Salvation

Who is Jesus?

Philippians 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ of the Bible, split time as we know it (B.C. & A.D.). Our date records that it has been almost two thousand years since his death on the cross. History declares that he was here on Earth, but who was He. Was Jesus Christ just a good man or was he God? Jesus declared Himself to be God, because He was and is God. If He was just a “good man,” then He was a liar and a deceiver.

Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, did not take away from his deity, but rather he added to it the form of a man which He received from his mother, Mary. (The Bible says that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived and you’ll see why that is important in a minute.) Jesus became a man so He could tell us how much God loves us and so that He could die in our place. God knew that the cost of sin was more that man could pay for himself.

Where Did Sin Come From?

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:

That one man was Adam. God told Adam in the book of Genesis that if he ate of the forbidden fruit, that he would die. Adam died a spiritual death the moment he ate the forbidden fruit and later died a physical death. Adam was created in innocence and walked with God and fellowshiped with Him. But at that moment, Adam died a spiritual death, that is, he was spiritually separated from God because of his sin. God is Holy and can not fellowship with sin. And because we are all the descendants of Adam, the sin nature was past down to each of us from our fathers. But remember, Jesus was born of a virgin and did not have an earthly father, so He did not inherit that sin nature.

What Does Sin Cost?

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Adam’s sin was covered by the killing of an innocent animal. In the old Testament, sins had to be covered by an animal sacrifice which was only a temporary sacrifice until the day Jesus would come and shed His blood. The old Testament people were saved by faith in Christ only they were looking forward to His coming. We are saved by faith knowing that He did come and that He is the savior that He claimed He was. His blood is sufficient to forgive every person who will believe in Him. God says that there must be the shedding of innocent blood to forgive and wash away our sin, and Jesus shed His own innocent blood which is completely sufficient to forgive us.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adam’s sin earned him a wage, and that is both a physical and spiritual death. Our sin earns us the same wage, we deserve to be separated from God for ever. But Jesus has a gift for us, a way God can forgive us, give us spiritual life, and yet remain completely Holy and Righteous. Jesus died in our place, because what God demanded as the price for sin, He paid himself so we could be with Him and fellowship with Him as He intended.

Who Needs Salvation?

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

The first thing we need to admit is that we are in need of salvation. Have you ever told a little lie? Have you ever taken something that didn’t belong to you? We all have committed sin, and God tells us that we are all sinners and that we all fall short of being as Holy as Jesus Christ, who is the glory of God. We may be better than many people, but when we use Jesus as our standard for comparison, we all fall short.

Does God Really Love Us?

John 3:16 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.

God loves us enough that He sacrificed His only begotten Son so that He could forgive us from our sins and give us eternal life with Him. Can you imagine letting your only child be killed and sacrificed in order to save even the worst person on Earth? That is what God did. And if you were the only person on Earth that would believe on Him, Jesus would have died for you alone. That’s how much God loves you right now, not when you get “good enough”. We can never do anything to earn salvation, it is an undeserved gift from God because He loves us and wants to forgive us so He can fellowship with us.

Who Can Pay For Our Sins?

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

If you were found guilty of a crime in a Court of Law, and sentence was passed that you must pay a fine of $1000.00 or go to jail for one year, you would have to do one or the other. Now let’s say that you don’t have any money nor any way to earn the money, then you would have to go to jail. However, a friend could give you $1000.00 to pay the fine, the court would remain just, and the debt for the crime would be paid without you going to jail. You would then have the choice of accepting the money to pay for the crime or else you would have to choose to go to jail. God is offering to pay for our sin, but we have to receive it.

What Does It Mean To Receive Christ?

John 1:12 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:

If someone offered you a gift, it’s not actually yours until you receive it. Jesus is offering to us forgiveness and eternal life with God, and to even become the adopted children of God. Our part is just to receive it. It is not something that is automatically bestowed to us because of anything we have done, because of our church status, because of how good we are, or anything else. And while it is true that God is love, salvation is not something he bestows upon everyone. Only those who humble themselves and ask to receive Jesus Christ are granted God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life with Him. It’s more than just believing in Jesus Christ it takes an action of receiving Him. The hard part is humbling ourselves and admitting we need salvation.

What Does A Person Need To Do To Be Saved?

John 3:3 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.
I Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

When Nicodemus asked Jesus how a person could be saved, Jesus told him he needed to be born again. There are two births and two deaths the Bible teaches us, one is physical and the other is spiritual. We know about the physical birth and death, but Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he needed to be born spiritually. We know our physical birthday, but we should also know a time when we were born spiritually. Remember, Adam caused us all to be born separated from God or spiritually dead. If we die a physical death while in the state of being spiritually dead or spiritually separated from God then we are spiritually separated from Him for eternity. Our spirit is eternal either way, in the presence of God (Eternal Life) or separated from God (Eternal Death).

When Is A Person Saved?

John 3:18 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.

We are convicted sinners already, and we have been sentenced to death. However, Jesus Christ paid the wages of sin over 2000 years ago on a wooden cross. Jesus was put to death physically and He was separated from God the Father while the sins of the world were placed on him. Jesus paid the price of every sin, having never sinned himself – His Blood was innocent. Therefore, He is now able to offer His death payment as a gift to us. Our death sentence is paid, and yet God remains Holy and Just.

What Can We Do?

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.

Can you believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, who came to this Earth and put on the flesh in order to become the substitute sacrifice for you? That is what the Bible teaches, Jesus died on the cross to shed his blood in order to forgive us. He was then buried in a tomb, and after three days he was raised from the dead and is now able to offer us life eternal. Our responsibility is to recognize that Jesus is the Son of God, confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and to believe He was raised from the dead. Jesus is a living Savior, offering us the gift of salvation.

