[Faith-talk] FW: [masterslist] What it means to be "saved"

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "revjoe2701 at comcast.net" <revjoe2701 at comcast.net>
To: "<<<<------Rev. Joe Diaz Founder His Love Extended Minsitries
International------>>>>" <revjoe2701 at comcast.net>
Subject: [masterslist] What it means to be "saved"
Date: 
Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:40:44 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)


By Eric Elder

www.theranch.org

When people say they?re ?saved,? what do they mean? And what exactly are
they saved from?

To say you?re saved means more than just the fact that you?re a
Christian.
It means you?ve been saved from something. Specifically, it means you?ve
been saved from hell, both the literal hell that Jesus talked about when
people are separated from God for all eternity, and the practical hell
that
you can experience here on this earth when you continue to follow your
own
sinful ways.

To someone who isn't ?saved,? the word seems to be either offensive or
just
plain laughable. But to someone who is ?saved,? the word is full of life,
because they know what would have happened to them had Jesus not come to
save them.

I read this week that one of the candidates running for office is being
questioned because their pastor ?preaches hell for anyone who doesn?t
believe in Jesus.? I guess when you put it that way, it does sound rather
offensive. But the truth is, it?s the same message that Jesus preached.
(Good thing He isn?t running for office--He?d probably get crucified
again!)

Some people, unfortunately, think that Jesus is out to get them, that He
came to condemn them for what they?ve done. But Jesus didn?t come to
condemn
you. He came to save you. He even says so in His own words:

?For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but
whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not
believed in the name of God?s one and only Son? - (John 3:17-18).

So, yes, there is hell to pay if you don?t believe in Jesus. But no one?s
going to hell because they haven?t believed in Jesus; they?re going to
hell
because of their sins, which is a completely different reason altogether.
Whenever you sin, it separates you from God. And without a savior, you?d
be
separated from God forever. That?s hell. That?s the fate from which Jesus
came to save you.

When the Apostles Peter and John were arrested for preaching that Jesus
could save people from their sins, they didn?t back down even when
threatened with death. In Acts chapter 4, they spoke boldly about the fact
that Jesus alone had the power to save:

?Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven
given to men by which we must be saved? (Acts 4:12)

Faith saves. One of my favorite scenes in the Indiana Jones series is
when
Indy comes to the edge of a cliff and can?t see any way across to the
cliff
on the other side. With a look of exasperation, he says, ?It?s a leap of
faith!? With his enemies pressing in from behind and no other way forward,
he takes a giant step into what looks like thin air in front of him, only
to
find that he has stepped onto a solid rock bridge that had been
camouflaged
from view. Indy?s ?leap of faith? had saved him.

Jesus wants to save you from more than just a bad ending to the movie of
your life. He wants to save you from hell, both here on earth and on into
eternity.

When Jesus died on the cross, He extended an invitation to every person
in
the world who had strayed from God to come back to Him. The price for our
sins had been paid. But reconciliation is a two way street. Just because
one
party wants to be reconciled with the other doesn?t mean they are
reconciled
 Both parties have to agree to it.

Jesus has done His part. Now He?s waiting for each person to respond
individually. And the way you respond is by faith.

If you?ve never put your faith in Christ to save you from your sins, I
pray
you?ll do it today. He?d love to say to you what He said to the woman who
wiped His feet with her tears:

?Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace? (Luke
7:48
50).

Let?s pray...

Father, forgive me for the sins I have committed, too, as I put my faith
in
Christ. In Jesus? name, Amen.



Blessings in His marvelous love,

Rev. Joe Diaz (1984 - )

Founder of His Love Extended International Ministries (2000)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hislove_extended 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextendedPrayerCloset