I am so happy that you have an interest in where you will spend eternity. The decision you make regarding your salvation will be the most important decision you will ever make and will determine where you will spend eternity.
The short answer to the above question is you can do nothing, only believe (have faith) in Jesus. Jesus already paid for our sins at Calvary on the cross. Satan (the Devil) wants you to believe you must do something to be saved. This is what cults are about. They always add believing plus something else. Salvation is by faith alone. Getting saved (the gospel) is so simple that even a child can understand it and be born again. (Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.) True Christianity is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and not religion. True Christianity is the only one that can say that. Religion will not save you and God condemned religion and the Pharisees who put tradition over obeying him.
The basics of what the gospel is is found in I Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Roman Road of Salvation (Common plan of salvation to show one is a sinner and needs salvation)
- Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
- Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
- Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Adam is the man sin entered the world)
- Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
- Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
- Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Other good verses:
Matthew 7:13-14 13 ¶ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Strait means narrow) (Jesus is the only way to eternal life)
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Refers to the name of Jesus)
Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (This was the Philippian jailer asking Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. The most important question you can ask any one.)
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (For the new believer [Christian])
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Nicodemus came to Jesus (We all should come to Jesus) and Jesus told him he must be born again to go to heaven. (Jesus answered the question “What must I do to be saved?”) (John 3:1-21)
John 3:1-21
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 ¶ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 ¶ 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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 ¶ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Admit to God that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour and ask God to forgive you and repent (turn from the sin that has kept you from God. When you truly repent, you should think spiritually about God and not the world. You should not want to sin. When you repent you turn away from the world and turn to God by Jesus. With true repentance, you realize that you are a lost sinner in need of salvation and that only comes by Jesus. Without realizing your need to be saved, you never will be. In true repentance, you see sin in the same light that God does.) Jesus said in Luke 13:3 and Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Acts 3:19-20 ¶ Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:)
Believe that Jesus is God who came in the flesh to save us from our sins.
Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord and accept the free gift of salvation and forgiveness from Jesus. Ask him to enter your body and control your life. Often it is said ask Jesus into your heart. Remember eternal life is a free gift, but one must receive it. If one refuses the free gift they will spend eternity in the lake of fire. (This is similar to a prisoner who is granted a pardon from death. If the prisoner accepts the free pardon, they will live. If they refuse the free pardon, they will die.) Please accept the free gift today and be born again and have eternal life.
You must truly believe Jesus is God and Lord and your Saviour. See Proof that Jesus is God and Lord if you are not sure Jesus is God. God knows your true heart. (James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.) You may deceive your pastor, church members, family or friends, but you will never deceive God. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Remember your good works will never save you, nor will being baptized, being a church member, a good person, or being a Jew (God’s chosen people), only faith in Jesus. Jesus is not fooled. You should do good works after you are saved, because you are saved, not to save you.) One comes to Jesus just as they are as the filthy sinner they are. You do not need to change your life before being saved. The Holy Ghost after salvation will convict you of your sin and then you need to turn from it. (repent [have a change of heart])
No one knows when they will take their last breath and enter eternity. We all think we have forever. (James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.) We all will live somewhere in eternity, either heaven or hell. Choose heaven and life, not hell and death. To day is the day of salvation. Do not put it off before it is too late. II Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:) One final plea to get saved. We all will face Jesus one day either as our Saviour or as our Judge and bow before him and confess he is Lord. Which will it be. Will you confess Jesus is Lord willingly as your Saviour or forcefully as your Judge. I pray you choose as your Saviour. (Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.)
Jesus is the only name by which you can be saved. (Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.) Allah, Buddha, Mohammed, Hindu gods, Satan or Lucifer or any other name cannot and will not save you. They will only lead you down the path of destruction straight to hell.
In this tough world we live in one who gets saved can overcome the world. (I John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?) Please ask Jesus to save you, so that you may overcome the world and remember once you are saved, Jesus who lives in you is greater than Satan who is in the world. (I John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.) Call upon Jesus now.
