STEP ONE: SALVATION
The foundation of “who we are,” “what we are about,” and “where we are going” at Cedar Spring Baptist is grounded in our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. We believe that there is no greater decision that a person can make in this life than accepting Christ. Referring to Jesus, Acts 4:12 tells us: “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” We believe that a person becomes a Christian by understanding four basic truths.
1. God loves us!
God loves us with an unending love and wants to know us personally. God loves each of us more than we can ever comprehend. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
2. We are separated from God.
But because of our “sins” or the wrong things we have done in life, we are separated from God. By ourselves, there is nothing we can do to correct this broken relationship with God.
SALVATION
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
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"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
3. Through Jesus, God bridged the separation between Himself and humanity.
Christ gave His life to save us from our sins; something we could not do ourselves. Because of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, we now have access to God. By accepting Christ as Lord and Savior and by repenting of our sin, we are saved. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, God gives us forgiveness, peace, and acceptance.
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Revelation 3:20
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4. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we have new life.
After we have accepted Christ by faith, we begin a lifelong journey of knowing God and growing in the likeliness of Christ. Through our daily walk with the Lord, we come to know true life.
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." I John 5:11
Here is how you can be saved…
1. Admit to God that you are a sinner and need His forgiveness.
2. Be willing to confess your sins and turn from them.
3. Believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross for you and rose from the grave for you.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus to come into your life and take control through His Holy Spirit.
Here is a simply prayer you can pray…
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I know that I have not been the person I should be. Please forgive me. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn away from my sins and invite You into my heart. I give You control over my life. I confess that You are my Lord and my Savior. Amen.
*All biblical references come from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.