What must I do to be saved?

Salvation is so simple. It's not based upon what you've done even up to five minutes ago.  God wants to save you right where you are, regardless of how bad you think of your condition.

Step 1 - Believe in your heart that God raised His son Jesus, who bore our sins on the cross,  from the dead.

Step 2 - Confess it to witnesses with your mouth that you believe.

Step 3 - Be baptized with water. (This step should be taken out of obedience.  Many people have been saved without water baptism but it was usually under abnormal conditions that they skipped this step.  When possible, complete this step. If its not possible, you're still saved!!

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What happens when I'm saved?

When God created Adam, He breathed His Spirit into Adam's soul and Adam became a "living soul".  Adam was composed of a soul, spirit and body. After Adam sinned, God's Spirit could no longer dwell permanently inside any man until Christ arrived.  When the Spirit of God does not dwell inside of man's soul, he's considered by God to be a "dead soul". 

When we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit is once again allowed to live within our soul.  We transition from being a "dead soul" to a "living soul".   When a saved person dies, his soul and spirit goes back to God.  When an unsaved person dies, there's no spirit that can go back to God. His/her soul goes to another abode referred to as Hell.   Hell is unnecessary for anyone because of the simplicity of salvation. See question 1.  There's no work performed for salvation.

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Since I don't have to work for salvation, does this mean that I can do whatever I want and still be saved?

If you've truly been saved, there's nothing you can do to be unsaved.  How do I know if I've truly been saved? See question #1 .   If that sounds too good to be true, you're wrong, it's true! That's the good news of the the gospel.  

Here's your dilemma when you're saved.  You now have God living in you. It's going to be very difficult to continue doing the bad things you were doing before you got saved.  When you're saved, God looks at you as His child. God disciplines His children.   When we willingly do bad things even though we're saved, God's chastening takes over and corrects us because He loves us so much.   When we're trying to do the right thing and still sin, God allows us repent and He remembers it no more. 

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If the obedient Christian and disobedient Christian are both saved, what's the point?

The Apostle Paul uses the Greek "bema" in 2 Corinthians 5:10 to describe the judgment that will take place in heaven strictly for Christians.  All believers (see question #1) will appear before Christ's judgment seat to have their lives judged on the basis of their work.  This judgment will happen after the resurrection of the believers and will involve gain or loss of reward for our service to God.  Those who lived godly lives of work and service will withstand God's scrutiny and be blessed with eternal rewards in heaven; those whose works do not meet God's standards will not be rewarded. See 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 for a glimpse of this judgment.

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What about the judgment of the unbeliever?

God is just.  Every person will be given countless opportunity to accept God's salvation. 

The great white throne judgment will provide every person with a fair trial before the God of creation. The souls of everyone who refused to accept God's salvation (see question #1) will receive their resurrected bodies and stand before God.  The grave and the sea will give up their dead, and hell will deliver its souls to stand before God.  Unlike believers, they will be judged by their works for eternal damnation, not eternal salvation. See Revelation 20:12 for a glimpse of this judgment.

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What type of rewards does God have for obedient Christians?

The greatest award is God Himself. Like the Levitical priesthood, the faithful believers will have the awesome ability to be in the presence of the Almighty.

Here are other rewards that the bible mentions.

Rewards for the Saints

1. Jesus has promised a Crown of Glory: For Faithful Servants in  1 Peter 5:4,

2. Crown of Rejoicing: For Soul Winners in 1 Thessalonians 2:19

3. Crown of Righteousness: For those who love his return in 2 Timothy 4:8

4. Incorruptible Crown  For Victorious Lives of Purity in 1 Corinthians 9:25

5. Crown of Life  For Christian Martyrs in Revelations 2:10. 

6. He promised that we would reign on earth as kings and priests in Revelation 5:10

7. He promised in Luke 19:17 that the good servant who has been faithful in little shall have authority over ten cities and some five cities.

8. He promised us mansions in John 14:2.

9. He also promised us blessings that we can’t imagine in the natural. 1 Corinthians 2:9

Rewards mentioned in Matthew 5th Chapter

Matthew 5:1-12 1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

 3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

 6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

 7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

 8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The inheritance of the tribes and priests (This is a shadow of the reward that faithful believers will receive. Faithful believers are considered Kings and Priests. See Rev. 5:10)

Rewards for the tribes after the wilderness

Read Joshua 18 and 19

Rewards for the priests after the wilderness

Numbers 18:20 ²⁰And the LORD^H3068 spake^H559 unto Aaron^H175, Thou shalt have no^H3808 inheritance^H5157 in their land^H776, neither^H3808 shalt thou have^H1961 any part^H2506 among^H8432 them: I am thy part^H2506 and thine inheritance^H5159 among^H8432 the children^H1121 of Israel^H3478.

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