Consider these words of Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" Matthew Chapter 7, Verses 21-23.
The Bible explains these two verses as being the day of judgment “when the faithful and genuine enter the future kingdom. ‘That day’ will be one of separation based on true character as revealed in outward conduct. It will be a day of surprise for those who performed public actions and even demonstrated unusual power but never committed their lives in submission to Christ. This highlights the importance of understanding the truth about salvation.
As Christians, we’ve been told that when we repeat the “sinner’s prayer,” we obtain our salvation and the promise of heaven. That's a start but there is more. For example, read Luke chapter 13 verses 3 and 5, John chapter 8 verse 51, and John chapter 14 verses 15 and 23. According to the words of Jesus, in addition to asking for forgiveness, we must love Him with our whole heart, we must engage in genuine repentance and obedience, and must follow His and God’s commands.
These verses in Matthew should compel every Christian to ask themselves some very probing questions:
1. Am I truly submitting myself to Jesus, or did I merely say a few words at an altar and continue to live my life as I choose?
2. When I sin, do I engage in true repentance from that sin, or do I just ask for forgiveness and carry on as before?
3. Do I obey the commands God and Jesus gave us in the Bible, or do I just continue to live my life as I choose?
So, are you ready to start on this amazing journey? If so, begin by saying this prayer.
“God, I’m a sinner. I’m sorry. Forgive me. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son and I want to trust Him as my Savior and I’m willing to follow Him as my Lord from this day forward forever. And I pray this in Jesus’ name.”
If you prayed that prayer, PRAISE GOD! Your next step is to call 855-255-PRAY.
There are people who will pray with you and for you, and answer questions you may have.