Salvation: Our Gateway to Heaven

Let me ask you a question: when you die, where will your soul go? Heaven? Hell? Nowhere? Not sure? I know where my soul will go when I die. Wouldn't you like to be absolutely 100% sure where yours will go? If you could get into heaven when you die, wouldn't you do whatever it takes to be sure that that is where your soul is going? If the answer is yes, then read on, and if the answer is no, then take a look anyway... you might be surprised at how easy it is to gain entrance to heaven.

First I'd like to start by addressing those of you who doubt the existence of Jesus at all. If you are one of these people, click here and read the short article and then come back to this page.

Ok, on to business then:

1) Have you sinned? Don't think so? Ever told a lie, even a little white lie? Ever stolen something, even just a penny? Have you ever known it was right to do something, and then not done it?

The Bible says:

• "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -1John 1:8 "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." -Romans 3:10 (Every man woman and child has sinned).
  

• "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23 (You may be a good person, but even sinning just once (which we all have) we still fall short of the Glory of God, because God is without sin).
  

• "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12 (We are all descendent's of Adam and Eve, and because Adam and Eve sinned, we are then born into sin because it is passed on to us, so even if you've never lied cheated or stolen, you are still guilty of sin).

• "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." -James 2:10 (Even if you only tell a white lie once in your life and otherwise never sin, the Bible says that if you are guilty of one sin, you are guilty of all sins... for example, if you are guilty of lying, you are also guilty of murder; if you are guilty of cheating on a test in school, you are guilty of adultery and thievery also).

Now, we know that God isn't going to let sin into heaven... and now that we've established that every single person on earth has sinned, this isn't looking so good for you and me to get into heaven is it? But luckily for us, there's good news. Keep reading.

2) We still have hope:

The Bible says:

• "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 6:23

• "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." -Revelation 20:14-15 (The book of Revelations was written about future events (events that still have not happened yet. In

• "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved." -Romans 10:13 (To be saved, we need to call on Jesus for help).

• "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 (Jesus was free of sin, because he is God, and because he came down to us in human form, free of sin and died for sins that he did not commit, he paid for all of our sins so that we don't have to).

• "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me." -John 14:6 (No man woman or child gets into heaven without Jesus' help because we fall short of the glory of God, but Jesus doesn't).
  

• "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. -Romans 1-:9-10 (How do you ask for Jesus' help? Confess that he died on the cross for you, and was raised from the dead and went to heaven because he is God, and is the Son of God (the Christ), and confess to Him that you are a sinner (every person on earth is) and need Jesus' help to get to heaven).
  

• "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the father also." - 1John 2:23 (If you deny that Jesus is God's Son, God will deny you entrance to heaven and eternal salvation).

• "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." -1John 2:22
  

• "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." -1John 2:1-2 (Jesus died for the sins of the whole world... all we need to do to obtain that salvation that he offers us is to ask for it by believing in him and confessing that he is God and we need his help to get into Heaven).

• "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1John 1:9 (God is a forgiving and just God. He wants us to be in heaven with him, and has given us a way to get there by sending his Son Jesus Christ to die for us. All you need to do is confess that you are a sinner and that you need Jesus' help to get into heaven).

3) Eternal Salvation... some people say you can lose your salvation once you gain it by sinning again... God doesn't expect you to lead a perfect life. His salvation is eternal:

The Bible says:

• "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." -Hebrews 6:4-6 (Jesus died once for our sins... not over and over and over again, meaning that once is good enough for eternity. You can't lose your salvation because if you did and then got saved again, it would mean Jesus would have to die again on the cross for you).

• "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." 1John 2:25 (Eternal means forever).

• "And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." -1John 5:11-12 (Once again, eternal life. If you accept Jesus as your savior you will have that eternal life with God, and if you don't accept him, than you will not have that eternal life).

4) Does this salvation give us a license to sin?

The Bible says:

• "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." -1John3:8-9 (Some people say that because after you accept Jesus as your savior your soul no longer sins that you then have a "license" to sin, meaning that because you can't lose your salvation by sinning you can do whatever you want... murder, lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery... true, even murderers, liars, cheaters, and adulterers can get into heaven, but this does not mean that after you are saved you should go burn the town down... When we get to heaven God is going to have rewards for us based on the type of life we lead. Also, after we are saved, there is a change that takes place within us... we should want to do things to please God, not disappoint him. Now that's not to say that God expects you to lead a perfect life... he doesn't. But when you are saved, there is a spiritual "rebirth" if you will... it separates our soul from our body, so that while our flesh may still continue to sin, our soul does not. When you are saved God sends the Holy Ghost into your soul... and if you have a piece of God in you, you can't help but want to do things differently than you would without the Holy Ghost).

