The 3 Steps to Receiving Jesus’ Free Gift of Salvation

If you are a Christian, do you know for certain that you are saved?  Are you absolutely sure that, if you died today, you would go to heaven and live with Jesus for eternity?

If you can’t answer these two questions with an honest and resounding “YES!” then you need to stop everything and immediately take the steps outlined in this article to receive God’s free gift of salvation.

And for those just coming to Christ and wishing to become followers of Jesus Christ, the first step is to be saved.

Salvation is a gift, a free gift from God to all of mankind, Jews and Gentiles alike.  Salvation cannot be earned through good works or good deeds.  This is a misconception that many Christians have.  We do good works because we are saved, not to earn our salvation.  Paul makes this quite clear when he says:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:8-10  NIV)

So, if you are one of those Christians who believes you are going to heaven simply because you are a good person, unfortunately, you are mistaken.  You need to formally accept and receive God’s free gift of salvation.  And you need to do it today!

Receiving the Free Gift of Salvation:

The process for receiving God’s free gift of salvation is really quite simple.

Here’s how.

Since salvation is a gift and because a gift from one person to another has three steps associated with it, receiving God’s free gift of salvation has three steps.   They are as follows:

Step 1:  A Gift Must Be Offered.  Before you can receive a gift, it must be offered by someone.  In the case of salvation and eternal life, God offers this gift to each and every one of us.  That is His New Covenant with mankind.

Step 2: A Gift Must Be Accepted.  Just because someone offers you a gift doesn’t mean that you have to accept it.  Gifts can be and often are refused.  In the case of salvation, you must make a conscious decision to accept God’s gift.  This is a serious step, so don’t do it lightly.  You will need to turn away from your old ways and become a devout follower of Jesus.  This decision entails a life-long commitment.  Pray about it until you are sure in your heart, then go forward.

Step 3:  A Gift Must Be Received.  Once you’ve decided to accept God’s free gift of salvation, you must formally receive it.  This is done through a simple prayer where you…
•    Confess to God that you are a sinner
•    Repent of your sins (tell God that you are sorry)
•    Ask for forgiveness of your sins
•    State your belief that:
o   Jesus is the Son of God  (very important)
o    That Jesus died on the cross in your place for your sins
o    That Jesus rose from the dead
o    That Jesus is alive today

•    Tell God that you accept His free gift of salvation
•    Ask Jesus to come into your heart and your life
•    Acknowledge that, from now on, Jesus will be your Lord and Savior.  The boss of your life.

These are the things you need to feel and deeply believe in your heart to be saved.

Here is a prayer you can use or you can use your own words.  Just make sure it comes from the heart and not just from your head and your lips.

“Dear Most Gracious and Loving Heavenly Father,

I know that I am a sinner and that I am separated from you by my sin.  I repent of all of the sins I have committed that have been so displeasing to you and ask for your forgiveness.  I thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, into the world.  I believe, with all of my heart and without question, that Jesus is your son; that He is truly the Son of God.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross in my place, instead of me, for my sins and that He was buried and rose from the dead and lives today.  He did for me what I could never do for myself.  I put my trust in Jesus, ask Him to come into my heart and into my life and acknowledge that, from this day forward, He is my Lord and Savior; the boss of my life.  I will submit my life to His will, not mine.  And I gratefully accept your gift of salvation.  Thank you for your amazing grace.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.”

This prayer, or one like it, is often referred to as the “Sinner’s Prayer” because we are coming to God, acknowledging that we are a sinner, and asking for his mercy and grace.

After you have prayed that or a similar prayer from your heart, you have received the blessed gift of salvation.  You can know for sure, with 100 percent certainty, that you are going to heaven when you die.  How wonderful is that!

Here is God’s promise:

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Romans 10:13  NIV)

And be sure to document the date.  This is a very important day in your life.  Just like your natural birthday, you want to remember and celebrate the day that you were reborn in Jesus Christ each and every year.

Baptism By Immersion:
Once you have received the gift of salvation, there is one more thing you need to do.  You need to be baptized by immersion.

Baptism doesn’t gain you salvation.  But it is a key part of being saved.  It is a public demonstration that you have been born again in Jesus Christ.

And it is very important to not just be baptized, but to be baptized by immersion.

When you go beneath the surface of the water during the baptism ceremony, it represents your old self dying and being buried.  When you emerge from beneath the water, it represents you rising from the dead and being born again in Jesus Christ.  Undergoing this process, representing your death and resurrection, is very significant and extremely important for each and every new follower of Jesus.

In Matthew 28:19 (NIV), Jesus said:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

This was the Great Commission and it is clear from Jesus’ words that he intended every new believer to be baptized.

And it is widely accepted that John the Baptist baptized by immersion in the Jordan River and that he baptized Jesus in this way.  Thus, if we are to follow Jesus, we too should be baptized by immersion.  That is clearly the method we should use.

If your church doesn’t baptize by immersion, find one that does.  Don’t neglect this step.  It is very important.

Summing Up:

There you have it.  These are the steps you need to take to receive God’s gift of salvation.

If you aren’t already saved, take time out right now and get it done.  Remember, just because salvation is a free gift doesn’t mean you automatically get it.  You have to take action to formally accept and receive it.  If you don’t formally accept and receive the gift, you don’t get it.  It is as simple as that.

And if you haven’t been baptized by immersion, make that happen as soon as possible.

And, finally,  if you have friends or family members who aren’t saved, teach them the process.  They may not be ready to make the commitment right away, but when they are, you want to make sure they know how to do it.  If catastrophe strikes, they may only have seconds to make the most important decision of their eternal life.  You want to make sure they are prepared and know exactly what to do.

God Bless Each and Every One…