Maybe you have been depending on your own goodness, on your family connections, or maybe on the fact that you agree with all the Jesus stuff to get you to heaven. If that's the case, you've got Christ in your head, but you don't have Him in your heart.
The Word of God from Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "It is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." These statements out of God s Word are so radical they literally blow every religious system in the world, whether it is Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, you name it. Every system says, "Now here is some good you can do that will commend you to God and then He will forgive you based on the good you have done." These verses say you can do nothing that will pay your sin penalty. You can do nothing to contribute to your rescue.
The word "saved" indicates that there is a rescue needed. You are dying spiritually because you have broken God's laws. You're away from God and powerless to get back to Him.
It is the gift of God that will save you. The Bible says it is paid for by Jesus Christ. You don't pay for your gift. It is paid for by Jesus. He took your hell and your payment for your sin by His death. You can accept this gift through faith by pinning all your hopes on Him.
When you are saved or rescued through faith, it means you recognize that you are drowning spiritually. Are you willing to surrender in order to finally have the peace of knowing God personally? Quit depending on your religion and grab Jesus like a drowning person grabs a life guard. If you don't know that you have ever done that, you probably haven't. Maybe God has come to you today because He is reaching out His hand to save you.
This is life or death stuff. If you haven't pinned all your hopes on Jesus, do it now. If you're not sure you belong to Jesus, He is only a prayer away. Jesus has plunged into your world to rescue you from sin. You can't rescue yourself, so grab hold of your Savior's hand today.