Anyone who has read this far may feel the desire to learn even more about these matters. You are encouraged to read to the end and, if necessary, to search the Bible earnestly for answers to any uncertainties that may still remain. It will also be beneficial to seek out the fellowship of sincere Christian believers, where you can find support and further answers to possible questions. Those who may already have decided to accept God’s gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and reconciliation with Him, are likewise encouraged to read to the end.
It is indeed true that every person who has not yet heard this Good News and received God’s gift of salvation must decide whether he or she wishes to remain in a lost condition or rather accept this gracious gift that God makes available. Every person who desires to receive this gift of salvation and reconciliation with God must accept it in prayer to God, trusting Him to enable them – through His Holy Spirit – to live this new life.
Accept God’s gift of peace with Him
Reconciliation with God (salvation and deliverance from sin) is a gift from God – a gift that cannot be earned. God gives it to humanity because He is love. Ephesians 2:8–9:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.“
And Romans 6:23:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
In Acts 16:30–31 the jailer asks Paul and Silas:
“’Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’“
This means believing and accepting that the reconciliation with God, made possible through the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, is also for you. It is truly a gift from God to humanity, given out of love, which must be believed and accepted in order to be possessed.
This gift of God is free; no one needs to do anything, nor can anyone do anything, to earn it. It is available to all who hear of it, believe it, and accept it. A gift, in the true sense of the word, is not earned, because it is not remuneration. As with any other gift offered to you, you must accept it. If you do not take it, it never becomes yours, and you can never enjoy its benefits, regardless of the giver’s intention. There is no merit in accepting a gift. Accepting a gift can never be an action that contributes to earning it. This applies equally to God’s gift. The Bible sets faith over against works as the only way to receive God’s gift of salvation (see Acts 13:38–39; Romans 3:21–28; Galatians 3; Philippians 3:9). This means that faith is not a “work” by which one contributes to earning God’s gift of salvation.
The benefits of this gift for those who accept it are forgiveness and deliverance from sin, reconciliation with God, and eternal life with Him – a new life of peace with God.
Any gift a person receives brings responsibilities; however small the required actions may be. If it is not cared for or used for its intended purpose, one may suffer loss. One may lose it or lose its usefulness. There is therefore always a cost associated with receiving a gift. The cost may range from minor actions to significant effort requiring energy or even money, in the case of large gifts. For example: a woman who receives flowers cares for them; someone who receives a bicycle or car maintains it—sometimes at considerable cost (fuel, servicing, tyres, etc.).
To accept this gift of God essentially means becoming a follower or disciple of the Lord Jesus. This also brings responsibilities – or costs. The Lord Jesus Christ, who made this gift possible, says that these responsibilities are costs that must be counted.
The Lord Jesus explains the cost of discipleship in Luke 9:23:
“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” See also Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34.
A person can never bring about salvation or reconciliation with God by doing good works. Yet once you have accepted this gift, you have become His disciple, His child, His follower – and then you must fulfil the responsibilities that come with it. If you do not fulfil them, or at least earnestly strive to do so, you are not caring for the gift, and you will not enjoy the full value, benefit, and blessing of this wonderful gift. One may then rightly wonder whether such a person truly received (believed) the gift at all. The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.“
James says in 2:20:
“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?“
If a person claims to believe, but his actions do not align with that belief, it is, according to James, a dead faith. A dead faith is a faith that does not lead to salvation.
Everyone who considers accepting this gift of God must think very seriously about it. Count the cost and decide whether you truly want it. The cost includes, among other things, the old life. One cannot live a new life of reconciliation with God while continuing in the old life of sin. Remember, however, that the new life is not lived in one’s own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.
When a person has counted the cost and decides to accept this precious gift of God, it is done through prayer. Prayer is the way humanity communicates with God. The following matters should be discussed with God in prayer:
- Confess your sins to God and your need for salvation. He forgives all your sins because the Lord Jesus has already borne the punishment for them, regardless of their extent or seriousness. God desires to settle the matter with you, as He says through the prophet Isaiah in Jes. 1:18:
“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.“
- Accept God’s gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus. It is accepted just as any other gift would be accepted, because it is a gift from God’s hand. Ephesians 2:8–9:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.“
- Surrender yourself to Him. Tell Him that from now on you no longer live for yourself but for Him; that you no longer place your own interests first, but that He now holds first place in your life; that you are now a follower of the Lord Jesus and deny yourself, the world, and Satan.
- Thank God that He, without you deserving it, has made it possible through the death of the Lord Jesus for you to return from eternal death to a new life of reconciliation and peace with God.
- Declare your full dependence on God to be enabled by His Holy Spirit to live this new life to His glory.
Everyone who has accepted this gift now has the indescribable privilege of being a child of God, as the Bible promises in John 1:12:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:“
The meaning and consequences of this step are discussed next, along with the responsibilities of the believer and disciple of the Lord Jesus as an integral part of this new life.