100% Sure of Salvation

1. Question: “Am I responsible to God for my actions?”
   
   Answer: “For it is written, As I live, saith the LORD, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12)
   We are held responsible by God for our actions, and one day we will stand before Him to give a report of all the things we have done on earth.
    
2. Question: “Does God keep records of my actions?”
   
   Answer: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that is should come abroad.” “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14, Mark 4:22, Romans 2:16) God has carefully and completely documented every detail of your life. Every word that you have ever spoken, written, or typed on a computer; every thought that has ever crossed your mind; every feeling of emotion you experienced; every motive of your heart; every action of dishonesty, pride, laziness, selfishness; every time you blasphemed the name of God in anger; every time you lusted in your heart for someone or something that wasn’t yours; every time you spoke a lie to make yourself look better; every indecent image you have ever viewed; every time you dishonored your parents; every time you placed something as more important than God in your life; everything that you have ever done has been carefully documented.
    
3. Question: “When will I be forced to give a report/account of how I lived my life?”
   
   Answer: “Because [God] hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world…” “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” “And I saw a great white throne, and Him (God) that sat on it… And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Acts 17:31, Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:11-12) God has scheduled a specific day for each person to be judged; this specific day of judgment is called “The Great White Throne Judgment.” When each “dead” person stands before God, God will review their life by using the “books” in which He has carefully recorded their “works,” or the things they have done while on earth.
    
4. Question: “Why am I responsible to God for my actions?”
   
   Answer: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” “…all things were created byHim, and for Him.” “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Genesis 1:1, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Philippians 2:10-11) We are responsible to God because God is our Creator. God created us for one reason: to bring glory and delight to Him. Because we owe God our very existence, it only makes sense that we would be held accountable to the One Who created us. Man is not a god; man is a created being living by the permission and power of the One true God.
    
5. Question: “Who wrote the Bible; is it perfectly trustworthy?”
   
   Answer: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 3:16) God used men to write the Bible, however, they did not write what they wanted to write (“not by the will man”), but “all Scripture” that was written was given to them by God through His Holy Spirit. Every word written came directly from God. Because that is true, the Bible is the only Source of absolute authority and can be fully trusted.
    
6. Question: “Hasn’t the Bible been changed many times over the years?”
   
   Answer: “The Words of the Lord are pure Words…Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” “Forever, O LORD, thy Word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” “But the Word of the LORD endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.” (Psalm 12:6-7, Psalm 119:89-90, I Peter 1:25) God is not only the One Who wrote the Bible, but He also promised to protect it from change. The same way He protected and preserved His Word when it was first written is the way He protects and preserves it for our “generation.” God has given us His promise, “Just as surely as I created the earth, and it is still existing, so I have written my Word, and it will remain trustworthy.” Throughout the years, archeologists have discovered ancient manuscripts of the Bible. In each case (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls), as they compared the manuscripts to the Bible we have today, the evidence was overwhelming; God’s Word had not changed over time. Though many men have sought to corrupt the Bible and change it to say what better fit their religious point of view, we still have today a Bible that has not changed. The King James Bible has remained true in its translation of the trustworthy manuscripts of Scripture. Interestingly, the King James Version of the Bible is the only one without a copyright. (Who owns the copyright to the other Bibles? The one who is making a profit from their sales.)
    
