SALVATION IS a personal encounter with Jesus Christ Himself! Even though others may help you and pray for you, it is your prayers that must be, to the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Ghost. No human being has the ability to absolve you from your sins! Confessing to a pastor or some other lay person may help relieve the guilt of one’s transgressions, but only the Master can wash away your sinful past.
SALVATION IS true repentance! It is far more than “being forgiven.” In fact true repentance involves at least the following steps:
Admitting that you are a sinner and acknowledging that you need a Savior.
Asking God, for Jesus sake, to forgive you of all sins that are past.
Faith to believe in Jesus and that you are truly forgiven for your years of living in wickedness.
Thanking the Lord for His marvelous grace that redeems your poor lost soul.
Forsaking all known sin that had, for so long, been a part of your existence.
SALVATION IS a total commitment to Jesus Christ! In the “saved” condition you will continually seek and pray for new ways to live while being “in this world, but not of this world.”
SALVATION IS growth in grace! A brand new saint will find that he or she is saved from sin, and has a deep desire that drives one to grow more like Jesus every day. There will in time come a gradual realization that initial SALVATION rids one of all the “bad” things of life; but there is a need to consecrate everything to Him to the point that we are free of the bondage of the “good” things as well
PSS