1 John 1:9 What the Bible REALLY says

How to be saved?

This is a follow-up article to – What is Salvation?

Salvation is about being in a proper relationship to our Creator. As such, salvation is a matter of coming to know God and trust Him.

Mankind fell from this relationship through a lack of trust in God in the garden of Eden. Every person since then was born with a nature inclined towards distrust and so, everyone sins.

God’s word tells us that if anyone claims that they have no sin they are lying and the truth is not in them.

So it could be said that salvation begins with your honest belief that your sin has separated you from God.

After you accept this truth then salvation is ONLY available through total reliance (faith) both in the person and work of Jesus – God’s physically born Son.

If you believe that God “so loved the world” that He sent His Own Son to remove sin’s power over you by His vicarious sacrifice for our sin through Jesus’ sinless life, physical death, burial and physical resurrection then you have placed yourself in agreement with God. This places you in right standing with God and is the second step of salvation.

If you believe this enough to make Jesus your forever Lord and master, and proclaim Him as such 1st in prayer to Him and then publicly throughout your life to others, beginning with baptism then you are reunited with God as His child. As a child you are SAFE or saved!

However, make no mistake – this right standing is ONLY because of Jesus Christ. You’re believing the truth and acting upon it by placing your trust in God through Jesus restores the relationship we all lost at the fall.

It IS imperative that there is an outward and public declaration of your faith in Christ (at least if such is possible). Romans 10:9-10 clearly state that not only belief with the heart but confession of Christ Jesus AS LORD is when we are saved.

In the modern church, one’s confession of Jesus as Lord has been allowed to become a rather private affair but this is NOT supported in scripture. If one is unwilling to publicly confess their allegiance in and devotion to Christ Jesus as their Lord and thus their Savior, whether it be due to embarrassment or fear of persecution – it can easily be argued from scripture that they do not know Him and are therefore not saved.

This honestly IS a relationship of knowing and trusting. True lovingly devoted relationships are something of which we are NOT ashamed. In fact, they are something which – if it is real we celebrate. As a human being you instinctively know this is true!

Salvation is not just a once and done prospect. For even once you have come to be reunited with God through relational trust in His Son, your journey isn’t over – it has just begun!

It is a journey which begins with salvation and ends with us being transformed into His likeness!

I know this can be a LOT to take in, but if you will surrender yourself to God. Seek Him in open honesty you will know in your heart that what has been written here is true.

That does not mean however, that you do not have more questions. In fact, I would greatly expect that you have more now than you did before. That’s okay! You’ve only seen the very tip of the iceberg here, so that is quite natural.

I want to invite you to reach out to us if you have ANY questions or comments. NO ONE will solicit you for church membership or money EVER AT ANY TIME! So have no fear in reaching out. We consider it as much an honor to talk to you further about the Lord as it would be for you to introduce us to your best friend. I would consider it a privilege to hear from you!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!