7. Question: “Who is Jesus Christ?”
   
   Answer: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?’ The Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (John 1:1, 14, 17, John 10:31-33) Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and were removed from God’s presence God had promised that He would visit His creation again and renew His fellowship with them. He promised that when He came He would be called “Emmanuel,” which literally means “God living with us.” God would, by some incredible miracle, find a way to live among men and communicate Himself to them. Then it occurred, God became a man and lived among men. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin; He had no earthly father, only a heavenly Father. This aspect of the miracle of Jesus becoming a man is very important; all who are born from the seed of a man are born in sin (See “What does it mean to be a sinner?”). They inherit the sinful tendencies/nature of their father. In order to be born without sin, Jesus had to be born from the heavenly seed of His heavenly Father; He was born without a nature of sin but with a nature of holiness. John calls Him “the Word” because He is the communication of God to man. Jesus Christ became a man. That means that He was not always a man. As God in heaven, He ruled as One with His Father and the Holy Spirit. I John 5:7 tells us that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are One God. That’s why “in the beginning” the Bible records God saying, “Let us make man in our image.” Who is the Bible speaking of when it says “us” and “our”? It is speaking of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Therefore we can conclude to the question, “Who is Jesus Christ,” that He is God. The Word was God! Who is the Word? Who became a man and dwelt among us? Who is full of grace and truth? Jesus Christ! Therefore, Jesus Christ is God! That is the very reason the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, because He was constantly claiming to be God.
    
8. Question: “When did Jesus Christ begin?”
   
   Answer: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” “Having neither beginning of days, nor end of life…” (Psalm 90:2, Hebrews 7:3) It is a common misconception to think that Jesus Christ began at the little stable in Bethlehem. In the very beginning of time, the Bible tells us that Jesus already “was.” Notice, it doesn’t say that He began at the beginning of time, but that He already “was” at the beginning of time. John 1:2-3 tells us that all things were created by Jesus. Then, Psalm 90:2 tells us that Jesus Christ (Who is the God that formed the earth) is from everlasting to everlasting. He is eternal; He has no beginning day or starting point, nor will He have an ending point. This eternal God “was made” into a man at that little stable in Bethlehem, but He did not begin there.
    
9. Question: “Did Jesus live a perfect life? (Why is that important?)”
   
   Answer: “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not…” “…but [Christ] was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” “For such an High Priest (Jesus) became us, Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” (I Peter 2:22-23, Hebrews 4:15, 7:26) Jesus Christ never once committed a single sin. It was very important that Jesus be perfect (See “Who Is Jesus Christ?” concerning His virgin birth), because His whole purpose for coming to earth was to take the punishment for our sin. The only way He could make a payment for our sins that the Father could accept is that He be sinless. Had Jesus sinned, He would have had to pay for His own sin, but since He lived a perfect and sinless life, the Bible says that He took our sins (not His own) upon Himself and paid the debt that we owed God by dying for us.
    
10. Question: “Why did Jesus have to die?”
    
    Answer: “For the wages (debt) of sin is death…” “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree…” “But God commendeth (showed) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…” (Romans 6:23, I Peter 2:24, Romans 5:8, I Peter 3:18) God is a righteous Judge, and so He must punish sin. The punishment for sin is to die and spend forever in hell (See “How will God punish me for my sins?”) separated from the presence of God. Because God loves us dearly, He chose to make the payment for our sins Himself. The only way He could do that was to take our sins and place them upon Himself. That’s why John called Him “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” The very reason God came to earth in the form of a man was to take our sins upon Himself and die for us. God put His great love for us on display when He allowed His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place as our substitute. Instead of us, the sinners, paying for our sins in hell, Christ, the Just One, suffered for our sins so that He might bring us to heaven to be with His Father.
     
11. Question: “Who killed Jesus? (Was it the Jews, the Romans, or was it His Father?)”
    
    Answer: “Surely He (Jesus) hath born our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions (sins), He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin…He (Father) shall see the travail of His (Jesus’) soul, and shall be satisfied (appeased).” “He (Father) that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all…” (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-11, Romans 8:32) Because Jesus agreed to bear the sins of man, God’s wrath was poured out on Him. Jesus was struck down by His own Father. He was wounded, He was bruised, He was chastised, and He received stripes because of our sins; but who is the one who delivered the punishment? Even though God used Jewish accusers and Roman executioners in the death of His Son, God’s Word is clear, His own Father bruised Him. The Father made Jesus an offering for our sin. When the Father looked down from heaven and saw His own Son with all of our sins, He was satisfied that our sins had been paid as He viewed the anguish of His own Son. He loved us so much that He wouldn’t even spare His own Son to deliver us from eternal judgment. Just think, if God would punish His own Son like that because He was covered with our sins, what do you think He will do to the sinner that comes before Him some day covered in his own sins?
     
