WHY I BELIEVE: BIBLE & SALVATION

I believe the Bible; I believe in Christ Jesus. I could spend volumes of paper explaining all the logical, philosophical, scientific and historical ways to prove that I am correct in my beliefs. I am certain, however, that I can be the most convincing by telling why I am a follower of Christ and what He means to me.

I believe that the Bible - every page, sentence, word of it - is the Word of God. All of the Bible, nothing more and nothing less - simply the Old and New Testaments alike - is the Word of God(2 Timothy 3:16). Why do I believe this? Because no other written word - religious or otherwise has such a profound effect on the life of the reader. While other writings suggest ways(rules, etc.) to appease the conscience, only the Bible reveals the power by which guilt is not only erradicated, but the desire to do evil is destroyed(Romans 8:1-3, Matthew 11:28-30).

Now, in order to procede anywhere towards knowing Christ it must be agreed that the Bible is true. God says "taste and see"(Psalms 34:8-9) "come and reason"(Isaiah 1:18). Read your Bible... do so with a searching heart and you will see that it is TRUTH.

Having determined that the Bible is true we are left with the TRUTH it tells us. For instance: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23). "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). We have all sinned - there is no way we can pay for our sins ourselves(Romans 3:23, 6:23). Only through eternal death could we pay for even one sin (Hebrews 9:11-28). Christ lived a perfect life (as God and man). Because He lived His life perfectly, He could choose to die for our sins and His death could atone for our sins. Christ also arose from the dead, because He was God. He will also return as our King(1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).

Christ did not die to give us the ability to escape eternal death (Hell) and yet live in sin on Earth (creating earthly Hell: Romans 6:1-2). Rather, He died to give us life both now (through a pure heart and life) and eternally (in Heaven). We must be truly repentant - so sorry that we turn completely away from them and cry out to God, asking for forgiveness and the power to flee evil in the future. This does not mean we won't have need for further growth the longer we are saved. We will continue to become more like Christ as we yield to His promptings and follow His calls on our life. A Christian is filled with love, joy, peace, and contentment as he studies the Scriptures and fellowships with other believers, learning from their examples.

Salvation cannot be "lost", but it can be given up. A person can decide to disobey God after having prayed a prayer of repentance at one time. However, the Holy Spirit will chastise and convict the wayward soul to the point that the person must be very determined to not give in to God in order to put aside salvation and spend eternity without God, in Hell. A person can numb their mind to the promptings of the Holy Spirit - making themselves unable to feel the tug towards God (Romans 1:28). This is a sad situation and Christians must be quick to heed God's call in order to keep their conscience clean and open before God.

Nearly every newly saved Christian is enthusiastic about telling his friends and family about what joy he has found. The Bible tells us we should share the gospel and compel others to come to Christ (Mark 16:15). The harvest of souls is great, but the workers are few. Our lives should be a testamony of God's grace.

We are told in the Bible to be in the world, but not of the world (Romans 12:2). We are warned to flee the world's fleeting pleasures. Alcohol, illegal drugs, immorality, and lack of seriousness towards God are ways that the world dulls its mind to the truth of God (1 John 2:15-17). Christians flee these things and live their lives not desiring the world's pleasures, such as wealth and fame. Rather, they desire to live for Christ and see others saved and on their way to Heaven (Matthew 6:33). "Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord." Christians endeavor to keep their minds pure as well as their lives. In this way, others are drawn to Christ through our example of joy through glorious Christ centered living.

When Christ rose from the dead, He returned to Heaven. He will come again for those who have believed His Word, forsaken the world and followed Him. We must work quickly to bring the gospel to everyone around us before time is up forever.

This is the way of the follower of Christ. "Whosoever will, may come." I pray that you will come to know the Savior of all men - Jesus Christ.