21. The Way of Salvation

If you have now realized that the Bible and the gospel are not simply a religious fantasy made up by humans, but a clear truth, all that remains is to believe in Jesus and be saved. Many people say that believing in Jesus and being saved is very easy and simple.

That's right. However, in a way, it is also a very difficult and fierce battle. Also, due to very wrong perceptions about salvation, there are many Christians who believe in Jesus but do not believe correctly and are running toward hell.

Therefore, if you have now decided to believe in Jesus, it is most important to know the correct way of salvation. There are 4 stages to proper salvation (faith - forgiveness of sins - born again - righteous walk).

21.1. Faith

What does it mean for us to believe in Jesus?

First, it means believing that the Creator God exists, lives and works in history, and loves me.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5:24)

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

Second, it means believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was resurrected on the third day, and that all our sins are washed clean and forgiven by the blood He shed on the cross.

Third, it means believing that salvation can only be obtained through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

21.2. Forgiveness of Sins through Repentance

Once you have believed in Jesus, the next step is to receive forgiveness of sins.

There are original sin and self-committed sin. Original sin is the sin committed by Adam and Eve that is passed down and affects all people, and self-committed sin is sin committed by oneself. Even a person who considers himself righteous cannot help but become a sinner before God.

Perhaps most of you reading this article have never committed a serious crime, have never been to a police station or prison, and are conscientious citizens, so you may not understand why the Bible says all people are sinners.

The reason all people cannot help but be sinners is because the sin spoken of in the Bible is incomparably stricter than general social norms, laws, or moral standards.

The Bible says that not loving your neighbor as yourself, hating in your heart, judging rashly, and not forgiving are also sins.

Not honoring parents, lying, and even not doing good when you know it is also sin. Also, it says that just lusting after a woman is committing adultery, and just hating a brother in your heart is the same as committing murder.

Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and not keeping this is also sin.

You and I may be conscientious and clean citizens in this society who have nothing to do with murder or rape, but before God's law, we cannot help but be terrible criminals like this. From this perspective, there is no one, not even the most saintly person, who can say he is not a sinner.

As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." (Romans 3:10-12)

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

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Forgiveness of sins means being completely forgiven by God for my original sin and the self-committed sins I committed in the past. To receive forgiveness of sins, you must repent of the sins you have committed and believe that all your sins are washed clean by the blood Jesus shed on the cross for your sins. Repentance is not simply the concept of regretting one's wrongdoings, but includes sincerely regretting one's sins and wrongdoings, exposing them before God and asking for forgiveness, and correcting one's actions.

When you first accept Jesus, you must first confess that you cannot help but be a sinner, believe that Jesus was crucified on the cross for your sins, and make a decision to live according to Jesus' will. However, even after being born again, because the sinful nature remains in humans, they inevitably commit sins again.

For these self-committed sins committed even after first accepting Jesus as my Savior, I must repent with a sorrowful heart each time I commit a sin, resolve not to repeat the sin, and put it into practice.

Even if you repeatedly fall into the temptation of sin and sin is repeated, God will forgive you until the end as long as you repent, so you should not be discouraged or condemn yourself for repeatedly committing sins.

What should not be misunderstood is that you should not freely commit sins and simply repeat repentance verbally because God will continue to forgive as long as you repent. This is a very wrong and fake repentance. Repentance is never an indulgence to commit sins.

True repentance means sincerely regretting committing that sin before God and making a strong determination not to commit it again, followed by putting it into practice, even if you may repeat that sin later due to the weakness of the flesh. True repentance means turning away from evil and turning toward good, and turning from a self-centered life to a God-centered life.

21.3. Born Again

When you believe in Jesus, receive forgiveness of sins through repentance, and accept Jesus as your Savior and the Lord of your life, you are now "born again" as a completely new person. Your status completely changes from a sinner who can only die because of sin to a child of God who can enjoy eternal life in heaven. You change from a life that aims for worldly pleasures, desires, and selfish self-realization to a person who lives for God and neighbors.

21.4. Sanctification

Just because you have believed in Jesus, repented, received forgiveness of sins, and have been born again does not mean you can live a completely flawless life without committing any sins afterward. This is because even after being born again, the sinful nature of humans does not disappear.

Even after repenting and being born again, while living in the world, you will be plagued by countless temptations of sin, sometimes stumble, commit sins again, and become discouraged. However, each time, you should not be discouraged but repent again and return to God.