12. Question: “Is Jesus alive today or is He dead?”
    
    Answer: “And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once…” (Luke 24:3-6, I Corinthians 15:3-6) Jesus did die and was buried for three days in a tomb, but on the third day He rose from the dead physically. Over 500 eye witnesses saw Jesus at the same time after He had risen from the dead. Literally, there are far more eye witnesses to the fact the Jesus Christ did rise from the dead than there are witnesses that our founding fathers are actually the ones who signed the Constitution! Jesus is alive today, and He has promised that He will soon return to take His children home to heaven to be with Him forever. Though we cannot see Him with our physical eyes, anyone who receives Him as their personal Savior knows that He lives because of His presence in their heart and the wonderful change He makes in their life.
     
13. Question: “What does it mean to be a ‘sinner’?”
    
    Answer: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” “We all…were by nature the children of wrath.” “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” (Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:3, John 8:44) Why does a dog bark? Simple, because he is a dog; it is in his nature to bark. You do not have to train him to bark, coax him to bark, or give him an example of what it means to bark. He does not bark so that he can be a dog; rather, he barks because he is a dog. All of us were born as sinners. The reason we sin is because we are sinners. Our nature is the nature of sin. That’s why no one has to teach us how to lie, steal, or lust. We are not sinners because we sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners. The Bible declares that we have the same nature as our father, Satan. All we need to prove it is to watch what we do. When we lie, we are doing what Satan desires to do; the lusts of our father we will do. Our heart is twisted toward evil. We naturally are selfish; we naturally lust after someone other than the one we’re married to; we naturally lie to make ourselves look better than we really are; we naturally do whatever will make us happy even if it defies God’s holy commandments. Why would we do these things? Simple, we are sinners.
     
14. Question: “What does it mean to sin? (What makes a sin a sin?)”
    
    Answer: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth (breaks) also the law: for sin is the transgression (breaking) of the law.” (I John 3:4) To sin means to break God’s law. Whenever we place something in our lives more important than God, we break the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” When we imagine God to be the kind of God that we want Him to be, we break the second commandment, “No graven images.” When we take God’s name in vain by saying, “Oh my God,” or saying “Jesus Christ,” with anger and disgust, we break the third command, “Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain.” When we choose to stay home on Sunday or attend some form of entertainment instead of going to church to worship God, we break the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath.” When we dishonor our parents by lying to them, swearing at them, talking back to them, or ignoring their wishes, we break the fifth commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” When we become so angry at someone that we hate them in our heart, we have broken the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” When we look at an immoral scene of adultery, a pornographic magazine, or sleep with someone we’re not married to, we break the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” When we cheat on our income tax, take something from work, or are dishonest with our time card, we break the eighth commandment, “Thou shalt not steal.” When we lie to cover our tracks, speak dishonestly to make ourselves look better than we are, or twist the truth for our own purposes, we break the ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not lie.” The tenth commandment is the most difficult of all. To break it, you don’t have to commit adultery, steal, or lie; you just have to want to do it. Even when you didn’t sleep with that woman/man, but wanted to in your heart, God says you broke the tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.” Sin is refusing to obey God’s commands.
     
15. Question: “How many sins does it take to be guilty before God?”
    
    Answer: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend (break) in one point, he is guilt of all.” “For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God (God’s standard).” “And there shall in no wise (no way!) enter into [heaven] anything that defileth (makes dirty), neither whatsoever worketh abomination (does something God hates), or maketh (tells) a (one) lie.” (James 2:10, Romans 3:23, Revelation 21:27) It only takes one sin to be guilty before God. If you have broken only one of God’s ten commandments, you are still guilty before Him. The reason for this is God’s standard of holiness. Heaven is a perfect place not just a pretty good place. God cannot allow one sin into heaven. If He did, who would be the judge as to whose sins were acceptable and whose were not? A child abductor might think his sins were just as acceptable as the man who cheats on his wife. If God allowed sin into heaven, heaven would be just like earth in a period of time. God’s standard for entrance into heaven is perfect righteousness.
     
