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Hey, sir. How's it going? Hey, how's it going? Hey, I'm just from a Baptist church. Just giving people invitation to church. Oh, cool. Do you go to a church anywhere by chance? Yeah, I go to Cross Point Baptist. Oh, Baptist church. Cool. Well, you know, more important than going to church, we ask every single person. More important, what do you think it takes for someone to do to go to heaven? Just live a good life and believe in Jesus. Okay. Now, do you think that going to heaven is just believing in Jesus Christ, or do you think they would also have to be a good person, have to follow the commandments? Yeah, you gotta get baptized and live a good life and believe. Okay. So would you say just faith alone or faith plus following the commandments? I'd say both. Kind of both. Do you think someone could lose their salvation by chance if you aren't following the commandments or not doing right? Yeah, I think if people just live a really wicked life and don't ask for forgiveness, that they'll lose it. Okay. Well, you know, the reason I ask that is because the Bible does say something a little bit different about salvation specifically. It says it's not based on how you live your life, and it teaches that you could not lose your salvation for any reason. Could I just show you a few verses quickly? Yeah. Now, I'm sure going to a Baptist church, you've probably heard some of these things, but the Bible does say in Romans 3.23, it says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So according to the Bible, everyone's a sinner. Would you agree with that? Yeah. Now, what would you think would be an example of a sin? Lying. Sure. Breaking any of God's commandments, right? And according to the Bible, since we've broken his commandments, there's a punishment. What do you think the punishment is for sin? Going to hell. Yeah, you're right. The Bible says, for the wages of sin is death, and obviously we're all going to physically die one day, but the Bible teaches that if we were to die physically, our soul could go to either heaven or like you said, hell, right? Now, is hell a good place? Absolutely not. What do you think it's described as being like in the Bible? Fire. Yeah, that's very accurate. The Bible gives a short description here of some of the things. It says, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. So according to the Bible, hell is a place of fire. It's a place of torment. It never ends, and I don't want anyone to go there. God doesn't want anyone to go there, and so the Bible makes it clear that he provided ways for us to be saved, but the Bible takes it to an extremity. It says right here, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth the fire and brimstone which is the second death. So even though God doesn't want anyone to go there, the Bible teaches that is what we would deserve, and if I told you I've never lied before, would you believe me? No. Why? You're lying. Do I look like a liar to you or something? No, obviously it's just because everyone's lied, right? Yeah. And so that's pretty easy for us to admit that we've all lied, and we've done things worse than lying, and so according to the Bible, we would all deserve to go to hell for our sins, but like I said, God is love. He doesn't want anyone to go to hell, and so we have to understand is what God did for us so that we can realize how to be saved from that hell. The Bible says in Romans chapter number 5, it says in verse number 8, that God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. So according to the Bible, God sent his son Jesus Christ to this earth to take the penalty and punishment for our sins. Now you've probably heard of Jesus Christ before. Do you believe he's the son of God? Yes. Yeah, so the Bible teaches he's the son of God. The Bible also teaches that he's God in the flesh. The Bible teaches a trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. There's three persons but one God. Is that something you believe? Yeah, that's what I've always been taught. Yeah, and the Bible teaches that the Father, he sent his son to this earth. He was born of the Virgin Mary. He became a man just like you and I. However, he was without sin. So the Bible says he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He lived a perfect life. He did a lot of wonderful miracles proving he was the Son of God. He walked on water. He healed people. He did other things to basically testify and prove that he was the Son of God. But the Jews, they didn't believe in him. They rejected him and they ended up crucifying him. Now the Bible says when he died on the cross, he did not die for any wrongdoing of his own. The Bible says he bare our sin in his own body in the tree. It also says, yeah exactly, and it says that he who knew no sin became sin for us. And so the Bible makes clear that he didn't sin. He took our sin upon him. And the Bible says past, present, and future. It also says he tasted death for every man. So the Bible says he took all sin. Is that something you believe? Yeah. And he died for every person? Yeah, exactly. So according to the Bible, if Jesus Christ died for every single person and his body was buried in the tomb, where do you think his soul went? That's what everybody pretty much thinks or that's what people assume. But if he took our place on the cross, you know the Bible teaches that he died on the cross for us, that wasn't something he deserved, where else do we deserve to go for our sins? To hell. So he actually took our place in hell as well. But the Bible teaches that he was not left there. It says in Acts chapter number 2 verse 31, he's saying this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up. So after three days and three nights of being in hell, what happened? He rose again. Exactly. That's what people celebrate in Easter is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the Bible makes it clear what that means is his soul came and re-entered into his body. He returned back into his physical body and he came back to life physically. He walked out of the tomb, he showed the disciples the holes in his hand, the hole in his side, and then after 40 days of showing himself unto his disciples, he ascended back up into heaven. Is that what you believe? Yes. So if Jesus Christ truly paid for every single sin and the Bible makes it clear he paid for every single person, does that mean that everyone automatically goes to heaven? No. No. And so that kind of