How can I be saved?

How can I be saved?: What does it mean to be saved? How can I be saved? How can I be certain that I am saved?

Bribing God?

"A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers" (Pro 17:8 ESV).

Bribery easily turns the head of those who are given to the love of money. Judas hung himself for the love of money, but had he seen the future he may not have been dazzled by silver.

Then there are millions of religious people who would probably say that they would never be given to bribery, who are unwittingly guilty of the crime. They believe that the way into Heaven is to be a good person who believes in God and tries to do good things for others. They believe that their good works are pleasing to God, to a point where they will tip the scales of eternal Justice.

They wrongly believe that because of their works they will find entrance into Heaven. What they fail to understand is that God's Law leaves us as criminals before the ultimate Judge of the universe, who will not be bribed into turning His head away and compromising eternal justice.

The only thing that can ever save a guilty sinner from the just damnation of Hell, is the mercy of the Judge…and He is rich in mercy. -- Ray Comfort

Can God create a rock so heavy He can’t move it?
Hank Hanegraaff

This question is a classic straw man that has most Christians looking like the proverbial deer in the headlights. At best, it challenges God’s omnipotence. At worst, it undermines His existence.

First, there is a problem with the premise of the question. While it is true that God can do anything that is consistent with His nature, it is absurd to suggest that He can do everything. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18); He cannot be tempted (James 1:13); and He cannot cease to exist (Psalm 102:25–27). It is crucial that we learn to question the question rather than assuming the question is valid.

Furthermore, just as it is impossible to make a one-sided triangle, so it is impossible to make a rock too heavy to be moved. What an all-powerful God can create He can obviously move. Put another way, God can do everything that is logically possible.

Finally, we should note that a wide variety of similar questions are raised to undermine the Christian view of God. Thus, it is crucial that we learn to question the question rather than assuming the question is valid.

For further study, see Norman L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999), 553–554; see also 283–288. See also Hank Hanegraaff, “Indwelling of the Holy Spirit,” available atwww.equip.org.

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.”
Proverbs 26:4–5