16. Question: “How will God punish me for my sins?”
    
    Answer: “For the wages (punishment) of sin is death…” “And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.” “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.” (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:14-15, II Thessalonians 1:9) The Bible speaks of “death” as the punishment for sin. However, this death is very different from the modern conception of death: something ceasing to exist. This death is called an eternal death and always means “separation.” It’s important to note that the Bible speaks of two deaths/separations. The first takes place when a person’s body stops operating properly. Their body is buried six feet under, but they (their eternal soul) go to their judgment. (“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this (physical death), the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27) The Bible also speaks of a “second death.” In this death, the individual is not separated from their body, they are separated from God in the eternal place of judgment called the “Lake of Fire.”
     
17. Question: “Do people have real physical bodies in hell or are they spirits?”
    
    Answer: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’” (Matthew 10:28, Luke 16:23-24) Everything in hell is physical and real. The Bible speaks of both the soul and the body burning in the literal fires of hell. The rich man in Luke 16 is mentioned as having the sense of sight, touch, voice, hearing, and taste—all things that only a real human body possesses. He cried out his complaint that he was being tortured by fire that was burning him constantly. The fire in hell is also real and physical.
     
18. Question: “Is hell eternal? How could a person burn forever?”
    
    Answer: “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and His angels…And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night…” “…these both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone (sulfur)…and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Matthew 25:41, 46, Revelation 14:11, 19:20, 20:10) Not only is the fire in hell eternal, but the torture of lost people in hell is eternal. The Bible speaks of day and night showing the element of real time. As a graphic picture of this, the beast and the false prophet are thrown into hell, then 1,000 years later, the Bible says they are still there burning, and will continue to burn forever and ever. God has created each of us in His own image. One aspect of being created in God’s image is that we have eternal souls. We will never cease to be. One day, truly, we will spend somewhere forever. What a tragedy should that place be hell.
     
19. Question: “How could a loving God send His own creation to hell?”
    
    Answer: “The Lord…is not willing (desiring) that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) Truly, God doesn’t send anyone to hell, but people choose to go to hell. God doesn’t desire for a single person to go to hell, and He has done everything to make it possible for every individual to be delivered from sin and hell. God created man in a perfect state to glorify Him. Then, man chose to rebel against God and delved into the darkness of sin. Now, instead of glorifying the God of perfection, man glorifies the devil of sin and evil. By man’s own choice, he made himself the friend of Satan and the enemy of God. All friends of Satan will eventually suffer the same consequences he will in hell. At this point, God could have justly sent His entire rebelling creation to hell, but in His great mercy He decided to give man a second chance. As the greatest act of love ever displayed, He sent His own Son to take our punishment on the cross to pay the debt that we owe God. Now, His righteous demand of justice having been met by Christ’s death, He can offer salvation to every man as a free gift. This truly is a loving God. The only individual who will go to hell is one that doesn’t want to be delivered from sin and hell but rather chooses to reject Christ’s death for them and continue in friendship with Satan.
     
20. Question: “What about the people who have never heard about Jesus or salvation?”
    
    Answer: “That was the true Light (Jesus), which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” “Nevertheless, He left not Himself without a witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons…” “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen…so that they are without excuse.” “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” (John 1:9, Acts 14:17, Romans 1:19-20, Titus 2:11) God has promised that every person that comes into the world will know about Jesus Who died for their sins. God’s wonderful gift of forgiveness through believing in Christ and accepting His death for sins is available to all men and has appeared to every one of them at some point in time. It is then man’s responsibility to accept the offer of salvation. No one will ever go to hell without first receiving an opportunity to be forgiven by God for their sins.
     