Getting Saved:
 

So now that we've established that we are all sinners, we all need the help of Jesus Christ to gain entrance into heaven, and that once we are "saved" by accepting the salvation Jesus offers, our salvation is eternal, you might be saying to yourself, "I don't know how to accept Jesus as my savior or how to confess my sins." Have no fear. If you are ready today to accept Jesus Christ as your savior, then pray with me by following the prayer below:

"Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and that I need your help to save my soul. I know that you are the Son of God, and I want to thank you for dying on the cross for me so that I don't have to pay for my sins, and so that I can have eternal life through you. Please come into my heart Lord and save me. Please forgive me for my sins and help me to repent and be a better person for you. I love you Lord and thank you for your sacrifice. In your name Lord, amen."

Other Resources:

*If you still feel a little confused about all of this, feel free to e-mail us at: CBSBdotblogspot@yahoo.com

*If you would like to see a video about becoming saved, watch below:


*If you would like to see a short flash animation on becoming saved, click here.

*If you would like to read a short comic strip about becoming saved, click:
Comic 1: The Contract
Comic 2: The Accident
Comic 3: The Chaplain
Comic 4: The Choice
Comic 5: Charlie's Ants

*If you would like to know more about prayer and how to pray, click here.

*If you would like to learn a little more about the Bible and about how we can have so much confidence in God's Word, click here.

*If you would like to jump straight into the Word of God, you can click here and start by reading the first chapter of the book of 1John along with helpful notes on the book and what it means.


Thank you for your time! I hop you found this information helpful and life/soul-saving.

God bless!

-CBSB

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Prayer: Conversations With God

Prayer: Most often, I know I'm in big trouble when I don't even know what to pray for. Now that doesn't sound as bad as it seems... that's not to say in trouble with God, but with life. Sometimes I know that I have just screwed things in my life up so badly, that I am as good as speechless and clueless. Luckily for me, and well, for everybody else, God knows what's best for us. We can trust God to guide us through life, so why not trust him to guide us through prayer also?

You know, most of the time I start praying for one thing, and end up praying for a million other things... at first I felt like it was a burden, and so I began to avoid prayer, because I didn't want to take the time out of my life to pray for all the people and things I knew needed praying for. But after I realized that it was only God giving me help, prayer didn't seem so bad to me. Often when I'm hurt or need help, I find myself asking others to pray for me now, something I never used to do. I definitely appreciate it when other's pray for me, and that is a big eye opener for me as to why I should not feel burdened praying for other people in their time of need. As far as God guiding our prayers, I believe that God brings things to our minds that need praying for, just as he brings scriptures that we've read to mind when he's trying to answer our prayers.

When I was a child, I used to pray for impossible things... "God if you're there give me a sign" (the one time I ever prayed this was in the middle of a thunder and lightening storm, and lightening struck down in the yard right in front of the window I was praying at). Mostly when I was younger I would pray like this: "God, if you're there, you'll make my room clean, and it will all be clean when I open my eyes." Unfortunately God doesn't work that way... I now know that God gives us the power to answer our prayers, just like he protects us from getting run over by giving us the common sense not to run across a six lane freeway at rush hour. That's not to say that miracles don't also happen, but most of the time God gives us the answers to our prayers through us.

When I first became saved was when I began to feel that prayer was a burden to me because I realized how many people I needed to pray for. Now I find praying to be more of something I enjoy. For me it has become like a conversation with an old friend who understands all of my deepest secrets and desires. I find myself praying in the car, in class, while walking, watching TV, and even several times already while writing this blog. Sometimes when I'm really distressed and am deep in prayer, I am reluctant to end the prayer and give up my private time with God. This is the time when I find myself feeling the closest to God. There's a good possibility that this is because this is the time when I feel the most humbled, and realize just how good God is to me.

I think that if you don't know what to pray for, as sometimes happens to me, it's definitely ok to ask God for help in knowing what to pray for. Just as God knows what's best for us, he knows what's best for us to pray for (and he may show us by bringing things to mind).

A few types of prayer:

• Prayers for the salvation of others (Sometimes it helps to ask God to go into the heart of somebody who is not saved and just show them that he is there. I think it also helps when you go to talk to somebody about God to save them to ask God to give you the right Words to say).
  
