Some people think that forgiveness of sins is automatically given to everyone through Christ’s death. However, God’s solution to the problem of sin is not automatic and impersonal. God does not force salvation on those who do not want it. He respects his own gift of free will to humans. He offers us salvation; however, he does not force anyone to accept it.
The Bible is clear that we can’t earn salvation. We must receive it as a gift from God. How? By taking three simple steps.
I must admit that in God’s sight Iam a helpless sinner. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All men and women are sinners indiscriminately. That is to say, though there may be some distinction between us in the degree we have sinned; there is no difference in the fact. This statement includes me. In thought, word and deed I have continually disobeyed God’s commandments and fallen short of what I should have been. Consequently, I have been banished from God’s presence as Isaiah 59:1-2 makes clear:
Your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you.
Furthermore, I am helpless to fix the problem. No amount of good works can win God’s favor. In utter humility, I must admit that I am a helpless sinner. I need a Savior to make me right with God.
I must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to be the Savior I need. The Son of God “loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). He carried my sins in his own body. He was made sin for me. More than that, he voluntarily endured the penalty I deserved because of my sins. He was pierced for my rebellion; he was crushed for my sins. First Peter 3:18 says that in order to bring me back to God, Christ, the innocent One, suffered for the sins that I, the guilty one, had committed.
I must come to Christ through prayerand claim my personal share in what he did for everyone. He died to be the Savior of the world; I must ask him to be my Savior. He bore the sins of all people; I must ask him to take my sins away. He suffered to bring everyone back to God. I must ask him to bring me.
What I must do is explained by Christ in Revelation 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” The house is a picture of my life. Christ stands outside the front door. He will not force his way in. He does not use a battering ram. He waits patiently until I open the door. Then he will come in. When he enters, he will become the Savior I acknowledge I need, and I will find myself reconciled to God, enjoying that fellowship with him I was created for.
