So how can we be saved from Hell? First, you must realize that you are a sinner. In fact, we all are. We lie, we cheat, we steal, we cuss, we gossip, we slander, we lust, we commit sexual sin, we hate, we envy, we disobey our parents…and so much more! We are all SINNERS in need of a SAVIOR! God will judge all of us – and He does not grade on the curve! And there is no amount of good works that can overcome our sin. At the judgment, we will make all sorts of excuses for our sins, but they won’t help! The Bible states, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). The Bible states, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10) and “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So the first step is to admit that you are a sinner.
Second, you need to realize that there must be a blood sacrifice for your sin. Otherwise, you will be judged GUILTY. The Bible states, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). And this shedding of blood must take the form of a sinless, blameless sacrifice. So you are POWERLESS to save yourself. And so is Buddha and Mohamed and Allah and Krishna and Confucius and the Pope and Joseph Smith and the Dalai Lama. They are nothing but false gods and false prophets. The false gods don’t exist. And the false prophets were mere sinful humans who died and were buried, and their bodies turned to dust.
But Jesus Christ came to earth and lived the perfect, sinless, blameless life! He is fully God and fully man. And He performed many amazing miracles during His life, which were a testimony to His deity. He demonstrated power over disease, demons, nature, and even death! His opponents couldn’t deny the miracles, because thousands saw them. All they could do was attribute them to Satan, which is ridiculous. Satan doesn’t have the power to heal or give life. He only comes to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). And Satan would never perform a miracle and give glory to God in the process.
But the greatest miracle Jesus performed was the RESURRECTION! He rose from the dead after three days in the tomb. The Bible states, “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.’” (Matthew 28:5-6). The Bible also states, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
And once again, His opponents couldn’t deny the resurrection! They could have simply produced the body, and that would have stopped the spread of Christianity dead in its tracks. But they couldn’t produce the body, because He had risen! So they lied and said the disciples stole the body in the middle of the night while the soldiers guarding the tomb were asleep. But this explanation is so ridiculous – how did the soldiers know what happened if they were asleep?
The best explanation for what happened is what the Bible teaches us. Jesus is ALIVE! He conquered death since He is God and has always been God since before creation. The Bible states of Jesus, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).
And Jesus came to earth willingly for the express purpose of living a sinless, blameless life – yet He died a horrible, painful, brutal death on the cross as punishment for our sins. He did this, because He created us and loves us and wanted to provide a way – the only way – to REDEEM us. The Bible states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Imagine if you had a disease, and Jesus took it out of your body and put it in His body – that is how much He loves you. The Bible states, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We nailed Him to that cross, because of our sin! But we were “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20) – the “precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19). The Bible states, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).
Third, you must recognize that Jesus is the ONLY way to have eternal life. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). All religions are NOT the same, and they do NOT end up at the same place! They contradict each other, so they cannot all be true. In fact, if Christianity is true, then NO other religion is true! And if even one other religion were true, then Christianity could not be true. Christianity is exclusive, because Jesus is exclusive!
The Bible states, “Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11).
Fourth, you must accept the free gift that Jesus offers. The Bible states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). ALL of the other religions in the world, be it Islam or Hinduism or Judaism or Roman Catholicism, say “do this,” so you can “earn” your way into Heaven. But Christianity says, there’s no way you can “earn” your way into Heaven. Jesus Christ already “did it” for us through His death on the cross. He offers salvation to you as a FREE GIFT! But you must open your hand to accept it. He is ready to enter into a relationship with you. The Bible states, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). He wants to come and live on the inside of you, but you must decide to make Jesus the Lord & Savior of your life. The Bible states, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
