Beyond Uncertainty: God's Gift of Salvation

The number of religions and belief systems in existence today is staggering. But there is one thing they all hold in common: They are proof that the human heart longs to believe in something bigger than itself, whether a divine being or a way of life that would give them assurance and peace.

But the sheer number of religions and belief systems, many of which contradict one other, provides anything but assurance. How do you know which one is right? How do you know which one will give security and some kind of certain hope beyond death?

Most will teach that you are responsible for meeting the necessary requirements for this kind of eternal happiness. Follow a list of rules, be a good person, believe the sayings of this good teacher or prophet, or worship this god or that one (or many!).

But there is only one belief that points to One who has already achieved the goal of salvation and simply wants to give it to you as a free gift.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, left Heaven to come to earth to be born as a human – to become like us so that He could identify with our pain and suffering, caused by the corruption of sin and evil in the world. The Bible calls Him “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3).

But He came not just to share our sufferings, but to do away with them!

“…he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).

In this holy transaction, Jesus, who committed no sin, bore the penalty of sin – which is death – in our place. Through His death, He made it possible for us to be forgiven and set free from the power of sin and to be made right with God. When He rose from the grave three days later, he proved that His sacrifice was eternally effective.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This righteousness is what enables us to take hold of the promise of eternal life. By placing our trust in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we receive a new and eternal life through Him, the promise of strength to overcome sin’s power in our lives, and the promise of heaven when we die.

This is why Jesus said that He is “…the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

God understands how weak we are in our sinful nature. We’re unable to save ourselves, and we remain separated from God, who is Holy. Unlike so many other religions and belief systems out there, He wants you only to believe in Jesus Christ and find rest for your soul (see Matthew 11:28-30).

Belief in Jesus Christ as the way, truth and life, means that you recognize you are a sinner, and that sin does indeed separate you from God, who is the Source of all life and blessing. And, that you need Someone without sin and with heavenly access, to bring you to Him. God Himself sent Jesus Christ to accomplish this for us, because He loved us and did not want us to die in our sin and to spend eternity in Hell.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ died in our place for our sin and rose from the dead, becoming the way to which we can turn from sin and receive new and eternal life.

The Bible provides all the signposts we need to have assurance of salvation, and they all point to Jesus Christ. All other ways will lead to dead ends, and literally eternal death. The Bible not only tells us what to believe, but it shows us what – and Who – to believe through His words and deeds.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Faith is not some pie-in-the-sky hope that things will all work out. That is all there is when you put your belief in anything outside of Jesus Christ, and in the end, you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, true faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Through true faith placed in Jesus Christ, you will receive His Holy Spirit to give you all you need to understand God’s word, the Bible, and to confirm in your heart that it is all true. And this alone will provide you with ultimate peace and assurance in this life and the life to come.

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).