There is no human effort that can save us. It is impossible for us to earn our salvation. It is only through our faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of God that we can be saved. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8‑9). Salvation is a gift from God. When you receive a gift, you do not have to beg for it or pay for it, you simply receive it.

Whoever accepts Jesus as Lord will be saved. Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9). Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). You can have a relationship with God simply by opening the door of your heart to Jesus. The moment you answer his call you will be saved from sin.

Being “born again” is synonymous is being “saved.” One of the Jewish religious leaders named Nicodemus came to Jesus one night. Jesus told him, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

Nicodemus was confused and asked, “How can a man be born again? Is he supposed to reenter his mother’s womb?” Jesus explained that it is the spirit of man which must be born again. Our spirits are dead because of sin, but through Christ, our spirits can become alive.

It takes a miracle to transform something and make it new. If an automobile is broken, a mechanic can repair it, or if there is a tear in a piece of clothing, a seamstress can patch it up but only God can put a damaged human back together again. You can have a fresh start with God.

When you are born again, you become a brand new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). All the ugly sins from your past are washed away and you become clean in the sight of God. You become a child of God. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

It is faith in the word of God that guarantees our salvation.“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). It is our faith in the promises of God which gives us victory over the sin of the world. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:1,4).

You can have the assurance of your salvation. “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 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 5:11‑13). You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are saved if you fully meet the conditions of salvation given in the Word of God. “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). You must base your belief on God’s Word, not on emotions, circumstances, church membership, or high morals.

The Bible promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In order to be saved, all you need to do is confess your sins to God and confess that Jesus is Lord. You must also believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and is justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9‑10). If you will do this, you will be saved.

If you want to be saved, pray this prayer with me. “Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I want to live with you in your kingdom. I ask forgiveness for all my sins. I believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and today I invite him to be Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for making me a child of God. Amen.”

Congratulations! Christ now lives inside of you (Colossians 1:27). Jesus will be walking beside you from now on. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Whenever you experience troubles, Jesus will be there to help you.

Now that you are a Christian (follower of Christ) you will dwell forever in God’s kingdom. God “…has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13‑14).

Right now, Jesus is preparing a kingly place in heaven just for you! “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2‑3).