21. Question: “What good thing can I do to have my sins forgiven?”
    
    Answer: “Not by works of righteousness (good things) which we have done…[for] all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” “But that no man is justified (declared righteous) by the law in the sight of God, it is evident.” “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Titus 3:5, Isaiah 64:6, Galatians 3:11, Romans 3:20, 28) We all realize that in order to get to heaven and live with God our sins must be taken care of; we must be forgiven. A number of ideas have been proposed as to how we can go about having our sins forgiven: baptism, holy communion, prayers, church attendance, turning over a new leaf, being faithful, doing the best you can, loving your neighbor, keeping the Golden Rule, and doing good things for God. There’s just one common denominator with all of these things that presents a problem: all of them are works of righteousness that we do. God’s Word is clear, we cannot be saved by doing any good or righteous things. The Bible even calls these works “filthy rags” when we present them to Him as a way of earning acceptance. We will never be seen as righteous—fit for heaven—by God by trying to keep His laws. The law doesn’t help us, it just shows how helpless we are. We must come to the same conclusion the Bible does: a man cannot be forgiven by the good works he does. An individual who thinks he can be good enough to earn his way to heaven has never even seen his need to be forgiven.
     
22. Question: “How can I be forgiven of my sins and become God’s child?”
    
    Answer: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…” “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. For with the heart man believeth…and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (John 1:12, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9-10) Receive Jesus Christ as your own personal Deliverer. The way you receive Him is to believe that He is God, that He came into this world and died for your sins, and that He rose on the third day. If you believe that, and you desire to be saved, the Bible says to call upon Him with your mouth. Simply pray and express in words to God the fact that you believe He died to save you and that you are trusting Him to save you now. You might say, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner who deserves to go to hell; and I know there is nothing I can do to save myself. But I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross to pay for my sins. I do want to be delivered from sin and hell. I don’t want to be a child of the devil. I ask you to save me right now and make me your child.” If you believe in your heart and call out with your mouth, the Bible says “you are saved!” Please call upon Him right now.
     
23. Question: “What happens to me when I trust Jesus to save me?”
    
    Answer: “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” “And because ye are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” “Through [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified (declared righteous) from all things (sins)…” “Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” “As far as the East is from the West, so far hath He removed our transgressions (sins) from us.” “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation)…” “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (John 3:3, 1:12, Galatians 4:6, Acts 13:38-39, Revelation 1:5, Psalm 103:12, II Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24) When someone trusts Jesus to save them, they are born again. They were first born as a sinful child of Satan, but now they have been born again into God’s family as one of His sons/daughters. The very moment a person asks Jesus to save them, God sends His Holy Spirit to live in their heart. They may be immediately aware of His presence, or they may sense His subtle changes in their life over time; either way, He has come to live in their heart. When a person trusts Jesus to save them, they are forgiven for all their past, present, and future sins. Christ washes them away with His own blood and removes them infinitely away from that person. When a person trusts Jesus they also receive a new nature. The Bible says that they are literally recreated! They receive a “new man” or a new heart. Their desires change, their way of thinking changes, and their actions begin to change. They have received the nature of their heavenly Father.
     
24. Question: “Does a person become perfect when they trust Christ to save them?”
    
    Answer: “For He (Father) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who (Jesus) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus).” “My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 5:21, I John 2:1, Philippians 1:6) When a person trusts Christ to save them they do receive perfect forgiveness; they do receive a perfect acceptance with God based on what Jesus did for them on the cross. The Bible says that we are placed “in Christ,” in His righteousness. That means that when God looks down from heaven and sees a Christian, He doesn’t see their righteousness, He sees the righteousness of Christ (unchanging and perfect). What that doesn’t mean is that a Christian will never sin. We are told not to sin, and it is the goal of every Christian to abstain from all sin, but we are also told that if we do sin, we are to go to our heavenly Father and make things right with Him. Notice from our second verse that even when we sin, we are still God’s children. We do have God’s promise that the moment He saved us He began a work in our lives to make us just like Him. We can be confident that He will accomplish that goal as we seek to follow Him.
     