Are You Going To Trust Jesus?

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.

God made the plan of salvation very simple so that anyone can understand it. God made the plan of salvation so that we can only come one way and that is by His grace and mercy. God made the plan of salvation so that no one can say that they earned the right to be in heaven. If it were possible for even one man to go to heaven any other way, then Christ died in vain.

God can not just over look sin because he is Holy and Just, but he has made one way possible so that he can forgive our sins and yet remain Holy, Just, and Righteous. Will you come His way? God loves you and wants to forgive you and wants to give you eternal life with Him. Jesus is speaking in the verse above and is waiting at your heart door for you to open it and invite Him in. He will not force His way in, but is patiently waiting for you to ask Him in. The choice is yours now, come God’s way and let Jesus pay your sin debt, or keep the door shut and pay the debt yourself. Do you hear him knocking? Do you know inside that these scriptures are true and that God does not lie? If so, then open your heart and invite Him in, His promise is that He will.

How Do We Receive Jesus?

Here is a simple sinner’s prayer. Reading this prayer alone does not save you. This is only a sample of what our mind, heart, and mouth should express to God. Use your own words and mean business with God.

Dear Lord Jesus… give me the faith I need right now to believe your Word… that you are the Son of God as you have said… I know and humbly confess that I am a sinner… I have earned the wages of death and separation from you…. I believe that the innocent blood that you shed on that cruel cross… is the perfect sacrifice that I need to washes away my sins…. And Lord Jesus… I believe that you not only died…  and were buried… but that you were raised from the dead on the third day…. Jesus I believe that you are alive and standing at my heart’s door right now… Lord Jesus I am opening my heart the best I know how… And I invite you to come into my heart…. To be my Lord… my Savior… and my God… Please save me and forgive me… and give me Your eternal life…I turn my life over to you – Lord Jesus…. Amen.

Did God Keep His Promise?

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

If you prayed a prayer like the one above, and meant it, God’s promise is that His Spirit tells our spirit that it is real and we know that we are His children. If you have that assurance, then just take a few moments to thank God the Father for creating the plan of salvation, thank Jesus for enduring the cross in your place and making that plan complete, and thank the Holy Spirit for making that plan real to you. Then write down today’s date because today is your spiritual birthday. Most likely, sometime later, the devil will try to tell you that what you did was not real, but you can recall this day and know that you were born into the God’s family.

What Is My Relationship To God?

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

You now have God as your Father and nothing can ever change that, just like nothing can ever change your relationship with your physical father, . Your fellowship with your father might change, but not your relationship. The whole purpose for God creating man was to have fellowship with Him. He wants so much to talk with you and wants you to talk to Him. Pray to God as you would your Holy Father and do it through the name of Jesus who makes it possible. Generally, God speaks to us through his Word – The Holy Bible. That is, as you pray, verses from the Bible come to your mind – so it is very important to study the Bible so that God can speak to you.

What Is My Relationship To Jesus?

Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.

God tells us that when we are his children, that we are His heirs and joint heirs with Jesus. If your were an heir to a million dollars and the will declares that you only get one dollar, that is all you would get. But when you’re a joint heirs, then you have an equally share of all the estate has. We are joint heirs with all that Christ has. Think about what Christ has… the whole universe. God also says that if we are called to suffer with Christ we will be glorified with Him. Positionally we are equal to Christ, through His work not ours – it is a gift of God. If He calls on us to suffer with Him in this life, we will receive rewards in heaven.

What Should We Do Next?

Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus did not call any secret disciples, everyone was called openly. You need to share what has happened to you with your friends or family members. If you belong to a church, make a public stand by going forward at the time of invitation. If you don’t belong to a church, seek out a church that is teaching and preaching the whole Word of God – The Holy Bible.

If you’ve prayed and excepted Jesus as your Lord & Savior we would love to hear from you.

Do We Need to Go To Church?

Hebrews 10:25 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.

Please feel welcome to study the Word of God with Hal Lee Ministries, but belonging to a Christian church is very important. You are now a part of God’s family and you should be with your brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s a sad thing when Earthly family members don’t see or speak to each other and it’s worse for God’s family members. God says we are to love one another and we are to encourage and lift each other up and to help each other.

What Is Baptism?

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

There are two types of baptism that concern us, spiritual baptism and water baptism. First, the moment we receive Jesus into our heart, the Holy Spirit baptizes or initiates us into the body of Christ and we are identified with his death, burial and resurrection. Although we experience spiritual baptism on the inside, it is not seen outwardly. Secondly, Jesus commands us to be baptized by water and gave us His example to follow. This is an outward display of what has already happened to us on the inside. Water baptism identifies us with the death and burial of Christ as we are submerged into the water, and being raised from the dead to new and eternal life as we immerge from the water. It is not a requirement for salvation but it is commanded by our Lord, to identify ourselves publicly with Christ and it is a testimony of our faith in Him to others. Water baptism can also initiates us into church membership.

Why Should We Study The Bible?

II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Psalms 119:105 {Nun.} Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

If you were hired to do a job, you would be expected to learn about that job. Even if you were a new employee, you would need to learn what it is that is expected of you and to continue learning to be able to do the job the best you can. Let God teach you what he wants you to do, study to learn the ways of God. He has given us the Bible to teach us all we need to know about God and how to live our lives. It is the “owner’s manual” for man that guides us through this life. We hope that you will use the Bible study resources that we offer here at Hal Lee Ministries. The Books of John and Romans are a great place to start. May God Bless You As You Study His Word.

Now is the beginning of the rest of your Eternal life… Happy Spiritual Birthday!
May God Bless Your Life and May Your Life Bless Others. Share His Good News.