Most if not all people have heard the word salvation. It is a very churchy-sounding word, but what does it mean? And do you need to know about it? As usual with my devotional questions, the short answer is either yes or no. In this case, the short answer is, yes you do need it. How do I know you need it? Because everyone needs it. So what are you being saved from? And what is salvation? Let's take each question one at a time and then tie it all together. 

What do you and I need to be saved from?  Great question, we need to be saved from all the times we have broken God's rules or laws and the punishment, which is death and eternity separated from God in hell. Lawbreakers are criminals in our world and are taken before a judge and are given the proper sentence based on the law. It is no different for God. We get most of our laws from God's law so it makes sense that God's system of laws and justice would work the same way. It would only be fair that the one who created everything gets to decide what happens to His creation.  

You might say, "Well I don't believe in God so I don't care about His rules, or that doesn't apply to me". Ironically that would be His first rule and you have now broken it and need to be forgiven for that. Saying God doesn't exist when He clearly does isn't a get-out jail-free card. God is very real and His laws and rules apply to everyone.

Let's look at the evidence against you. If you have told just one little lie ever in your life then you are a lawbreaker or sinner.  Most everyone would say that lying is bad or stealing is bad. Well, God thinks so too and those are two of His rules that just about everyone has broken at least once in their lives. So if you lie you are considered to be a liar, if you steal you are a thief, right? So if you are a lying, thief who has rejected God then you would be a sinner or a rule breaker and you would deserve to be judged and punished for breaking the law. Really if you think about it it's a very fair system that God has created.

We have all been born with this sin nature or you might say we are born with the desire to break God's law. There is good news I promise. I know it sounds harsh and it sounds hopeless but it isn't at all. Keep reading and you will see there is a happy ending in this for anyone who believes and has faith.

How do you know you have sinned?  In the Old Testament God gave Moses the ten commandments. Most of you know some of these laws or rules but do you know all of them? Remember you are a rule-breaker by God's standard if you break just one of these just one time.

Exodus 20:3-17

These are the laws that we are to follow per God's standards. These ten laws or rules were given to us so that we would know when we have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. God knew when He gave these ten laws to Moses that we could not live up to His standard so He had a plan from the beginning of time to send His only Son to earth to take our punishment, that we fully deserve so we could live. 

What is salvation?  Salvation is the beautiful free gift that God gives to every lawbreaker if they will accept it. You can't earn it, you can't work for it, and you can't buy it. I know some of you are thinking, "Well I am a good person and God loves everyone so I am just fine; I don't need to have anything forgiven. I will just keep being a good person and God will let me into heaven". Remember just a moment ago when I said you can't earn it and that everyone has sinned at least once? That includes all the people who say they are a "good" person. In God's rule book, just one sin ever in your life no matter how much so-called good you do still makes you a sinner. One who will be eternally judged by Jesus Christ. See you can't be good enough because it is based on God's standards, not yours and God's standards are so much higher than ours that we can not live up to His standards without the help of His son Jesus Christ.

How do you get salvation and why would you want it? First, you want salvation because it is the only way to get into heaven, and without it, you spend forever in hell a place so horrific and painful that we don't have words to describe it, separated from God and His love. So that one is easy. Everyone wants to go to heaven where you spend eternity in a place that is indescribably beautiful and full of love and peace and happiness that can't be measured. 

The New Testament section of the Bible gives us a beautiful road map of how to get salvation and why you personally need it today, right now. There is a timer that only God knows when it will run out and your chance to accept His gift will be gone. We don't know when that time is, the evidence shows that the time is very short and will run out soon. Here is the road map and some more encouragement to help you.

John 3:16 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.

We must accept the gift by believing with all our heart, mind, and, soul that Jesus Christ is the only savior of the world. Don't believe the lies that there are many ways to heaven. It isn't true! Jesus Christ is the only way. 

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

No matter what you have done your sin can be forgiven. Jesus already took your death penalty over 2,000 years ago on the cross.

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

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

Romans 10:9-10 that 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

 John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: