- You have been saved from eternal lostness.
- Your salvation is free.
There are wages and there are gifts. Salvation is something you can only receive as a gift. You can’t work for it. (Ephesians 2:8-9) You don’t have to pray five times a day, or eat certain foods, or do a certain number of good deeds in order to be saved. It’s free! Jesus paid the price with his death on the cross, and as a result God offers you salvation as a gift. All you can do to get it is to receive it. (John 1:12) Pretty good deal, eh?
- You know for a fact that you have been saved.
The fact that you can know for sure that you have been saved is what is called assurance of salvation. If you ask people if they are going to heaven, most will say “I hope so”. (I know this because I have asked many people this question.) The fact that they are only hoping tells me they don’t know for sure. They don’t know for sure what they need to do to be saved. As already stated, salvation is free. When you receive the gift you can KNOW it is yours – no doubts about it. (I John 5:13)
- You don’t have to carry around a load of guilt or regret
When Jesus died on the cross, he was paying the penalty for your sin – all the bad things you’ve done, or said, or messed up. A lot of people are plagued by the bad things they’ve done in the past. They are bothered by the lies they’ve told, the people they’ve hurt, the things they’ve stolen, the abortions they’ve had – the list is endless. Jesus says if we confess those sins to him, he will cleanse us – get this – from ALL of it. (I John 1:9) Almost sounds too good to be true, but it is true!
- You have a reason and purpose for being here.
Atheists think there is no God. There is no philosophy of life as empty and devoid of meaning as that. If there is no God, we are the results of random cosmic processes. That means you have no purpose, no design, and no future. That means existence is meaningless. Don’t let anybody try to tell you otherwise. The Bible tells us that God created us (Genesis 1:27) and loves us (John 3:16) and has a plan for us. (Ephesians 1:11) You can reject that if you want, but I think it’s better to choose purpose and meaning over randomness and empty meaninglessness.
- You have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Not only does God exist, but he is a personal being that you can know personally. You can talk to him through prayer, you can understand his will for you through the Bible and you can experience his spirit guiding you in all that you do. You don’t have to learn the names of thousands of gods like some religions do; there is one God who loves you and invites you to be a part of his family. (John 1:12) He is your Saviour, your Father and your Friend for time and eternity.
- You have a positive message to share with other people.
Some religions are always in conflict with other people who don’t believe the same as them. They try to enforce their beliefs or lifestyle on them, and will even kill them if they do not agree with them. The Bible teaches no such thing. Jesus taught us to love everyone, to pray for them and to help out those in need regardless of their faith or behaviour. (Matthew 5:44-45) We also know that we can share the good news of our salvation with people in a positive way – letting them know that they, too, can have peace, forgiveness of sin and hope of eternal life free for the asking. That’s pretty awesome news. It should put a smile on your face and a glow in your heart. And if every Christian were to speak with love and compassion, and treat others with kindness and respect, it would have a powerful effect in our neighbourhoods, our city and our country as a whole.