Can God save me?

Answer  
  

The question “Can God save me?” has been asked by millions of people over the years. Not only *can* God save you, but *only* God can save you. To understand why the answer to “Can God save me?” is “yes!”, we have to understand why we need saving in the first place. When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, his sin poisoned the rest of creation (Romans 5:12\), and the sinful nature we inherited from Adam has separated us from God. Because of God’s great love for us, however, He had a plan (Genesis 3:15\). He would come to earth as a human being in the person of Jesus Christ and willingly lay down His life for us, taking the punishment we deserved. When our Savior cried out from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30\), our sin debt was forever paid in full. Jesus Christ saved us from certain death and a horrible, godless eternity.  
  

In order for us to benefit from Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we must trust in Him and His sacrifice alone as the payment for sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31\). And God will cover us with the righteousness of Christ the moment we do this (Romans 3:22\). But for this imputed righteousness, we would not never be able to enter the presence of our holy God (Hebrews 10:19–25\).  
  

Our salvation affects more than our eternal destiny, however; “being saved” also has an immediate impact. The good news is that Christ’s finished work on the cross saved us from eternal separation from God, and it also saved us from the power that sin currently has over us in this life. Once we accept Christ, His Spirit indwells us and we are no longer controlled by the sinful nature. This freedom makes it possible for us to say “no” to sin and overcome our enslavement to the sinful desires of the flesh. “You . . . are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you” (Romans 8:9\).  
  

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15\), and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23\). Not one of us is beyond the reach of God’s saving grace (Isaiah 59:1\). The apostle Paul is a great example of God’s far\-reaching grace. Paul spent the first part of his life hating, imprisoning, persecuting, and even killing Christians. Then, one encounter with Jesus Christ turned Paul into one of the greatest Christian missionaries who ever lived. If God can save Paul, the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15\), He can save anyone.  
  

Mankind is the crown jewel of God’s creation, made in His image (Genesis 1:26\). God wishes all of us to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4\) and none of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:32\). To those who believe in Jesus’ name, God gives the right to become children of God (John 1:12\). What the Lord will do for His children is described in Psalm 91: “‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him’” (Psalm 91:14–16\).  
  