is based on what I asked you earlier. So then what do you think it takes to get there? And you were kind of saying, you know, believe and be a good person and get baptized doing a lot of these things. Well, the Bible boils it down to just one thing that's necessary. It says right here in Acts chapter 16 verse 30, And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must they do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. So according to this verse, what does it say you have to do to be saved? Believe on them. Does it say here go to church? Does it say be a good person? No. Does it say get baptized? No. Now you're a Baptist, I'm a Baptist, and obviously being Baptist is very important, but does it say here I have to get baptized to be saved? No. But if you believe in them, what would you do? Would you go get baptized? Well, see, here's the thing. We have to understand what it means to believe in someone. To believe in someone means that you trust them. Okay, so let's say there was a police officer over here and we were looking at him. We could both believe he exists, but does that mean that I automatically trust him as well? No. So there's a difference between believing someone exists and trusting in them, right? And so if I told you I'm going to heaven because I go to church, I read the Bible, I'm a Baptist, I've been baptized, does that sound like I'm trusting in what Jesus did for me, or does that sound like I'm trusting in what I do? I guess for you. Exactly. So that would mean I don't believe in Jesus, that means I believe in myself, and so I would not be saved. So if I'm trusting my baptism or if I'm trusting what I'm doing to get me to heaven, the Bible makes it clear I'm not trusting in Jesus and I would not be saved. To be saved, I have to take all of the trust that I have in my heart and put it in what Jesus did for me. It's not just a mere acknowledgement of Jesus Christ's existence that saves people. You and I, before we talked, you already believed Jesus existed. I don't have to convince you of that. But because you thought it was also being a good person and getting baptized, that means you hadn't put all of your trust in what Jesus did for you. Now the most famous verse in the Bible kind of summarizes a lot of things I've showed you. It says, 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. So that's a verse I know that most people have heard and probably could even quote, but the most important thing is understanding it and believing it. Does it say here that you have to go to church to be saved? What does it say you had to do to get everlasting life? And believe specifically in who? Does it say in yourself? No, it just says believe in him, and it says you can't perish meaning you would not go to hell because you have everlasting life. Now how long does something last if it's everlasting? Forever. Could it ever end? No. It wouldn't really be everlasting if it could, right? So once someone believes, could they ever go to hell? Well, maybe if they walk away and just stop living. Well, the answer is no, because once you have everlasting life, you're definitely saved forever. But the Bible does explain what would happen if someone stops following God's commandments or is disobedient. The Bible teaches in John chapter 1 verse 12, it says, But as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. The word even means specifically. So those who believe in Jesus are the ones who receive him, and they become a child of God. Now, my mother is always going to be my mother. Is that correct? Yeah. Could she stop being my mother? No. Could I ever change the fact that she's my mother? No. Now, my mom's already passed away, but is she still my mother? Yeah. Now, what if I passed away would she still be my mother? Yeah. So it's already been settled that she's my mom, right? Could you change who your mom is? No. So she's your mom forever, right? Right. So the same exists with God in the sense that once you believe in Jesus Christ, you become a child of God. And no matter how good a bad or child you are, God will always be your father. And so just like your parents would punish you when you were little, and my parents punished me and I punished my children, the Bible says the same thing about God. If we lie, steal, fight, or do things that are wrong, God will punish us on the earth. I could get a lot of punishment. I could go to jail. I could get the death penalty. I could lose money. I could get very sick. But I would never stop being God's child, and I would never change the fact that I was on my way to heaven when I died. Does that kind of make sense to you? So it's important how you live your life, sir, but it doesn't matter as far as going to heaven. That's just different, okay? Both are important, but only one is necessary for salvation, putting all of your trust in what Jesus Christ did for you. That's why it's the good news. Now, when I first met you, you were thinking it was something a little bit different, but the Bible says it's a free gift, and I want to go back to where I started. What was your name again? Dylan. Dylan. My name's Jonathan. Nice to meet you, Dylan. The Bible says in Romans chapter number 6, kind of where I started, it says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So, Dylan, the Bible says that salvation's a gift, and just like a gift is free, I want to make an example just so you understand what I'm showing you. If I said I want to give you my Bible, Dylan, as a gift, but you have to give me $100 right now, is that a gift? Why? You're asking for money. Exactly. If I said, Dylan, I'm going to give you this Bible as a free gift right now, but you do have to wash my car a couple times first. Is that a gift? No. Why? It's like employment. So if you have to do anything to pay for it or earn it, it's not really a gift, is it? Well, the same is with God. If God says, Dylan, I'm going to give you eternal life, but you have to go to church, read the Bible, you have to get baptized, or I won't give it to you, is that a gift? No. And so the thing is, God doesn't say that. God says that he already paid for it through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, and since Jesus Christ paid it all, since Jesus Christ earned it all and worked for it, he can offer it to you as a complete free gift that you just accept by your faith. Does that kind of make sense? Yes, sir. And this is important because it gives all the glory of our salvation to Jesus, and