The Work Is Already Done — Will You Receive It?

If you don’t know that you need to be saved, it’s not likely you’ll be looking for a savior.

But it doesn’t take much for any sense of security we have to be shattered and to realize how much we might actually need some help. A health crisis, an ended relationship, financial instability, the loss of a loved one, and any number of other things can make us realize how vulnerable we really are. These things also bring realization that this world isn’t as it should be. We long for rest and peace and freedom from pain and tears and struggles of every variety.

The reason why these bad things exist is because of the entrance of evil into the world via the rebellion of the first humans, Adam and Eve. God had instructed them not to eat of a certain tree, because if they did, they would die. They ate of it anyway, thinking it would make them like God. But all it did was exactly what God said it would – it opened their eyes to evil and put their bodies, and souls, under the burden and curse of sin. Separated from God’s holy presence and the Source of life and blessing, they were now destined to die and then be eternally separated from Him.

The Need for a Savior

Every human has since inherited this sin nature. This is a nature that eventually wastes away and dies. In addition, the entrance of sin has affected everything around us – the animal kingdom, plants, and the earth as a whole. Sinful human nature has negatively affected human societies and human governments, leading to greed, crime, oppression, and all kinds of other moral depravity.

And what makes it even worse is that sin can never exist in the presence of God. Sin’s existence means that our hope of ever being reconciled to God is lost if it depends on us. Scripture says that we are born dead in transgressions and sin (Ephesians 2:1). And if we’re dead, we can’t do anything to help ourselves!

The Savior

That is why the coming of Jesus, the Son of God, was such a grace-filled blessing:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

When we didn’t even realize we needed saving, He made a way for us to be saved! This fact shows much about the heart of God: He longs for all to be free from sin that brings death and eternity in Hell, and to instead experience the gift of eternal life in Heaven.

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).

Jesus Christ was fully God, but He was also fully man. He took on human flesh in order to die as a human, in our place. He became our substitute, taking the punishment for sin that we deserve, so that we could be set free. Then, He rose from the grave three days later, showing that He also had power over death.

Salvation

When you trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, He gives you a new nature in His Spirit – One that is separate from the flesh, where sin dwells. He called this being “born again” (John 3:3). Elsewhere, Scripture refers to this as being “adopted” by God (Romans 8:15). We become His children through the Spirit dwelling within us, and we are transformed to walk according to the freedom that Jesus Christ has secured for us.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

Not only are you no longer condemned, but you are also given new life.

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

You are given eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Jesus Christ has already done the work of salvation. Your first step to being saved is simply to realize you are a sinner, born into a sin nature, and to put your faith and trust in Him alone to save you.

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved … For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Romans 10:9, 13).

When you become a child of God through believing in Jesus Christ, you are also promised an eternal life saved from the struggles you currently face in this life. That is because His  children will be in His very presence. There, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).