What is Salvation? What does it mean?

I recently read a comment on another blog, asking 'What exactly is salvation?'

I was taken aback, realizing there are those who don't understand what that's all about.

I decided to try to explain, using terms an unbeliever could understand. What is salvation, why do we need it, what's it all about?

While it may be true, you are a good person and do your best to do what is right and not hurt others, it's also true you were born in sin.

Born in sin? Yes. Not that you are a sinful person, the second you're born. You see, the fact is, once sin was introduced into this world, the world itself became a sinful nature. For that reason, you are born into sin (world).

You didn't do anything wrong. That's not what it's all about. But just living in this world, which happens to BE sin, you take on a sinful nature. It shows up in way, you'd never imagine was a symptom but we don't know any different.

As you grew, you were taught 'right from wrong'. What is right from wrong? In who's opinion? And why are we drilled with it, from diaper age on up? Who says?

The fact is, if your parents were non-believers, what they were teaching you were the rules of getting along with society. Even they don't know, that the birth of those rules comes straight out of the Bible. They would deny that. They would say it's social graces. Either way, you were taught right from wrong.

Just as you were taught how to do things in a right way, you also hear about Jesus. Just knowing Jesus, is yet another lesson in right from wrong.

Until you've learned the 'right from wrong' of Jesus, you are what is called 'lost'.

Jesus is the way and the light. Through Him, we reach God. Without God, we are lost. So how do we become found? By accepting Jesus. That is our salvation from a lost state.

If Jesus is the Way (to God) and the Only Way, then we can only come to God through Him and God is the only path to heaven.

Put simply,you won't go to heaven in a lost state. You must be saved from that lost state. This does not mean you will suddenly be perfect. You never will. None of us will. That's why we need Jesus.