How can man quench his thirst without water? There was no such thing as Saving Grace prior to the birth and  resurrection of Christ. By giving his life, Jesus Christ has opened the offer of salvation to everyone on Earth. Now that the gift is here, the guy who is thirsty may drink.  Yet it is up to humanity to take the initiative and go to the drinking fountain for themselves. Our Heavenly Father will not force any one of us to drink from the fountain of Life, Jesus Christ. The choice is ours to make. Our path to salvation, which begins here on Earth and leads to eternal life in Heaven, ought to include an educational adventure that resembles this:

Faith in Christ = Holy Spirit = True Repentance = Grace = Conversion of Heart = Salvation = Eternity in Heaven.

When an individual, through Faith, accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the gift of the Holy Spirit is imparted to that individual. Part of Holy Spirit’s job is to convict Believers of sin, open their spiritual eye and reveal the truth about the world and sin. This divine process triggers true Repentance inside the hearts of Believers. To overcome the world is impossible in and of ourselves. You will need God’s strength called Grace which flows via Holy Spirit. Grace works hand-in-hand with free will. So long as you make a daily conscious decision to stay out of the world and shun evil, God’s Grace will work wonders in your life. As you embrace God’s Grace and shun evil, your heart will begin to sway from evil to good, called Conversion of Heart. From glory-to-glory, you are now on your way to heaven and the gift of Salvation awaits you.

As you have come to learn, Salvation is a cooperative process between God and man. There are many scriptures which show that Salvation by manifestation is still future (I Corinthians 5:5, Hebrews 9:28, Matthew 24:13, Romans 13:11, I Peter 1:5,  I Peter 1:9, Philippians 2:12)

Many Christians believe that to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior of the world in and of itself is enough to inherit the gift of Salvation. These Christians believe once saved always saved. This is a great lie of the devil.

Do not buy into that great lie that God would send His only Son into the world to suffer a horrible death, then turn around and impart the gift of Salvation to individuals who choose to live their life like His adversary, the devil — lying, stealing, cheating, self-righteousness, living in excess, lust, greed, sexual immorality etc. It is clear from Hebrews 5:9 that if we do not commit our entire lives to Christ and follow God’s commands, we will not be allowed to join Heaven after we die, even if we do tens of thousands of good deeds.  Thus, Believers are destined for hell because they have not repented of their sins and have not chosen to abandon their earthly way of life in order to live entirely for God.

A repentant heart will ultimately lead to a life of sacrifice which includes two components:

Component #1 – Sacrifice Your Body (I Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:1)

Sacrificing your flesh is a prerequisite to inherit the gift of Salvation. You must be willing to sacrifice all ungodliness in deed (Galatians 5:19-21) thought (Matthew 5:28) speech (Matthew 15:11) apparel (I Peter 3:3). No worries, Holy Spirit will be there to help you every step of the way.

Component #2 – Worldy Sacrifice (2 Corinthians 6:17, Revelations 18:4)

Many Christians think that the abundant life that Christ speaks of in John 10:10 is a life that allows them to indulge in worldly pleasures. In fact, the life Christ is alluding to in John 10:10 is one of peace, pleasure, and happiness which is obtained in Christ Himself and has nothing to do with worldliness, as I witnessed a renowned minister use the verse and exhort her audience to “get out there and enjoy their life.”  The Bible states that one must be willing to lose their life in order to save it (Luke 17:33), and leave all they have behind to become a disciple of Jesus Christ (Luke 14:33). To lose your life and leave everything behind means to give up your selfish desires, the world and its pleasures.