The Be Attitudes of the Christian Walk ~ Be Saved

This is the first installment of a series on the “Be Attitudes” of the Christian walk. So often we think we have to do, do, do, but God has called us to be. Be saved; be still; be forgiven; be kind, to mention a few. Of course, you cannot live a Christian life without first being a Christian, so that is where we will begin. 

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” Acts 16:31

I was a child bride. Shocking I know but read on. From my earliest memories, I know that I loved Jesus. He was very real in my life. I sensed His presence, care, and comfort. I don’t know how I grasped this, but I did. There came a time, however, when I realized it was not all about Jesus’ care for me, but my need to give my life to Him. 

I view the first part of my life as the engagement. I loved Jesus; He loved me. And when I was only five years old, I became the Bride of Christ. Mrs. Katie Tunnel walked me down the aisle to our Sunday School room and explained what it meant to become part of the Family of God. I gave my heart to Jesus and have never looked back. I can’t say there have not been struggles or doubts along the way, but there is a great comfort in knowing I am never alone. 

From the beginning of time and the creation of Adam, everything has pointed to one thing, salvation. God, in His infinite knowledge and wisdom, gave us a choice. He never forced us to love Him, because that would not be love. He never forced us to follow Him or be obedient, because that would not be obedience. 

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.
 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.

John 1:1-4(NLT)

Even though His original creation was without flaw, God knew we would choose to live for our own pleasure and make unfortunate choices along the way. He knew we would need to find our way back to Him. And Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me.”

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:14 (NLT)

Jesus came to earth through the virgin birth, lived among us, fully human, yet fully God. He walked this earth for thirty-three years. He felt joy, pain, hunger, all our human emotions and never once sinned. He was despised and rejected. He was beaten and hung on a cross, taking every sin of every human being upon himself. He willingly laid down His life for us. And three days after His cruel death, He was risen from the grave, walked the earth for forty days and then ascended into Heaven where He is waiting to welcome us home. (John 14) 

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  (NIV)

He did this so we could have an eternal home with Him in Heaven and so we could experience a peace that passes all understanding while we are here on earth. 

Being saved is not just fire insurance. It is not just about getting to Heaven and eternal life. That is just the final result. He came to give us life, life more abundant. (John 10:10)

Being saved is just the beginning of an adventure of a lifetime. 

If you already know Jesus, I celebrate with you! I hope this encourages you to share your faith with others. 

If you are reading this and you do not, I believe you are reading this by divine providence. 

There is no magic prayer or special words to say. To help you understand what you must do to be saved, I will list some verses for you here. Salvation is quite simple. 

Acknowledge you are a sinner and only God can fix that:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24

The penalty for the sin without redemption would be eternal death and separation from God. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Understand God does not expect us to be fixed or perfect before He will save us. 

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

Believe and Receive

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 

Here is a guided prayer if you need it:

Dear Jesus, I recognize that I am a sinner and I need you in my life. Thank you for dying on the cross and rising again, so I can have an eternal and abundant life. Please forgive me for my sins and come into my life. And help me to live a life according to your way. In Your Name I pray, Amen. 

I would love to hear from you if you have just given your heart to Jesus or if you need further explanation of how to become a Christian. Feel free to email me at soulwater@kerilynnwillis.com.

This is just the beginning. Being a Christian will change your life and your heart. Over the next several months Soul Water’s focus will be on our “Be Attitudes” of the Christian life. So often we think of all we have to DO when most of the time He wants us to BE. I hope you will join me on this journey and be blessed. 

Next week; Be Forgiven – We often carry unnecessary guilt for our past mistakes. We don’t need to. We really can’t if we want to be effective in our walk. What does it mean to forgiven and how can we fully embrace the forgiveness offered to us in Christ? I will to address these questions next week and hope you will find encouragement in my words. Have a blessed week.