Salvation was fully paid by Christ for you
Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
One thing that stands out throughout the pages of the Bible is that God is consistent. After Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised to send a Savior one day that would undo all that Satan and sin had done.
God then showed Adam and Eve how to sacrifice animals so that their sin could be temporarily covered. After this, the idea spread among all people through the ages – and the concept is nearly universal that some kind of sacrifice must be made before sin can be forgiven. Moses later wrote about this principle in Leviticus 17:11:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
Animal sacrifices were never part of God’s plan as the ultimate solution. It was only temporary.
Once again, because “the wages of sin is death” – by God’s decree – there is nothing else that can wash away sin but blood. God will never change from this position. Good works, and even religious works, cannot remove sin: Ephesians 2:8,9 says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Notice in the above verse that salvation is a “gift.” Gifts are not earned or paid for by the recipient. They are given free of charge.
Christ is the Gift that God gave for salvation. Forgiveness for sin only comes through Jesus Christ because only He paid the full price for our sin. A church cannot give it; an ordinance (Baptism or the Lord’s Supper) cannot convey it.
As a Gift, it must be received. You receive His forgiveness and salvation by calling on Him in prayer, confessing that you are a sinner to God, then asking Him in faith to save you because Christ died and rose again for you. When you do – and genuinely want to obey Him – He will do the rest:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”