• Prayers for your own salvation
• Prayers for things people need
• Prayers for something you need
• Prayers praising God
• Prayers asking for God's help with anything

Here are a few things about prayer straight from the scriptures:


*If we pray God will listen, and if we ask for help, He will be there for us:
Psalm 6:9
The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. (God will always receive our prayers).

Psalm 4:1
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. ("thous hast enlarged me when I was in distress," to me this says it all. God is always there for us in our time of need even if nobody else is. God will always be there to help. We need to pray to him to ask for that help though. Prayer shows that we are serious about the things we want and need, and if we are dedicated enough to take that time to talk to God and ask for his help, then he will listen).

Psalm 102:17
He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. (God doesn't see our prayers to him as a burden, so why should we see praying as a burden?)

Matthew 21:22
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.


*The Lords Prayer:
Matthew 6:5-15
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

What I got from this passage was: Don't go around shouting your prayers so that everybody else hears them and sees you praying (this is only edifying to you and not to God). Instead make your prayers in private (although that isn't to say it's not ok to pray with other people). Also, God knows everything you need before you ask him. You don't need to pray repetitiously (you don't need to pray the same thing over and over again the same way every time... some religions believe that there is a format for prayer, and that you must follow it at all times. Here the Bible clearly tells us not to do that. It's ok for your prayers to be short or long, and they don't have to be eloquently worded. God knows what you need... just speak to him like a friend. Now, notice how Jesus shows us to pray to God: "Hallowed be thy name" this is basically praising God by saying, "God, you are holy." When he says, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," he is basically saying, "God, the earth and the heavens are your kingdom... you created them and everything within. We will do your will here on earth as your will is done in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
To me this says: "Please give us what we need for the day (notice that's not what we want but what we need). And please forgive us of our sins... just as you want us to forgive others of their sins." "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Here the prayer asks for God to keep evil things and temptations away from us, and asks God not to tempt us with sinful things. And again the prayer ends with a praise to God. Sounds like a pretty awesome prayer to me that Jesus has just shown us, and Jesus would know.


*Never cease in prayer (also praise):

Luke 6:12
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (And we sometimes think that praying for five minutes is tough).

Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. (Continually in prayer... which means never-ceasing. It's ok to walk around praying constantly, this is not something to be ashamed about, but in fact something the Bible encourages by giving us in the two examples above).

Psalm 42:8
Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. (Sometimes when we are going through difficult times, the most difficult part of the day can be the night. To me this verse says: God is with us always; He will get us through the day and through the night so long as we ask for His help. Seeing as how God is always there for us, why should we not in turn always be there for him?).

Psalm 56:4
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. (God makes it so we don't have to fear what other people will do to us. We know that whatever happens to us in this world, that if we are saved he will not let anything happen to our soul).

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Look at all of the things God does for us! He deserves to be praised! And not just praised once a day or once a month, or once a year either! See the next verse below...)

Psalm 35:28
And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.

Psalm 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (If we are to never cease in prayer, and we are to praise our Lord God continually, than we should also be praising him in prayer. If you don't think you have anything to pray for, pray for God! Give him all the praise he deserves! And not only when you are happy and things are good in your life... when things are bad in your life, or not going the way you want them to, God is still there for you day and night, and therefore still deserves your praise).

Jonah 2:7
When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. (Here, when Jonah was at his lowest point (or was most humbled) he remembered that God would be there for him if he prayed and asked for his help. And God was there for him).


*We should pray for the salvation of others:

Romans 10:1
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.


*Pray for others in general:
1Timothy 2:1
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

James 5:15
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.


*In thanksgiving give our prayers:

Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (In thanksgiving... in other words, know that whatever you have that is good is because of God, and we should always remember to be thankful to God for those things that we have... this goes along with praise... God gave us these things, we should praise him for it).

*Praying for good vs. bad:

1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Proverbs 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. (To me this verse says: If you pray for somebody to be murdered, or die in an explosion unjustly God is probably going to ignore your prayer, but if you are praying for something righteous and good, he will listen).

Conclusion:

So, in the above passages the Bible has shown us: That God hears our prayers, how to pray, how not to pray, what to pray for, who to pray for, and how long to pray for. There are so many other things the Bible says about prayer and praying, but I figured I'd just outline a few for you.

In conclusion, I'd like to say this: We shouldn't be afraid of prayer, and we shouldn't see it as a burden as so many people do. I'm not saying you absolutely must go around praying all day, and that you must pray for certain things, only that we should pray, and be happy that God is there for us 24/7, and that he will always hear our prayers, even in our worst times of need. I think that's pretty amazing myself.

If you would like to read a short tract (comic) about prayer, please click here.

-CBSB

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