend that they know what salvation is or what it means to be saved, and still want to inquire about its exact meaning.

Salvation is a "Gift" from God. There is nothing you can do to earn it. No amount of good works in the world that you perform can purchase it. It cannot be tranferred from one person to another and it cannot be given unless you have a repentant heart. You can't spend your life as "A Good Person", but as a good person who did not know Jesus, and still receive it. So you ask, "How exactly do I go about receiving salvation?". The following is how the bible instructs you on Salvation:

It says in Romans 10:9-10: 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved."

Yes... that is it in a nutshell. You MUST confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and you MUST believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead - and YOU WILL BE SAVED. Of course once you have confessed and believed, God will work on your heart and you will become a new creature in Christ. You will want to turn away from your sins and become more pleasing to God. This transformation will take place and slowly you will shed your sinful nature. Some people shed their sinful nature immediately after accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord over their life. Do you want to accept Jesus Christ into your life right now? If you do, please say the prayer below with sincerity - and accepting Christ into your heart:

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need Your forgiveness.

I believe that Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed his precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to his Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

Friends... If you just said this prayer and truly meant it will all of your heart, you just "GOT SAVED".