A well-meaning Christian who feels the urgency of the times said,

“We need to be prepared for the end of time.” 

An elderly man responded,

“I am prepared.”

This puzzled her. How could he say this? Didn’t he need to start storing food and weapons, get more righteous, keep the law better, go to church more, etc.?

He explained,

 “I am prepared, first because of the goodness and grace of God, who wants me to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). It all started when He brought conviction of sin upon me through the Holy Spirit and led me to confess and turn away from a life of sin.  His death on the cross for my sins made it clear the penalty for my sins was paid for (Revelation 1:5).  I surrendered to the urging of God’s spirit and gave Him my life to be directed by Him (John 16:8).  In return, He gave me His righteousness, and I found peace and trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).  I was born again (John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23).  I began to think differently and to follow Him (Romans 12:2 NLT).   I wanted to learn more about Him and to know Him better (John 17:3, Matthew 11:30. I obey because I want to honor and love Him, not because I have to do it (John 14: 15, John 14: 21).  I know Jesus and put all my trust in Him; I am prepared in Him! Anyway, I may not live to see Jesus come.  I could die in the next moment, but I am prepared in Him alone.  Have I reached perfection of character?  No! It is not required that I reach a state of perfection through my efforts.  I wear His righteousness by faith (trust) in Jesus alone.  Because of Him, I am perfect by His perfection.”

There are those who believe they must attain perfection of character before claiming salvation. I find this belief saddening. They have yet to experience the profound joy and peace that comes from resting in the assurance of God’s work to free us from sin.

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Today, most of Christ’s followers know that we live in the days before His return. He has promised to come back (John 14: 1-3), and His word is trustworthy (Titus 1: 1-3, John 17:17). Moreover, the Apostles, Disciples, and Prophets have prophesied about that glorious day when He will return to Earth visibly and powerfully, and all of heaven will be emptied to come to this earth (Matthew 25: 31, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 1:7).  This momentous event will mark the end of sin and death for eternity. 

He will resurrect the saved of all ages and give all who are “in Him” eternal life (1 Corinthians 15: 50-55 (NLT) 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18. ).  Many put a lot of emphasis on the last days and the events surrounding them.  It is exciting to learn the details of the prophecies, as long as it is of no private interpretation or embellished (2 Peter 1: 19-21).  I am thankful that I belong to a body of believers who do not think they are the only denomination to be saved.  We are all “one” in Christ, no matter what church we attend (1 Corinthians 12:12).  Jesus came to save individuals, not herds who follow a set of creeds or documented sets of beliefs that a person must confess to become a member of an organization.

Let us be clear: there is only one path to salvation: through Christ alone (Acts 4:12). Not a denomination, not physical preparation, acts of good deeds, or religious forms and ceremonies.    His life, teachings, death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry to us on Earth through the Holy Spirit all bear witness to the fact that we are saved from eternal destruction (Romans 8:16).  We have the privilege of knowing we have eternal life . (1 John 5:13).

 It is not through our works or some diluted grace that allows a person to claim Jesus but to go on living a life of sin (Matthew 7: 21-23 NLT). I am confident that many who know Christ in other churches will concur that the shed blood of Jesus is our sole assurance of salvation in Christ alone, not through any works or achievements in our spiritual journey (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

When we are born again, we are born from the inside out, not through our efforts to clean up the outside and become acceptable to God (Matthew 23:25).  We sing about God accepting us just as we are.  Jesus died for us when we were still in our sins (Romans 5:8).  God slowly changed us so that we now hate the sins we once loved and love the good things we once hated. But Jesus told the highly respected religious leader you must be born again to receive eternal life and be changed (John 3:3).  We need a new starting point. When this happens by the act of the Holy Spirit, our journey with Jesus begins not when we graduate from our religious schools.

The chart below helped me understand this journey. It includes the possibility of turning from Jesus and returning to a life of sin. This happened to me, but God would not leave me. I returned, but some of my brothers did not (2 Peter 2: 20-22, Luke 11: 24-26).

1. The picture is divided by a line. The top part is salvation, and the bottom is a condition the Bible calls lost.
2. The squiggly line represents our life journey, full of ups and downs. Even after we are born again, we are guaranteed troubles, doubts, and challenges.
3. On the left is our start.  We are all born as sinners because we come from a long line of sinners.
4. As life continues, we live lost lives due to heredity and bad choices.  We are selfish. As the popular song goes…”We are born this way!”
5. But, because of God’s love for us and His amazing grace, God draws us to Him with His kindness.  We learn of Him and hear the good news about salvation. We become convicted about our sins and realize we can do nothing without Him. 
6. We surrender to God’s pull towards Him, confess that we are sinners, and repent (turn away from sin to God). We invite Him to control our lives. Then, we are baptized as our first act of following God’s word and obedience.  We are saved from the wages of sin that cause death! The baptism doesn’t save us. We are saved before we go down in the water. Our baptism is the public display of an inward experience in Christ.
7. Our lives are his workmanship.  He molds and shapes us through life experiences.  A preponderance of our life’s journey reveals evidence of Christ in our lives. 
8. We can, however, become discouraged and leave God if we choose to. God never interferes with our choices, and we may even return to the life we died to. We are lost again.
9. But greater is God than the sin we are living.  We can get tired of sin, realize what we have done, and return to Him like the prodigal son.  We doubt the Father will take us back, but we are surprised that He comes running to us and throws a party!  (Luke 15: 11-32 NLT). God will forgive us 70 X 7 (Matthew 28: 21-22 NLT).
10. Our second time around makes us even stronger. 
11. Even though we may have never become completely like Christ, ultimately, we have His righteousness, which gives us title to eternity and the city of God.
12. Salvation and preparation are found only in Jesus, who leads you on your journey. We have eternity to contemplate the sacrifice of the Heavenly Trio and continue to experience sanctification.