the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. So the Bible says that we get to go to heaven by grace. Grace is unmerited favor, something I don't deserve. Because according to the Bible, I technically deserve hell for my sins. But I can go to heaven because God gives me the opportunity to be saved, but specifically through my faith. And that faith is in what Jesus Christ did for me. The Bible makes it clear that it's not of myself, so it's not based on who my parents are, it's not based on what church I go to, it's not based on anything about me personally. It's a gift, meaning it's free, and it's not of works. Works would be the things that we do that are good. Going to church, helping people, loving people, doing right. But the Bible says if it was based on what I do, then I could brag to you. I could say, oh, Dylan, of course I'm going to heaven. I'm such a good guy, I'm nice, I help people, I try to follow God's commandments. But that would be bragging myself, wouldn't it? But if I told you the only reason I'm going to heaven is because Jesus died, was buried, rose again, and I put my trust in him, that gives Jesus all the honor and Jesus all the glory, and that's what it means to believe in Jesus Christ, not just acknowledging his existence. Do you see how that's different? Do you see how that's maybe a little bit different than what you were thinking when I first talked to you? That's great. Well, the Bible explains how someone can believe in Jesus Christ. It says in Romans 10 and verse 9, it says 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. So according to the Bible, the way someone gets saved is they, once they fully understand the gospel, they realize that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again, and paid all their sins, and they want to put all their trust in what he did, then all they have to do is ask and they can be saved, okay? But Dylan, if I prayed and asked God to save me right now, believing, not believing in him, would that save me? No. What if I prayed every day? No. Still wouldn't save me because it's not the faith in my heart that's there, right? If I prayed and asked God to save me, Dylan, but I thought, I also have to get baptized, I have to be a good person, or I won't get there, would that save me? No. No, because I'm not trusting in what Jesus did, I'm still trusting in myself, right? Another final example, let's say I prayed and asked God to save me, but I thought I could lose my salvation if I go out and I commit a horrible crime or if I'm not following his commandments, would that still save me? No. No, because if I think I could lose my salvation, then I'm not really trusting what he did, I'm trusting in myself. Does that kind of make sense? Yeah. So there's a lot of people that have prayed and they're still not saved because they never decided to put all of their faith in what Jesus did for them. Does that make sense? Yeah. So I just want to make sure you understand what I showed you. Do you believe that you're a sinner? Yes, sir. And because we're sinners, where would we deserve to go for our sins if we did not believe in Jesus, heaven or hell? Hell. But God doesn't want us to go there, does he? Right. What did God do for us so we could go to heaven? He gave the son to die for us. What, did Jesus Christ stay dead? No. What happened? He wasn't yet from the dead. Do you believe that? Yes, sir. So according to the Bible, what's the one thing you have to do to be saved? Believe, trust. And who? Jesus Christ. And did he pay for all of your sins or just some of them? All of them. All of them. So if you believed in him, what is the Bible say he would give you? Do you remember what the gift of God was? Eternal life. Eternal life. Could you lose that? No, sir. For any reason. That's exactly right. Now I just want to make sure you understand that. Let's say you believed right now, but then in the future you commit a really, really bad sin. Okay? What do you think is something that's really bad someone could do? Adultery. Okay. Adultery. Let's say they commit adultery, maybe even murder. Let's say they commit both of those. After they die, would they still go to heaven or would they go to hell? Heaven. Exactly. So they'd be punished. They could go to jail. They could get the death penalty. Their marriage may be over for committing a horrible sin or crime like that. But the Bible makes it clear because they believed in Jesus Christ and he truly paid all of their sins and they have eternal life, they would still go to heaven. Does that make sense? Yes, sir. And you see that's a little bit different than what you were thinking when I first asked you? Yeah. Well, since you've decided that it's different and that's what the Bible says, what I'd like to do is just help you say a simple prayer and tell God you believe that so that you could know you're saved. And it wouldn't be based on any of the words you're saying alone. It would be based on the faith that you now have in your heart. Does that make sense? Yes, sir. So if you believe these things, why don't you just pray a prayer with me? You can repeat my words, but only say them if you mean them in your heart, okay? Okay. Let's just pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I know I'm a sinner and I deserve to go to hell, but I believe you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for all my sins. He was buried and rose again. Please save me and give me eternal life. I'm only trusting in Jesus Christ, not my works. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Did you mean that, Dylan? Yes, sir. So if you were to die today, where would you go? Heaven. Why? Because I believe in Him. Sorry, I guess I'm a bad guy. You're okay. So if you believed in Jesus Christ, what did He give you? Eternal life. Can you lose that for any reason? Yes, sir. You see that's different than what you were thinking beforehand? Yeah. So the Bible teaches that you can know for sure. Here's another verse I show people sometimes. Because the Bible doesn't want you to guess, it wants you to know. It says, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that you have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. So according to the Bible, you can actually know that you're saved if you trusted in what Christ did for you, because He truly paid it all. Well, it was very nice to meet you, Dylan. Thank you so much. I hope that you come visit our church someday, alright? Thank you very much. God bless. God bless. Take care. God bless.