If You’re New Here Please Read

[Keifer]

The Truth

You cannot be saved by being a 'good person':

"For by grace are ye saved through faith...Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8a-9)

And there are not 'many paths’ to God, there's only One:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

The Bible tells us that everyone is a sinner:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

You must realize that there is a punishment for sin:

"For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a)

This does not mean only physical death, but also spiritual death:

"...fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28b)

Jesus died on the cross for your sins:

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

And then He rose from the dead, conquering death:

"Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly;" (Acts 10:40)

Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, eternal life becomes a free gift from God:

"...by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." (Romans 5:18b)

"...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23b)

But just like any gift, it doesn't become yours until you receive it. To receive God's gift of eternal life you must call on the name of the Lord:

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Time is growing short and you should not put off your decision. The Bible tells us:

"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" (2 Corinthians 6:2)

There is no other way to be saved than by Jesus, and there is no better time than now to receive salvation.

[Keifer]

Salvation

"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." (Romans 10:9-10)

"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;" (Acts 3:19)

Jesus said He is the only way you can receive eternal life. The Bible says you must repent of your sins, confess Him as Lord and receive Him as your Savior. If you don't you will be condemned for eternity:

"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." (John 3:18)

To receive Jesus as your Savior simply do as the Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 above: Believe in His resurrection with your heart and confess Him as Lord with your mouth. You can say this prayer or one similar for your confession:

Dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and God raised You from the dead. I'm sorry for my sins and want to turn from them and follow You. I now confess that You are Lord and ask You to come into my life and be my Savior. Thank You for saving me Lord Jesus. In Your Name, amen.

But you may be thinking, there's no example in the Bible of a 'sinner's prayer'. True, we’re saved by God’s grace through our faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8), not by a prayer. But we're told to "confess with our mouth" (Romans 10:9a) because the verbal confession is a product of our salvation (Romans 10:10b). If we’re not willing to confess Jesus as Lord before others, He will deny us before the Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:32-33). And heartfelt belief in His resurrection must also accompany the verbal confession (Romans 10:9b) because that belief produces righteousness (Romans 10:10a). Our outward confession is a product of our inward belief. One can say their own prayer for their confession, I only offer an example.

Remember the thief on the cross? He believed in Jesus and was saved by God’s grace, so he addressed Jesus as Lord and asked Him to remember him when He came into His Kingdom (Luke 23:42). That was the thief’s verbal confession of Jesus’ Lordship and his acknowledgment of Jesus’ resurrection by alluding to the Lord's future Kingdom to come.

So if you’ve just received Lord Jesus as your Savior welcome to the family of God and to eternal life! Please read and study your Bible and pray every day for guidance. If you don't have a Bible there is one online at Blue Letter Bible, or you can download free Bible and study software for your computer at e-Sword.

If you have questions about Jesus and salvation, or if you want to share your decision in receiving Jesus as your Savior, we would enjoy hearing from you. Please contact us through our online ministry Divine Intervention.

In His service,

Keith

[Keifer]

What’s Next

Now that you have received Lord Jesus as your Savior, there are certain things we should do as Christians. We recommend attending a good Bible believing church so you can fellowship with other Christians and learn more about Jesus and God's Word. The Bible tells us:

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

The Lord commands us to support our local Church financially by giving it 10% of our income. This is known as ’tithing’ and is commanded in both the Old and New Testaments:

"And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD." (Leviticus 27:32)

"And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's..." (Mark 12:17)

Also, one way of proclaiming your Christian faith to others is to be baptized. Baptism is not necessary for salvation, but is a way for believers in Christ to publicly demonstrate our identity with Him:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matthew 28:19)

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)

Jesus wants us to testify to others about the salvation He offers. Tell everyone what He has done in your life and can do in theirs. He wants us to continue what He began until He comes for us:

"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come." (Luke 19:13)

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)

You can know that you are saved and cannot lose your salvation. Jesus, Himself, declared that salvation through Him cannot be lost:

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:28)

Our Heavenly Father promises that once you have received His Son as your Savior you are saved and are His forever:

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:11-13)

We’re told not to sin after being saved, but if we do, as Christians we now have our Lord Jesus that speaks to the Father on our behalf:

"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: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)

When we sin after being saved we should immediately confess our sin to God, ask for forgiveness, and turn from our sin. We don't lose our salvation when this happens. We lose our fellowship with God for a time, but not our relationship.

[Keifer]

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1)

[Keifer]

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; (Philippians 2:15)

[Keifer]

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:32)

[Keifer]

Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: (Romans 3:29)

[Keifer]

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)

[Keifer]

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

[Keifer]

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

[Keifer]

Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: (Colossians 1:6)

[Keifer]

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23)

[Keifer]

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)

[Keifer]

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:2)

[Keifer]

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:2)

[Keifer]

At one time this "If You're New Here Please Read" thread could be found on over six dozen message boards throughout the Internet! But the Bible tells us that in the Last Days people won't want to hear the Lord's message:

"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:4)

This topic of salvation can now only be found on less than two dozen message boards, and on many of those the topic has been corrupted by the board's Administrators or Moderators. Some boards have chosen to either edit or omit part of the message, delete our ministry's link so no one can obtain further information about Jesus and salvation, or not allow the topic to be posted at all.

I sought, by prayer, the Lord's will in this matter and He has immediately opened new avenues of opportunity for our ministry which no longer include these topics. I appreciate the time He's allowed me to minister them over the last ten years and I'm blessed that thousands have read and enjoyed them, asked questions or posted comments in them, or have themselves been blessed by them.

So as always, if you have questions about Jesus and salvation, please, please, please contact us through our ministry in my profile. Time is short, Jesus is coming for His own. Make sure you have a saving relationship with Him through faith.

God bless you,

Keith