When the Apostle Paul was setting up churches throughout the New Testament, it was noted a couple different times that some of the outsider Jews were still proclaiming a "false gospel" that said that salvation was something that had to be earned through rigid obedience to a complex system of religious laws. These false teachings were addressed in Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to distort the gospel of Christ.” and Ephesians, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”

 

Evan today there are misconceptions of the steps one must take to become a Christian.  Some make salvation seem to be something that is difficult…even complex.  But thanks be to God, there is a plan that came from Heaven downward to mankind.

 

1 John 4:10 helps us to understand why God gave mankind our salvation plan, “It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending His Son to be the way to take away our sins.”  God loves us so much that He does not want any to perish but ALL to come to repentance. 

 

When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, he was a very Religious Jewish Pharisee, but did not know what Jesus was talking about when He said "Ye must be born again."  Of all the many Jewish laws he had been “religiously” keeping all of his life and now he had to do something else!   So why do we have to be born again?  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.  Yes, all have sinned and God says, “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" Hebrews 9:27.  And in Revelation 20 it explains that in this judgment the unbelievers/unsaved will be judged according to their works and cast into the lake of fire.   This is not God’s desire; it is each person’s own choice. 

 

So when we are born again, we become children of God, heirs to the heavenly kingdom.  Can you imagine going from a sinner to a co-heir with Christ!  Who wouldn’t want that?  So what do we have to do to be born again?  We must acknowledge that we are sinners.  There are three camps of individuals out there; 1. Think they have been good all their live and have nothing to repent of.  2. Think that they have sinned too much to ever be forgiven.  3. Know that they have sinned and need God’s forgiveness.  If you are in camp #3 you humbly repent of your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you and surrender the rest of your life to Jesus.   (You can even find forgiveness if you are in camps 1 & 2)  Not one person will be turned away from a humble sincere repentance.  God’s plan is very inclusive when He uses the words like whosoever; whosoever thirsts, come and drink freely.  We are all part of whosoever. 

 

Romans 10 sums it up, "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. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."   You can be sure you are saved if you with your heart in sincerity ask God to save you. You see salvation is promised to us by God if we ask Him.

 

God's power will save you, keep you saved and enable you to live a victorious Christian life.