In the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, “On Stranger Tides”, a young missionary by the name of Philip Swift is taken captive aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge. The Queen Anne’s Revenge was the ship of the legendary and fearsome pirate Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard. Even though he was tortured and harassed by Blackbeard, Philip maintained his belief that every soul could be saved — even Blackbeard’s.

Once, when Blackbeard is about to kill a sailor on his ship, Philip intervenes and tells him that his problem is that he “dare not walk the path of righteousness, the way of the light.” However, Blackbeard turns and says, “No, sir, the truth of it be much simpler than all that. I am a bad man.”

Blackbeard’s simple admission is not only true for him, but for all of us. We are all bad men and bad women because we do bad things. The bad things that we do are what the Bible calls sin. And the Bible says that “all have sinned.” Yet, just as Philip believed, it is also true that every soul can be saved from eternal punishment. No matter how many bad things you have done, you can be saved. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God would “have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” No sin is too great for God to forgive, and no soul is too wicked for God to save.

Because God wants everyone to be saved, John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Through the sacrifice of his only Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross, God has opened the doorway for every person in the world to be saved. When you are “saved” you are given “everlasting life” through Jesus Christ, and you will not have to suffer eternal punishment in hell for your sins.

You can be washed and cleansed of your sins, of the bad things that you have done, if you receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Isaiah 1:18 tells us about this washing and cleansing when it says, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Do you want to receive forgiveness for your sins? Do you want to have the stain of sin washed from your soul? Do you want to have your soul saved by the blood of Jesus Christ?

All of these things can happen to you if you choose to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into your heart and save you. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “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 whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you want to be saved right now, you can pray something like this to let God know about your decision. Just repeat after me and mean it from your heart.

Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today and forever. Amen.

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God and congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your new found faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Believe by faith. Share the faith. And keep the faith! God Bless You!