7 ESSENTIAL STEPS TO SALVATION

1. As a human, recognize your need for divine guidance. The Bible says of humanity, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have gone away and become worthless as a group; no one does good, not even one. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:10–12, 23).

The problem of sin is universal. The first step toward rescue from this dire position is admitting that you are a sinner and that it is impossible to withstand the power of evil or save yourself from its fatal consequences in your strength. According to the Bible, “Faith cometh by hearing, and understanding by the message of God” (Romans 10:17).

2. Believe. When you see Jesus die on the cross and realize that he went through that anguish so that you could be saved, you begin to see the wrong side of sin and long to be forgiven, cleaned, and set free. You repent and confess your wretchedness to God. In other words, you turn away from the things that keep you from being with him. By doing so, you embrace God’s promise to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

3. Recognize that God loves you and desires to save you. As the Bible verses say, “God’s word has no desire to punish us.” “God so loved the world that he sacrificed his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God raised his Son into the world to rescue it through him” (John 3:16, 17). God indeed despises sin. Because he is also a God of justice, he needs to punish sin. At this point, the salvation plan’s beauty is revealed.

4. Consider Jesus. Someone needed to save us from drowning in sin. That Savior appeared as the God-Man Jesus Christ. Jesus came to display the Father’s love and to bear our sins. On the cross, he suffered the penalty for our sins.

5. Accept the gift of everlasting life. Each of us must receive Christ as our personal Savior. Otherwise, his gracious deed on the cross will be in vain. Life-saving medication is potentially useless while it is still in the bottle. Christ, and only Christ, can atone for your sins and cleanse you before God. Right now, go to him in prayer and tell him that you are ready to accept his perfect life in place of your sinful one.

6. Confess. We must admit that we believe Jesus is God’s Son. Those who desire salvation must proclaim their faith in Jesus. In Matthew 10:32, Jesus declared, “Anyone who therefore shall acknowledge me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven.” Moreover, in Romans 10:10, the Apostle Paul stated, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto redemption.”

7. Accept Christ as our Savior and Lord. After hearing the message and experiencing conviction and repentance, the final step is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Before any church service concludes, the minister in charge must make an altar call because newcomers who were invited in may be willing to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior after hearing the word of God. As a result, every church service must end with an altar call.