"What does it mean to be 'saved?'"

Ah, this is THE most-important question you could ask. The Holy Bible, authored by God but penned by men, says there is no one on earth that is holy, no, not ONE. God the Father Almighty is absolutely PERFECT. We cannot fellowship with this perfect God and we would ALL be condemned to eternal separation from Him if He hadn't sent us a Savior. That Savior is Jesus Christ, and CHRIST ALONE. Jesus said He is "THE Way" to Heaven and that NO ONE comes to The Heavenly Father but through Him. If man could be saved by some other means--like being "good," "having a grandparent who was a strong Christian," doing "works for God's Kingdom," or putting a lot of your time and money into churches--WHY WOULD JESUS HAVE DIED ON A CROSS? There are entire books written documenting the sheer mathematical facts showing the evidence that, indeed, Jesus HAD to be the Savior. IF you believe Jesus is the Son of God, died on the cross to take YOUR sins upon Himself so that you might be able to be in fellowship with God, you repent (are truly sorry for and turn away from your sins), then publically stand for Christ's cause, you are "saved." That term, "saved," by the way, is NOT a "Baptist term." We'd encourage you to study with us so you can see that term comes right out of God's Holy Word. Are you saved? Do you have more questions about salvation? If so, call Southwood Baptist Church. That's one of the main reasons we are on this earth. If we weren't here to share the Good News of salvation with others, God could have taken us directly to Heaven when we were saved. He left us here because we have a job to do, and that's to bring others to salvation to glorify His gifts and majesty.

"I've gotten to a point in this life that I know I haven't lived a very good life. I'd like to become a Christian, but I've been B-A-D in this world. There are things I've done that aren't only embarrassing, they are so bad I don't think God could ever love me. Could God forgive even me?"

Yes, God can forgive you. God is not a body of flesh-and-blood like us, with a limited capacity to love and live. He is a Spirit-being who is perfect and eternal. His love is so deep that His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived on this planet in the flesh and died for the sins of mankind, even told us to forgive others for their sin "seventy times seven" times. The purpose of Christ's statement was to show us how God is merciful and can forgive the truly repentant. Most of us have seen mothers at the executions of their sons who are guilty of murder. Don't most of the mothers say they still love their son, even though he was guilty and deserved judgment? God is the same way, and more. When He looks to judge a Christian, He doesn't see their sins, but His own Son's blood covering us. We can't live a perfect life. If we could, we wouldn't have needed a Savior. There is a story in The Bible of "The Prodigal Son," which demonstrates the kind of ongoing love God has for us, even when we are not role models. You might want to read the parable of The Prodigal Son, or come to Southwood Baptist Church and study it--and many more things from The Bible--with us. Give God the credit and glory He deserves by turning from your past, accepting that only Jesus can forgive that lifestyle, and accept becoming a new creature in Christ!