Salvation is a beautiful word. Imagine a man drowning in a lake. Just as he goes under, a hand reaches out to rescue him from death. Or, a ladder is hoisted to a woman with a child in a building on fire just before the flames consume them. The word salvation can mean saving from danger or evil. It can also mean saving from sin and its consequences in the hereafter. 

How to be Saved

A Philippian jailer asked the Apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” The response was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” In this we see the need for confession and belief.  First is confession with the mouth. The original idea behind this word confession is that of acknowledgement and covenant. You acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord and you covenant (make a binding agreement to follow Him).

Second is belief in the heart. Jesus rose from the dead three days after He was crucified on a cross (Matthew 27:50; 28:5-6). All men die, but the Lord Jesus died and then rose from the dead. Part of the salvation process is to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. This is recognizing the miraculous nature of God. Nothing is impossible for Him, including His ability to save you and give you eternal life. Yet, He will not only give you a reward in the future for believing in Him now, but He will give more abundance in this life. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

A Prayer for Salvation

Below is a prayer that you can pray right now wherever you are if you want to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Remember, that He loves you. He knows you. He desires for you to come to Him.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I am sorry for my sin and unbelief. Please forgive me. I thank you for sending your Son to die for me on the cross at Calvary. Lord Jesus, I accept your sacrifice on behalf of my sins. I accept the atonement of your blood that cleanses all my sins and creates in me a clean heart. I place my complete trust and faith in you for salvation. I know that I can’t work my way to heaven and that I am not good enough. Jesus, I want to know you as my Lord and Savior. I need your help and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Your plan is for me to live for God and to spend eternity with you. Please come into my life and give me life everlasting. I want to be with you from this moment on and forever. Thank you for saving me from a path that leads to death and destruction. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for seeking me. Thank you for finding me. I ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”