Forgiveness of sins is never given by our righteous deedsbut only possible through the grace of Jesus' blood on the cross. However, that does not mean that righteous deeds are not necessary afterward.

Because a born-again person's status has changed to a "righteous person," the obligation to live righteously arises. You must abandon all worldly desires, selfishness, greed, and love for money, love God and neighbors, forgive, and live a pure and clean life.

This process is called "sanctification." This path is never easy. Not only is the gate narrow, but the path after entering is also narrow. That is why heaven can never be reached if you simply "intellectually agree with Jesus' substitutionary atonement on the cross" and do not bear the fruit of such sanctification. The Book of James says that "faith without works is dead."

Today, a very wrong gospel is being preached in many churches. They say that simply believing in Jesus in your "heart" guarantees salvation and heaven, and righteous conduct is relegated to a matter of "reward." So, when emphasizing a holy life and the process of sanctification, they dismiss it as a heretical idea of salvation by works, trying to obtain salvation through "deeds."

However, that is absolutely not the case. Our becoming righteous is only possible entirely through faith and God's grace, but if that faith is not proven by "works and the holy fruits of the Spirit," it is a fake faith.

In other words, the reason you are not saved if you believe only with your head and heart without righteous conduct is not because there are no "deeds," but because that faith is a fake faith that has not been proven by righteous deeds.

In fact, works and faith can never be separated even in common sense. If a man verbally and heartily confesses his love for his wife but commits violence and adultery every day, how can you say this man loves his wife?

The same goes for faith. How can a person who has believed in Jesus and become holy envy, hate, be jealous of others, love money, commit adultery, and be friends with the world? If you say you truly believe in Jesus but your life is full of wickedness and ungodliness, you will never be saved. That is hell. The reason is not because there are no good "deeds," but because even though salvation is received only by "faith," not by "deeds," that faith is a fake faith that has not been proven by holiness.

Let me emphasize once again: "Faith" that is not accompanied by the process of sanctification, that is, continuous repentance and bearing holy fruit, is a fake faith. Therefore, you cannot be saved with such faith. A saint who has believed in Jesus, received forgiveness of sins, and has been born again has the obligation to live a life of bearing pure and holy fruit until the end while living in the world.

Many people think of Jesus only as the Savior who will save them, not as the "Lord" who is the master of their lives. Accepting Jesus means recognizing Jesus not simply as the Savior, but as the "Lord" who is the master of your life. That is why all of life's goals, values, words, and actions must completely change in the direction God wants.

Dear friends, believing in Jesus and being saved is never an easy path. It is only possible by abandoning our desires and dying to self. However, even though this path is difficult, you must also believe that God Almighty will surely guide, protect, help, and make the path smooth for those who have decided to take this narrow path.

Some people say this: If it's that difficult, I'd rather not believe. However, the fact that it is difficult and challenging can never be grounds for unbelief. Likewise, the fact that it is easy, comfortable, and beneficial to me cannot be grounds for faith either. The grounds for faith must only be whether this gospel is "true or false."

To be honest, I also find this gospel sometimes burdensome and difficult. However, the reason I believe in this gospel is because, as we have examined so far, the gospel is the "truth" and a "fact." Otherwise, there would be no reason for us to be bound by a tiring and fussy gospel, right?

If there is no judgment after death and everything ends with death, shouldn't we just freely do what we want to do and enjoy what we want to enjoy in this one and only life in the world, and then go? However, the problem is that in fact, that is not the case.

Dear friends, now is the time to decide. Simply saying that you won't believe because it's unpleasant that there is judgment after death and that you'll go to hell if you don't believe in Jesus, and that Christianity claims only they are right, can never be grounds for unbelief.

Only whether this gospel is the "truth" or false is important, even though it is uncomfortable. We have already examined in great detail whether the words of the Bible and the gospel are true or false, and you have ample reason to accept it.

Dear friends, do you have difficulties and hardships? Are you troubled about why you should live and what the meaning of life is? Jesus is still standing at the door, knocking on your heart. He wants to become the Lord of your life with infinite love and be with you in the world of eternal heaven and joy.

Although it is difficult and challenging to believe in Jesus and live in this world, God helps, guides, and enables with His omnipotent hand those who willingly take this narrow path. I hope you will entrust all your pain and the problems of the world to God, accept Jesus as your Savior and the Lord of your life, and be saved.