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The Webster’s Dictionary defines Salvation as saving a person from sin or its consequences.

Romans 5: 8-10

“8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Suppose you committed a crime, and a judge sentenced you to a hefty fine or a year in prison.  If I paid the fine for you, you wouldn’t have to go to jail unless you rejected my payment.  Jesus paid the death penalty for our sins by his death on the cross.  Accepting this payment for your sins reconciles you to God.  Being reconciled means the separation is over.  You are now a friend of God.  Is that what you want?  So, the question I ask you is, who wants to be close to God?

Let us look at this great promise of Salvation God gave to us.

Matthew 1:21

“21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

God sent His angel to Mary to tell her she would have a Son and He would save his people from their sins.  The beauty of this promise is that it is for everyone.”

John 3:16

“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The beauty of John 3:16 is that “whosoever” is everyone.  Notice Jesus does not say if you are twelve years old, you cannot receive Salvation.  Instead, Jesus says “whosoever” comes to Him.  Whosoever means Salvation is for everyone, young and old alike.  There is no age limit.  So, the good news of the gospel here is that Jesus came to save young people too.  He did not just come to save people out of college or older.  Jesus came to save “whosoever,” which means anyone who comes to Jesus can have Salvation.  One might ask, “Why do we need salvation?” and the answer is so we can have remission of our sins and make heaven our home.  Each of us is guilty of committing a crime, although one might also ask, “What crime is that?  or say, “I’ve never committed a crime?”.  However, our crime is that we all have sinned against God.  No one can say, “I have never sinned.”  I know this first by my experience as a young person.  Before I gave my heart to God, I did not have power over sin, but second and most important, the Bible teaches us that all have sinned, which means we all need Salvation.  Another way to say it is that we all need to be reconciled with God at some time in our lives, but preferably when we are young.

Romans 5:12

“12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

The Bible teaches us all of us have sinned, but Matthew 1:21 so beautifully shows us that Jesus came to save us from our sins.  The truth is sin separates us from God.

1John 1:8-9

“8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God wants to cleanse all of us from our sin.  God’s forgiveness and His plan of Salvation are offered to everyone today.  Praise God; His Salvation is ready and available to all young people today as well.  One might ask, “What is sin?  and “How do I know if I am sinning?” Let us look at the following scriptures to help us understand what sin is.

James 4:17

“17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

God is calling all of us to do good and keep His commandments.  So if we know, we should not lie and do it anyway; this is sin.  If we learn we should not cheat and do it anyway, this is also sin.  And we also sin if we know we shouldn’t disobey our parents, but we disobey anyway.  In any case, if we do something we know we should not do, we are sinning.  The Bible is clear about what sin is and gives many examples for us to follow.  In the old testament, God gave Moses the ten commandments, and we can find explicit instruction from God.  For example:

• Thou shalt have no other Gods before you.
• Thou shalt not make any graven images that are not of God
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.  Taking God’s name in vain is cursing, and we shouldn’t do it.

Another commandment God gives specifically to young people is to honor thy father and mother that thy days might be long in the land.

God gave this great Salvation to everyone, and to make it fair, God made the definition of sin clear to all.  Consider the following scriptures.

Galatians 5: 19-21

“19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The Bible is very fair to us.  Jesus gave us a list of things we should not do.  So, if we continue in the path of sin, Galatians teaches us that we will have no part of the kingdom of God.  The beauty is Christ came to give us power over sin.  When we give our hearts to God and receive Salvation, Jesus delivers us from sin and its consequences.  We are no longer separated from God but become His child.  I am exhorting you today just as Paul did many years ago.  We do not need to continue in sin.

Hebrews 3:13

“13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Paul urged the Hebrews to stay away from sin and praise God through the power of His Son and the blood He shed on the cross we can live each day free from sin.  Living without sin means we do not have to lie, cheat, or do any unclean thing.  The beautiful part of Salvation means that we can live holy in this life.  So, who can receive Salvation from sin?

Romans 10:13

“13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

We see this word again, “whosoever.”  When I gave my heart to God as a young person, I was so excited to learn that when the Bible said, “whosoever,” God meant me!  When I gave my heart to God at a young age, He was able to save me from sin!  Today as I proclaim this great Salvation Christ wants to give to everyone, I have a question to ask you.  Have you accepted God into your heart?

Joshua 24:15

“15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

So, I challenge you today, have you chosen to serve God, and do you have Salvation?  Choose you this day whom you will serve.  The Bible teaches us how to get Salvation from God in the following verse.

روميانو ۱۰:۹

“9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Christ came so that we could be saved and become children of God.  But this requires us to confess and admit that we have sinned and then believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Once we have done this, we can receive Salvation.  This Salvation is for “whosoever.”  Whether you are young or old, God can give you this Salvation.  God wants to give you this Salvation so you can be free from your sins.  God does not make it hard for us to receive His Salvation.  I want to encourage you, young and old, that God invites you to give your heart to Him.

RHT