Salvation of Jesus of Nazareth by Accepting Him
By Stephen D. Edwards
There is no other name by which we can be saved. You might ask, “What does it mean to be saved?”
Jesus says in Revelation 20:15, that anyone’s name not found in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire. This will happen on the day of judgment, when all the dead from the sea, from death and Hades will be taken before Jesus will judge them according to what they have done and then Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-14).
So, what is it that anyone would have done or not done to end up in the lake of fire? We have all sinned and need the forgiveness of God to avoid this fate; we all deserve this, because there was only ever one sinless man who ever lived: Jesus.
Therefore, “saved” means to be spared the fate of landing in this lake of fire on Judgment day and allowed to live in eternity with God. In other words, being saved means we get to go to heaven.
How can we get this benefit?
First, we must repent. He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Another time, he says, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)
Second, we must declare or proclaim Jesus as the Son of God and that He is our Savior and receive eternal life. John says that every spirit who confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God; whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in Him and he in God (1 John 4:2, 13-15). He goes on to say that as believers we can be assured that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
So that is all that is required for salvation. No works can be done to earn it, although we do good works for God because we are saved.
You might ask, “Can I make this declaration so late in life that my sins are piled up against me so high that I may not be forgiven?”
Yes, you can. Consider that Jesus was crucified with two criminals. One of them mocked Jesus, asking, “Aren’t You the Messiah who came to save? Save us and Yourself!” (Luke 23:39) The other one rebuked him and asked Jesus to remember him when He enters His kingdom (v. 42)
Jesus replies, “Truly, today you will be with me in paradise.” This was not a mere invitation. It was a promise. It truly does not matter how long we wait or how bad our sin is.
Read also: The Good News