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Read and discern each truth. Scroll for more. Share it boldly.
To discern the truth means to carefully examine what you read and test it against the Word of God. Read the Bible verses provided, consider them in their proper context, and ask: Does the Bible clearly teach this? Scripture is the final authority for the content in this app.
Read the truth as many times as it takes and trust the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work that only He can do in your heart and in the hearts of others who hear.
The Grace Period
We are living in a grace period— “the last days” (2 Timothy 3:1), between the first coming of Christ and His return to bring history to its proper conclusion. It lies in the intersection of two ages: “this present age” and “the age to come.” The kingdom of God is both “now” and “not yet.”
For you, the grace period is from the time you were born until the time you die or until Christ returns. Only God knows the day, the hour and the circumstances of your death and only He knows the day and the hour of the second coming of Jesus.
It is the reason you exist on the earth— to be reconciled to God, by His grace and through the righteousness of His Son— to restore your relationship with Him that was broken by sin. It is what your life on this earth is all about. It is the ultimate “success”— the only “real” lasting success in this world.
Tragically, most people miss it, even though they may live long, successful lives by the world’s standards. They gain much in this life but die without receiving the one thing that really matters forever.
You don’t have to believe any of this if you don’t want to, but if you have heard the Good News and reject the saving grace of Jesus Christ, you are literally choosing to forfeit your soul for eternity and you are without excuse.
Your Soul
Your soul is what makes you a living being. In Genesis 2:7, God breathes life into Adam, “making him a “living soul.” It is the essence of who you are — your true, unique, one-of-a-kind self, the eternal, immaterial part of a person—the “real you” temporarily packaged in an aging, decaying, dying, physical and material body.
The soul is the part of you that lives on after the physical body dies— which it will, by the way. We will all die physically one day; everybody does (except the prophets Enoch and the Elijah). Your soul is who you are in this life and who you will be in the next. It is unique to all other souls; one of a kind— created in the image of God.
- The body is temporary, but the soul endures forever. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
- The soul is the seat of your mind, your will, your emotions, and your spiritual life — the “you” that makes choices and relates to God.
- Because it is eternal, your soul will experience everlasting life with God or eternal separation from Him, depending on what you do with Christ.
“If all worldly things are worthless when compared with the life of the body, how forcible the same argument with respect to the soul and its state of never-ending happiness or misery!“
In other words, if you would gladly give up everything you own to save your physical life, how much more valuable is your eternal soul?
“Thousands lose their souls for the most trifling gain, or the most worthless indulgence, nay, often from mere sloth and negligence.
Whatever is the object for which men forsake Christ, that is the price at which Satan buys their souls. Yet one soul is worth more than all the world.
This is Christ’s judgment upon the matter; He knew the price of souls, for He redeemed them; nor would He underrate the world, for He made it. The dying transgressor cannot purchase one hour’s respite to seek mercy for his perishing soul. Let us then learn rightly to value our souls, and Christ as the only Savior of them.”
— from the Matthew Henry Commentary
What are the objects in your life for which you forsake Christ?
No object, no sin, no temporary pleasure is worth the eternal price that must be paid for them… your eternal soul.
“It is well with my soul” as the great hymn says, means you are at peace with the one true God, secure in Christ, forgiven of your sins, and certain of your eternal hope, regardless of your present circumstances.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Romans 5:1)
Read: Common “Objects” for Which People Forsake Christ
God’s Plan of Redemption
Redemption is the act of being rescued or set free through the payment of a price. Jesus Christ redeemed sinners from the guilt, penalty, and bondage of sin by the price of giving His life and shedding His blood for them.
There is one true holy God, in three distinct persons— God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.
Salvation was purposed by God, the Father, by His grace through His divine and perfect plan of redemption before the foundation of the world.
“(God) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” (2 Timothy 1:9)
Salvation was accomplished by God, the Son, Jesus Christ, through His sinless life, substitutionary death and victorious resurrection.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to Father, but through me.” (John 14:6)
Salvation is applied by God, the Holy Spirit, through conviction, regeneration and sanctification.
