The Only Savior

Many spiritual leaders lives’ have modeled impressive virtue and influence. But among them all stands one who is without equal—Jesus Christ. What makes him unique?

He Was God in the Flesh

Jesus claimed to be not only man but God: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”1 “In him [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”2 “Jesus Christ . . . alone claimed to be God in human flesh. . . . Buddha did not claim to be God; Moses never said that he was Yahweh; Muhammad did not identify himself as Allah. . . . Anyone who would dare to make such claims . . . would have to be either out of his mind or a liar, unless he was (in fact) God.”3

He Died for Us and Rose from the Dead

“Christ died for our sins . . . he was raised on the third day.”4  By conquering death, he proved his power to save us from our sins and to bring us safely to heaven. He was “declared to be the Son of God in power . . . by his resurrection from the dead.”5

He Alone Can Absolve Our Sins

The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”6 But Jesus Christ died to bring us full pardon. You can depend on him in the same way a drowning person relies on a lifeguard for rescue. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved [forgiven forever].”7

Instead of moral and religious effort, this forgiveness requires an admission of our sinfulness. God’s forgiveness “is the gift of God, not a result of works.”8 “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”9  “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”10

The gift of forgiveness and eternal life with God is yours  if you will receive the gift personally. “To all who did receive him [Jesus Christ], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”11

If you want to be certain you will go to heaven, just tell God so with words like these:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a guilty sinner. I believe that you died for me and that you are the only One who can help me. Please forgive me for all my sins, come into my life, and change me today. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer and would like to receive the free book: Anchor for the Soul by Pastor Ray Pritchard – write to lynettehoy@gmail.com

Lynette Hoy

1 John 14:9 2 Colossians 2:9 3 Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask about the Christian Faith 4 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 5 Romans 1:4 6 Romans 3:23 7 Romans 10:9 8 Ephesians 2:8-9 9 Romans 6:23 10 John 3:36 11 John 1:12

Scripture quotations from ESV

Summary: There have been many great spiritual leaders throughout world history, but Jesus is unique: He claimed to be God himself, he not only died for us but rose from the dead, and he alone can absolve us of our sins. He alone can take you to heaven. “Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;” John 11:25

About the author: Lynette Hoy is the founder and president of the Anger Management Institute and also of CounselCare Connection, a Christian counseling ministry. She is a crisis counselor and domestic violence advocate.  She has written articles for various Christian ministries and publications including Today’s Christian Woman. She is the coauthor (with Ted Griffin) of the book What’s Good About Anger? She and her husband David are active in Wheaton Bible Church.