25. Question: “Can a Christian ever lose their salvation?”
    
    Answer: “My sheep (children) hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 10:27-28, 5:24) When a person believes on Jesus they become His child. Once a person is born into God’s family, they cannot be unborn. Even when a Christian sins, they are still God’s child; though God may be displeased with their sin, he will never reject them as His child. He has given them the gift of being His child for an eternity! How long is eternity? Does it ever end? Could a person’s salvation ever end if it is eternal? God didn’t promise temporal life, or conditional life, but everlasting life. Some think that they receive eternal life after they die, but the Bible says that the moment one believes, they receive everlasting life. The very instant a person receives Jesus as their personal Savior, they HAVE eternal life. The Bible goes on to promise that no man can take that eternal life away. The moment you trust Christ, you pass from being condemned eternally to being forgiven eternally.
     
26. Question: “Now that I’m a Christian, what should I do next?”
    
    Answer: “…and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?’ And Philip said, ‘If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” “Then they that gladly received (believed) his Word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel (good news) to ever creature.” (Acts 8:36-37, 2:41-42, Mark 16:16) After Philip had shown this man how to trust Christ as his own Savior, the eunuch wanted to know what he should do next. Philip explained to him that if he had truly accepted Christ in his heart, he should show publicly by being baptized. Baptism doesn’t help to save anyone, it only shows others that they have been saved. (It’s sad, but the thief on the cross who believed in Jesus never had the opportunity to show others what had happened in his heart by baptism.) When someone gets married they wear a ring as a symbol of their new relationship. The ring doesn’t make them married; if they were too poor to afford a ring they would still be married! The ring simply shows that they are married. That’s what baptism is for; baptism is an outward symbol to show others what has taken place in their heart. When the pastor takes someone during baptism and puts them under the water and then pulls them up again, it is a picture of what they are trusting for their salvation. It shows that they are trusting that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for their sins. Secondly, the Bible directs a new Christian to become part of a church that preaches the truth. As they become part of a church, they can learn more about their Christian life by listening to the pastor preach, asking questions about things they have read in the Bible, and spending time praying with fellow believers. Thirdly, we are commanded to tell others about how Christ saved us and seek to show our friends and relatives how they too can become God’s children.
     
27. Question: “Why are there so many religions in the world; how can I be sure of which is true?”
    
    Answer: “Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life (eternal life), and few there be that find it.” “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? And then will I profess (say) unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’” (Matthew 7:13-14, 22-23) There seems to be so much confusion today about the right way to heaven because of all of the different religions in the world. While the Mormon says they know the way, the Jehovah’s Witness has a different way. The Hindu comes up with an idea that is totally different from the Buddhist. On and on we could go with a host of religions, but how can one know the true way? First of all, one must see from the Scriptures that there is a true way. Many say today, “You just go your way, and I’ll go mine, and we’ll both end up okay in the end.” The Bible calls that thinking the “broad way.” That way ends in eternal damnation. The way to heaven is narrow—there is only one way to heaven. The Bible also says that many religious people will come before God someday and pretend to know Him, but they tried to get to heaven their own way. Man’s way is always expressed by religious ways of trying to work to get to heaven. God’s way to heaven is only through Jesus Christ. Salvation doesn’t come by being in a certain church, or being baptized, or taking communion, or saying certain prayers; that is man’s way, the broad way. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) If you from an honest heart desire to know the truth, God will confirm the truth in your heart. God will impress upon you that His Son’s death for your sins can bring total forgiveness and eternal life. He will impress upon you that all the “good deeds” of religion cannot truly bring a strong confidence that you’ve been forgiven. Will you trust what He shows you in your heart?

If you have just called upon the Lord to save you, or if you have any questions about what you have read here, please send me a message.

— Phil

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