“And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin (revealing our guilt before God, especially the sin of rejecting and refusing to believe in Jesus Christ), and of righteousness (showing that Jesus is perfectly righteous and that true righteousness is found only in Him, confirmed by His return to the Father), and of judgment (warning that Satan has already been judged and defeated, and that all who remain in rebellion against God will also face judgment).” (John 16:8–11)
Regeneration is God giving spiritual life through the Holy Spirit where you are born again.
“According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
Sanctification is the lifelong process of being transformed into Christlikeness.
“God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
A Clear Presentation of the Gospel Message
Let’s Break Down the Truths of the Gospel!
God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it— the one true, sovereign, living God is— holy, perfectly righteous, just, and absolutely pure.
And because of sin, you and I are not.
That’s our big problem!
Because one day we will all stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy and just Judge, and apart from His saving grace we cannot expect anything but condemnation. Scripture distinguishes between the judgment of those who are saved and the judgment of those who are lost.
Read: The One True, Sovereign, Living, Creator God
So it is imperative for you to understand that all are born in the same condition— with a sin nature— lost, condemned, and without hope, and need to be reconciled to God through His Son.
We are all sinners, without exception, and we all fall short of the glory of God— His perfect standard of holiness and righteousness (Romans 3:23), and there is a penalty to be paid for that.
Sin originated when the first man—Adam (and yes, Eve)— chose to disobey God’s command in the Garden of Eden:
“And the Lord God (who makes the rules and sets the standards in the world He created) commanded the man (even before Eve was created) saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die‘” (from Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV; emphasis added).
It was a command from the holy God, not a suggestion. And they ate from the tree and immediately died a spiritual death, with physical death becoming inevitable, but not instantaneous— just like it will for all of us.
Adam and Eve both disobeyed God, they sinned, they fell short of His perfect standard. But it was Adam who bore complete responsibility for it and passed on the curse of his sin nature to all of mankind— to every one of us!
And because we have also sinned and missed the mark, we too have experienced spiritual death and will ultimately die physically.
“Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men (us), because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12)
We are all sinners and need a Savior!
God’s Rightful Judgment for Sin
And because of God’s wrath, the powerful and just anger of the holy God— the wages of sin, the price that sin pays, is death— physical death— spiritual separation from God and eternal punishment in the lake of fire (hell), “but the free gift (grace) of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (from Romans 6:23)
Problem. Solution— both in Romans 6:23; all part of God’s plan.
Yes— the same holy God who demands justice for the sins of mankind also provides redemption through the substitutionary sacrifice of His Son, who paid sin’s penalty once for all on the cross. Jesus Christ has always been God’s plan to save lost sinners, even before the foundation of the world.
Every person will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ on the last day. The saved will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ for evaluation and reward; the lost will stand before the Great White Throne for final judgment and condemnation.
Just so you’ll know, the lake of fire—also known as the second death (for those who were not born again)— is where all who reject the name of Jesus will be consciously tormented day and night, without rest and without reprieve, forever and ever. This is God’s rightful and just judgment. (Revelation 20:14-15)
Those who are born for a second time (born again) will die only once. Those who are not born again will die twice; the second death.
Warning: You do not want to experience the second death. It is death and punishment that never ends!
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“For God so loved the world (us) that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Romans 10:13 says: “For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
By His grace, His unmerited favor, God gives us what we need— a Savior, Jesus Christ.
Read: God’s Amazing Grace
And because of His great mercy, He does not give us what we deserve— death, separation from God, and eternal punishment.
The love of God for us is shone by His grace and His mercy.
Grace is a demonstration of God’s mercy— which is fresh every single day (Lamentations 3:22–23) and endureth forever (from Psalm 136, KJV)— and His goodness, and His unchanging character. It is a favor freely bestowed upon those like us who are totally unable to return the favor.