For the unsaved, pray a prayer in your own words, but something like this: “Dear God, I know I am a sinner in need of a Saviour. I believe Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of my sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. I am sorry (repent and change your ways after salvation) for all the wrong (sin) I have done and ask you to forgive me. I accept your free gift of eternal life, knowing it is you Lord and not my good works that saves me. Thank you for your love to me a sinner, forgiveness of my sins, and a new life in Jesus Christ. From this day forward, I choose to follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Congratulations if you in all sincerity prayed a prayer similar to this to Jesus. Welcome to the family of God and I look forward to meeting you in eternity. You have made the greatest and most important decision in your life by choosing to follow Jesus and serve him. If you got saved from reading this website, please let me know. I would love to hear about it.
Some helpful things for a new Christian to have if they have access and can afford them are a King James Bible (a must if at all possible, either printed or online), a good hymnal (such as Living Hymns or the Baptist Hymnal), and a concordance such as Strong’s Concordance. Use the concordance only to help you find words in the King James Bible. You can also go to Purebiblesearch.com to use a program for free with a King James Bible and a concordance in one.
After salvation (being born again) read your Holy Bible (scriptures) {King James Bible} everyday (Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.), pray to God in Jesus’ name, confess your sins daily and try to serve the Lord. Make Jesus Lord of your life. (not every Christian does, most do not, but it is vital for growth as a Christian) [II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.] If one is truly saved, there should be a change in the way they think, talk, act, see life, treat others, and they should hate sin and be convicted when they do sin. Others should notice something is different. You should want to read God’s word and know him. You can make sure you are saved by reading I John especially chapter 5 and verse 13. Make sure you are saved as Satan deceives many into thinking and believing they are saved. Jesus truly knows and will not be deceived. (Matthew 7:21-23 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. [iniquity is sin]) (II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?) Find you a good Bible believing King James Bible church (I would recommend a Baptist or independent church, as they usually follow scripture the closest, though you will still need to be wary of some Baptist and independent churches doctrines and beliefs) and then be baptized by immersion. Then fulfill the commandment of Jesus in the Great Commission by telling your family, friends and all that you meet about Jesus so that they may be saved as well. Never fear to stand up for Jesus. I John 4:4 says Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (This refers to Jesus who is in the saved person being greater than Satan who is in the world.) Never be ashamed of Jesus or deny him. (Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.) (Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.) Do not deny Jesus. (Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.) Do something for the Lord. Find a way to serve him and grow from a milk Christian to a meat Christian. (I Corinthians 3:2. Hebrews 5:12-13, and I Peter 2:2) See Now that I am a born again Christian, how do I grow (mature)?
It is my sincere, heartfelt prayer that all will seek out and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and receive Jesus as their Saviour and be saved. If one is still not convinced of their need for salvation, please listen to J. Harold Smith’s sermon God’s Three Deadlines at www.sermonaudio.com.
Remember, salvation is simple and free (for us, not Jesus who paid with his life in a very painful death) to those who will accept the free gift, but it must be accepted to get the pardon from eternal death. Salvation cannot be bought (purchased), earned (good works), awarded, or won, or is not automatic to those who are born to parents who are Christians, is not automatic for one just because they were born in a “Christian” nation such as the United States of America, or one who is baptized as an infant or any other time. If one is a Jew, they are not automatically saved and going to heaven just because they are God’s chosen people, despite the many people that teach this false teaching. They must be saved the same way everyone else is, by putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour after admitting they are a sinner in need of a Saviour. Every person must make their own chose to choose or reject Jesus as their Saviour. Salvation only comes by faith, by believing in Jesus as your Saviour, so do not delay and choose eternal life by accepting and receiving the free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus and not religion. Jesus condemned religion. Salvation is for everyone who wants to be saved or born again and have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not just for the rich or famous or high class such as royalty, but for the poor, lame and everyone in between who seeks him out. Come as the wretched sinner you are and after salvation let God clean you up. Do not try to clean yourself up before getting saved. Please come to Jesus as the Philippian jailer and Nicodemus did. They asked the right question and responded by doing what they were told to do in the answer. May all ask what must I do to be saved and follow the above answer.
