^{First in finding salvation, one must understand that the Bible is the only true standard of authority.  It is God’s mind revealed to us, so that we can live a life pleasing to His command to be blessed by Him.
Many people have strong opinions about religion, but they lack knowledge when it comes to what God has truly said.  In Hebrews 11:1, Bible faith is defined as the “assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” Do assurance and conviction sound like doubt and confusion?}

^{The Bible clarifies and makes clear. It is not intended to confuse.
Psalm 119:105 tells us that “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path.” God does not want us to stumble through life in ignorance, or to be confused.  1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us that “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” God and His Word are our only source of authority.  Do you think God would give and preserve a book for us to read, believe and obey and then make it too difficult to understand?  No—we are commanded to understand it.…"when you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4); “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).  With study and desire, we can learn what God expects of us.  We first must have faith.  Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” This is the faith that causes one to act.  Romans 10:17 tells where this faith comes from.  Paul says that “faith comes from hearing, ”and most importantly, “from hearing the word of Christ.” Our faith, if it is a proper faith, will be based on the Bible.  2 Timothy 2:15 is probably a familiar passage.  There, it says to “be diligent to present yourselves approved to God as a workmen who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God.”}

^{I salute you, who are spiritually minded and interested as we meet on this web–page.  I hope what we have established is that the Bible is our authority and with study and desire, it can be understood.  By hearing and reading God’s word, we will develop faith in God.  May God bless you as you continue this study and your own.}

<sup>“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  This may be the most familiar verse in the Bible.  It certainly speaks volumes of God’s love and compassion for mankind, doesn’t it?  But why does man need a Savior? Because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” ( Romans 3:23).  What is sin?  It is “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4).  The problem with sinning is that it leads to death; it separates us from God and His holiness. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23).  We all die a physical death, but this is referring to a spiritual death– being separated from God for eternity in Hell (2 Peter 2:4-10).

Do Not Despair!  God has made salvation available to all men (Titus 2:11).  God’s plan for saving us is simple and clearly revealed in the New Testament.  God has done His part to make salvation available for all, let’s think about some of the things.

1. He sent His Son, to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16; Hebrews 9:26-28).

2. God bestowed His grace. “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). 

3. Jesus shed His blood. “In whom we have redemption through His Son, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). “For the Son of man is come to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

4. The Holy Spirit revealed God’s will to man. "...the mystery made known to me by revelation...in reading this then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:3-6).  This revelation is the gospel, God’s good news for mankind. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).</sup>

^{If you are asking, “What is repentance and why must I have it?” If you are wondering why it is so incredibly important, here are some biblical reasons… the word repent in the Bible, means to turn from your old, harmful ways of sin and regret, to God, through obeying the teachings of Christ.  A good example of repentance, is Simon the Sorcerer.  Simon tried to buy God’s power from the Apostle Peter, Peter said in Acts 8:21-22 “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord.” To repent means to turn away from something that is morally wrong and through deliberately removing bad habits of sin in your life, you can come to Him to begin anew, “You were taught, with your former way of life, to put of your old self [repent], which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; but put on the new self [obedience] created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:20-24).  Why must we repent, well when the Apostles began preaching and the people at Jerusalem heard the good news of the Gospel they asked Peter and the Apostles with him, “What must we do to be saved?  And Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus..” (Acts 2:38).
It is necessary to do this “turn away from sin” in order to be with God, before life is over, for in Heb 12:14 it says “With out Holiness no man can see God.”  Holiness does NOT mean being perfect, Christ is the only one who has never sinned.  It just means we need to walk as God would have us to walk, in purity and love, separating ourselves from a sinful, wrong way of living.  Then starting a new life of obedience through Christ.  See Baptism (Romans chapter 6)} 

<sup>What does Confessing the name of Jesus mean and why should I do it?
Confessing the name of Jesus simply means declaring what He is, ‘Lord.’ In this way your showing your faith in the Son of God, that you really believe that Jesus is Lord.’ “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in you heart; that if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus as Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved” Romans 10:8-9. (Also see James 2:14-22)

This expression of the heart through confessing his name, is what needs to be done in order to be accepted by God.  For, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven.  But who ever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Confessing his name is necessary for salvation. “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).  Before Paul became a Christian…he was praying, to God to help him with his sins.  In Acts 22:16 the Lord sent a man to Paul, a believer and follower of Christ, his name was Ananias.  He said to Paul... “and now what are you waiting for arise and be baptized and wash your sins away calling on the name of the Lord.”  You see even Paul needed to confess the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved from his sins!</sup>