So God did what only He could do. He added humanity to His deity and God himself through His Son Jesus Christ became the sinless human substitute His justice required.
Read: Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer
Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live, died the death we deserved and paid the penalty for our sin. Then, on the third day, He rose from the dead and walked out of that tomb— conquering sin, death, hell, Satan and all the powers of darkness.
And He gives eternal life to all who genuinely repent and put their faith and trust in Him.
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Read: What Jesus Did For You
Read: It Has Always Been About Jesus
The Salvation of Your Soul
The salvation of your soul comes only by God’s grace which is applied by the Holy Spirit, through genuine repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ.
It is God’s gracious work of rescuing sinners from the guilt, penalty, power, and ultimately the presence of sin through Jesus Christ. Salvation is received by grace through faith in Christ and includes justification, regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
(See the Glossary to define these truths)
Faith in Jesus Christ is the one way, the only way to salvation.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Your conversion, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit leading to genuine repentance and saving faith, are the necessary responses you must make to God’s gracious offer of salvation. They are inseparable, two sides of the same coin and linked in scripture, yet distinct acts that work hand-in-hand, but neither is sufficient apart from the other. Both are gifts of God’s grace and neither is possible without the work of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance means repudiating your life of sin without Christ and turning to God for salvation and your new (eternal) life in Christ.
Faith is the belief, trust, and complete confidence about who Jesus is and what He has done for you. It is turning to, trusting in and relying on Christ alone.
By repentance, you give glory to your Creator, God the Father, whom you have offended over and over. By faith, you give glory to your Redeemer, God the Son, Jesus Christ, who came to save you from your sins.
“The greatest of all God’s miracles is the salvation of a soul.” C.H. Spurgeon
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:9-10)
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
It is God’s will for you to be saved.
The Word Concerning Christ
The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
The “word of Christ” is the message about Jesus Christ—the gospel: who He is, what He accomplished through His death and resurrection, and the salvation God offers through faith in Him.
Romans 10:17 teaches that saving faith comes as people hear and receive the truth of the gospel concerning Christ.
A clear presentation of the gospel message must precede genuine repentance and saving faith. True faith always has content— the revealed word concerning Christ.
The gospel is more than just words—it is the power of God speaking to you.
God commands us to hear and believe the gospel truth and to not ignore it, resist it, or suppress it and trust the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work that only He can do in the hearts of those who hear.
Salvation comes to those who hear and believe the facts of the gospel and are given new life (born again) by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Uses the Word to Produce Life
No one can be saved without the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.
Read: The Holy Spirit: God’s Agent of Salvation
He is the divine messenger who uses the Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, to produce a supernatural work of grace to convince you that you are a sinner before the holy God—lost, condemned, unable to save yourself, and need a Savior—
Jesus Christ!
And when you finally understand the truth— all you can do is humble yourself and with a godly sorrow, cry out with all your heart:
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner and save my soul.”
David’s Prayer for Forgiveness
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your (unfailing) lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies (compassion), blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. — (Psalm 51:1–2)
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast (firm, faithful, unwavering, and stable) spirit within me.”
(Psalm 51:10)
Godly sorrow focuses on the impact that sin has on your relationship with God and is according to the will of God and produced by the Holy Spirit, not yourself.
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but “worldly” sorrow (the consequences of sin—such as feeling embarrassed, ashamed, or fearful of punishment and has no redemptive quality) is not genuine repentance and brings death.” (from 2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV)
“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32)
Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)
And in God’s greatest miracle, the Holy Spirit leads you to repentance and takes your genuine belief of the gospel— who Jesus is and what He has done for you— and applies it as saving faith— producing new life, transforming you into a spiritual rebirth, where you are “born again” as a new creation in Christ and God justifies you and declares you righteous through the righteousness of Jesus.
Jesus said this to Nicodemus in John 3:3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Your genuine beliefs the Holy Spirit applies as saving faith are:
You confess Jesus as Lord— the one true, sovereign, living, Creator God, with all authority in heaven and on earth.
