This is one of the most important concepts in the Bible and for many this has been a point of controversy.The reason that many find it difficult to believe that salvation is free is because we think salvation is something we earn.
But, All we need to be saved is the right attitude to depend on the Lord for he has finished all that is required to be saved on that cross.Stephen summarized the Old Testament in just a few paragraphs as follows:
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. – Acts 17
What do we learn from this?God called Abraham to be separated from his family. God knows how to get a person's attention to who he wants to have a covenant with. It is to take out of the comfort zone. How many of us are willing to obey God by getting out of our comfort zone. God wants to have an intimate relationship with us that we have never experienced before.
How many of us take some time out of our busy routines and take a time to talk to God? How many of us really come out our comfortable beds in the middle of the night to say thank you to God for his benefits?
How many of us spend morning fresh time with the Lord? God wants to lead Abraham all alone in the desert where no one can take the credit except God for his blessings.
Abraham completely trusted and believed God when he called him. That is why he is called the father of faith. Abraham's faith in the Lord was seriously tested many times. His wife was not able to conceive a child, but God answered his prayers at their old ages when everything looked impossible.
He was also tested to scarify his son, Isaac. Abraham passed the test successfully even if no one would dare to even think about it. God had finally prepared the Lamb for the sacrifice he asked from Abraham in the place of Isaac. All this to foretell that Jesus will be sacrificed on the cross instead of each and every one of us for the sins we have committed.
The steps for one's salvation:
We need to obey God when calls us. We need to come out of our comfort zone to the place where God called us to meet . If Abraham did not obey God leave his parents and come out the city God wants him to be, things would be completely different.
Love God with all your heart. Abraham loved God with all his heart. He did not complain when he was asked to do commands that are impossible to do. Abraham loved and showed his love with his obedience even to the point he could sacrify his son if he have to. Love requires sacrifices, but God is not evil, that he demands the sacrifice of children. It is all in the attitude of our heart.God would never want you to murder innocent life.That is from the devil.
Believe that salvation is not by works [Isaac on the cross] but by faith [Jesus died for you and me]. If Abraham would have said, “I really want to kill my son for you”, and would have done it, then salvation that God prepared had been lost. But still sometimes we want to get saved by our own way of thinking of salvation, not as how God prepared it for us. That is dangerous and it won’t get us saved.
Wait on the Lord.The promises of God take time, even if salvation is instant. But when they are late, we are always tempted to lose hope even on our salvation. The devil always lies about our hopes and our salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus. It is foolishness to think we know better than our Lord and follow our wild imaginations. But is it wise to cling to the promises of the Lord since surely they will come to pass. Our salvation is the main target for the enemy. He wants to lie about it all the time. He wants you to procrastinate rather that to fulfill it now itself. But the word of God strictly told us that the day of salvation is today and not some other day.
Know God Personally. The Spirit if God is something we can feel his presence. He is full of joy and happiness. But this joy is not like any other. This joy is not like the world gives. It is not attached to any of our situations we are in. Neither family nor angels can replace this joy. It is a great honor to exercise daily with the presence of God. The Word of God said we should not be drunk with the things of the world, but always filled with the Spirit of God.
May God open our eyes to clearly see and understand our salvation in Jesus Name!!!