Between You And God #16

Dear God, If I follow all the rules in the Bible, will I be saved?

Even though it’s no fun to be sick, there are a few things that are nice about it. You don’t have to go to school or do homework. Usually you’re tucked into a comfy bed, or you get the best couch in the house, with a fuzzy blanket and squished pillow to comfort you. You get to pick what to watch on TV or read some of your favorite books or nap. Usually someone will bring you whatever you want to eat—tomato soup with melted cheese in it or popsicles or ice cream or hot chocolate. When you’re sick, people who love you do things for you because you’re not well enough to do anything for yourself. You can’t do anything for yourself.

This is true about being saved, too. Our sins make us sick in a way. Our spirits are not what God would want them to be: healthy, clean, and directed toward him and not toward the world or ourselves. We can’t work our way out of this sin sickness on our own, no matter how many good things we do. Following the Bible and our parents and church teachings is good. Giving to others and loving other people and sharing are good. But these activities will not save us. Only God can save a person. And he does it by his grace—meaning it’s a gift—when we believe.

So can you be saved without doing anything? Not exactly. You must do only one thing. Believe!

How about You?

Do you believe that God sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and pay the penalty for your sins?

God Says . . .

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9