The Need For Salvation
Do you ever ask yourself, “Why is there so much evil in the world?”
Please allow me to answer this question for you,
and at the same time I will explain the need for salvation.
To do so, I must take you back to the beginning of everything. In Genesis, the first book of the Holy Bible, we learn that God created everything that is – including man and woman. He created a beautiful garden called the Garden of Eden and placed His man and woman inside that garden. There the man and woman lived as caretakers of God’s creation. However, as we see in Genesis chapter 2 verses 16-17 there was one caveat. The Word says: “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Unfortunately, among the many animals and creatures present in that garden, there was a serpent who ultimately tricked the woman along with the man as you will see by reading the following passages from Genesis chapter 3 (New King James Version):
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”‘
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”–
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
It was during this time that sin took hold of mankind. Romans chapter 5 verse 12 tells us, “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.” Man, [Adam], was deceived by the serpent whose subtil nature was controlled by a spiritual being named Satan. I know this because of the attributes the serpent displayed. He was subtil or deceitful. He was a liar. He is identified in Revelations 12 verse 9 which states: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” This truth is also supported in Isaiah 14:12-19.
As we learned from Genesis 3 verse 20, Eve “was the mother of all living.” All mankind came forth from the loins of Adam. As a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, mankind is now in a precarious position. David described it best in Psalms 51 verse 5, when he said: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” This sin that man is born into would have been perpetual, physically and spiritually, if man had been allowed to eat of the tree of life. Therefore, God had to withhold immortality from man for a season.
Man was created with a free will to choose. But man’s free will, coupled with his cognizance of good and evil (or sin), made man dangerous. Man had just shown God that mankind would yield to the temptations of Satan. Man’s choice separated him from God, and that is why man hid from God in the garden. Consequently, God had to remove man from a position that also availed him to the tree of life.
Finally, however, the remedy came for mankind through what Jesus Christ did on the Cross when He died. John 3 verse 16 tells us, “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.”
What must you do to partake of this immortality (or this everlasting life)? And why must you do it? You simply need to use your free will and exert your choice for life. Adam and Eve chose death through their disobedience. You choose life. And you do it by choosing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Choose Him as the one you will yield to instead of choosing Satan and yielding to his temptations, and ultimately falling into sin which separates you from God.
In Romans 10 verses 9 and 10 we learn what we need to do. It says, “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 unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
What is salvation? Many people respond to salvation, or an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, as a way to avoid Hell. Salvation, however, is more than an escape hatch from Hell. Salvation is a benefit package from God which includes: redemption (or forgiveness) from sins; deliverance (or release) from bondage (such as addiction to drugs, or demonic possession); wholeness; prosperity; protection; and the ministry of angels.
You may ask, “How do I believe?” The answer to that is easy. In Romans 12 verse 3 we learn that God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (or the ability to believe).
I pray that this explanation helps you decide to receive the salvation God offers you. If you would like to act on this knowledge you have just received, please pray out loud the following prayer. When you sincerely pray this prayer out loud you are declaring, to the spiritual being you cannot see (Satan), that YOU choose Jesus Christ. Your declaration also causes your name to be written in God’s Book of Life. Then, Revelations 20:15 will not apply to you which says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” You will receive benefits and mercies from God that are new every morning (See Psalms 68:19 and Lamentations 3:22-23). And when you die, you too can have this confidence Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when he says: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Your spirit, the real you, will be present with the Lord. You will live in Heaven for eternity and walk in the immortality that God had for man from the beginning.
PRAYER TO ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST INTO YOUR HEART
Jesus, I recognize and admit that I am a sinner. I choose to repent, start learning Your ways and, with Your help, start living accordingly. Right now, I denounce all false gods and false religions. I denounce Satan as ruler of my life. I invite You Lord Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior. According to Your Word in Romans 10: 9-10, I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is MY Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Please wash all my sins away with Your Precious Blood Lord Jesus. I make a commitment to start reading the Word of God so I can renew my mind and live according to Your ways. As I do so, please help me to rightly divide the Word and understand it as I study. Lord, please take control of my life and help me to really start living. Thank You for saving me. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!
