Hello! If you have a few moments, let me ask you a question, one that takes at least a minute to think of an answer. What do you think of when you hear the word saved? You might picture a firefighter risking his life by running into a burning building and rescuing an infant before the building explodes. You might picture the lifeguards at Bondi Beach rescuing children who are near the point of drowning. You might even imagine yourself saving your cat from your tree (or some other animal that just doesn't listen to you half the time). Did you know that someone so important and yet so hated today did this for you? You see, we're all sinners, all because of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve, the first people on this earth. When they ate the fruit that God told them not to eat, they instantly became sinners, and so did their descendants. (Want a fun fact? We're all related because we came from them.) But Jesus was merciful enough to provide a way out. He killed a spotless animal and provided them coats from the skin of that animal before having to forever ban them from the Garden of Eden. He promised them that in the future, the Promised One would come to take the sins of the elect. And He did keep that promise. He was born to the virgin Mary and to Joseph, who helped take care of him but was not His actual father (God is His Father), and He was like most kids, except for one thing: He was perfect. God is perfect, and that's why His Son Jesus Christ could die for us. Because we are sinners and are imperfect, we cannot get to Heaven on our own. We needed a perfect person to take our sins and provide the only way out, and that's what He did. Jesus started His earthly ministry when He was around 30 years old, where He healed the sick, cast out demons, and taught people about His Father. The Pharisees and religious leaders, who thought they were holy and righteous but who really were just hypocrites, hated Him. They hated Him so much that finally, through the work of Judas Iscariot (one of Jesus' disciples but ended up actually not even a follower), they got their hands on Him. After accusing Him wrongfully for "blasphemy," they took Him away to crucify Him. They mocked Him, spit upon Him, and whipped Him before nailing Him to the cross. Two thieves hung next to Him, and at first they mocked Him for not saving Himself since He claimed to be God. But one of them realized his sin and asked Him to remember him in Paradise, and Jesus said He would. Then He died after dealing with the agony of taking our sins. He was buried, and three days later He arose from the grave! After remaining on the earth for 40 more days, He ascended into Heaven, and now He is at the right hand of God the Father. Nothing we do on our own will save us. The acronym of the ABC's of salvation to help explain this. First, you need to ACKNOWLEDGE that you are a sinner. Because you've done bad things, whether you want to remember them or not, you need to come humbly before God admitting that you are a sinner. Next, you need to BELIEVE that Jesus rose again from the dead after dying on the cross. Finally, you need to CONFESS your sins; in other words, you need to repent by asking God to forgive you of your sins. All of this aligns with Romans 10:9-10--That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. If you ever have questions or want verses, please let me know! I'll do my best to help you when possible. :)