You believe in your heart that Jesus lived the perfect, sinless life you could never live, died the death you deserved and paid the penalty for your sin, and that He rose again on the third day— conquering sin, death, hell, Satan and all the powers of darkness, and gives eternal life to all who genuinely repent and put their faith and trust in Him.
Read: Applying Romans 10:9-10
Born Again as a New Creation in Christ
The old you no longer exists and everything about you has been made new.
Read: All Things Made New
You no longer identify as who you are and what you have done. Instead, you find your identity in whose you are—in Christ—and in what He has done for you.
You are indwelled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who helps you become more spiritually mature by living out your faith each day with righteous thoughts, attitudes, and actions that are Christlike, pleasing to God, consistent with His Word, and bring Him glory.
Salvation produces fruit— a change in your life that others can hear and see— love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23); the characteristics of Jesus which are now yours.
The visible proof of “real salvation” is in the fruit that it produces; a transformed life! There will now be things that you will do and things you simply will not do because you are a Christian.
And the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit gives assurance of your salvation and adoption into God’s family.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16), not by some inner mystical voice, but by the fruit He produces in us.
The character of born again believers is transformed from the inside-out into the characteristics of Jesus. For many unbelievers, this is a stumbling block or even foolishness. They won’t fully understand it until the Holy Spirit actually reveals it to them.
You cannot be truly saved and remain the same.
Our most important blessings are those which are “everlasting,” those which occur after our temporary “grace period” on Earth is over.
Because you have been saved, you have been sanctified by God, set apart for His purposes, and He works in a lifelong process to perfect you each day and ultimately makes you holy when you arrive in heaven.
Now in everything you say and do as a born again believer in Christ, let others see Jesus in you and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about your new attitude and how you have changed and the hope you have, and speak with gentleness and respect, just as Christ would do. (from 1 Peter 3:15)
Read: What Are You Going To Do About Sin
Read: Just To Be Clear
The Plea
Make your salvation a great sense of urgency above everything else you do in this world, because you really don’t have much time. Your earthly life is short, like a mist or vapor, and time passes quickly with no time-outs or do-overs.
You are not guaranteed another day of life, not another breath, not one more heartbeat and you will eventually die… we all will, and you don’t know the day, the hour or the circumstances of your death or the day and hour when Christ will return. Only God knows those things.
Life’s brevity must awaken us to our need for God, prompt that urgency in seeking Him and highlight the hope of eternal life through His blood.
You will find out everything about heaven when you arrive.
Make your arrival in heaven the top priority of your earthly life.
Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation.”— (2 Corinthians 6:2)
You may never have another moment like this.
Stay in the Gospel and trust the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do.
Be persistent! Keep asking! Keep seeking! Keep knocking! Keep pleading!
Please do not live here and leave here without receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Too many people do!
Do not experience the second death. Too many people will!
And eternity is a long, long time to be wrong!
Don’t be wrong!
If you have truly put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ — according to scripture— YOU ARE SAVED! (Romans 10:9-10); completely forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), reconciled to God (Romans 5:10-11), justified and made righteous through the righteousness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21), made a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), indwelled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14), and given eternal life which begins immediately upon salvation (John 17:3).
And yes, your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life! (Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:27)
Praise God and Give Him All the Glory!
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
Read: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
And just as Jesus physically and visibly ascended into heaven after His resurrection, one day He’s coming back in like manner for you and me!
“This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Jesus is coming back for the final judgment of all mankind.
“Jesus, the Lord of history, will return… to bring history to its proper conclusion.” (adapted from Revelation 1:7; Holman New Testament Commentary – Revelation; Kendall H. Easley)
Read: Judgment – Judgment Seat of Christ – Great White Throne Judgment
Here are some things to do next that will help you, whether you just got saved, are already a born again believer in Jesus Christ, or not yet saved—
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