This is God's Plan of Salvation!
1. Everyone is a sinner, less perfect than God.
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “God says everyone is a sinner…I am, you are, we all are.” , “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecc. 7:20).
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isa. 64:6). If you compare your life with that of those around you, you might feel you are a good person; and, as man looks upon goodness, you may be. But when you compare even your best qualities with those of the Almighty God, you will immediately see that you are not as perfect as God. Nobody is.
Some people associate the term “sinner” only with “vile criminals.” When the Bible says we are sinners, it means even “good” people, because even they are not perfect. (Isa. 64:6, James 2:10).
Someone once said he hadn’t sinned in three years. 1 John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
2. The result and penalty of sin is death...
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23). The payment for sin is death. Sin is not paid for by your good works, penance, confession, church membership, water baptism, etc.. God does not hate the sinner, but He hates the sin. He hates sin because it separates us from Him (Isa. 59:2), and He doesn’t want us to be separated from Him. “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (II Thess. 1:8,9).
Everyone is born dead spiritually (Eph. 2:1). The soul is separated from God because we are sinners. This is why Christ said in John 3:7, “…Ye must be born again.” Only through a new birth of the Spirit can man have eternal life. If a person dies without having trusted Christ as his Saviour, his soul will be separated from God and he will ultimately be cast into the lake of fire forever…the Bible calls this the “second death” (Rev. 20:14,15).
3. The eternal heaven will be a perfect place.
Man must be perfectly righteous to go to heaven. “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee” (Psalm 5:4).
It is God’s heaven. He created it (Gen 1:1). He lives in it (Psalm 11:4; 115:3). He says there will be no tears, sorrow, pain or death in heaven (Rev. 21:4), and God has the right to say who will go there. If any sin were allowed into heaven, death would be there because, as we have seen, “The wages of sin is death..” (Rom. 6:23).
We are all sinners and need our sin paid for before we can enter heaven.
God not only offers a payment for your sin so your soul can go to heaven, but He also will give you a new, glorified body that will live forever, entirely free from sin, sickness, and death. It will be like the glorified body of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:21; I John 3:2).
4. Nothing man could do will ever help him obtain the absolute perfection God requires for eternal life.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).
‘Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Gal 2:16).
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us…” (Titus 3:5).
“Therefore we CONCLUDE that a man is JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28).
If anything is clear in Scripture, it is that man is saved by his faith in Christ’s payment for all sin on the cross plus nothing. Man’s efforts, no matter how good or well intended (before or after salvation), have nothing to do with it. Salvation is by the finished work of Christ and nothing can be added to it.
The plan of salvation is not a religion but is the message of what God has already done to bring us back to Him. The GOSPEL is NOT a “religion.” We are not discussing man’s philosophy but God’s Word.
A person cannot save himself by his works…or help Christ to save him by his works…or help keep himself saved by his works! THIS IS one of the most IMPORTANT things for a person to believe…because if a person does not believe this, he is not saved. God says you are not saved by your works but by grace through faith.’
“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work” (Rom. 11:6).
GOOD WORKS FOR SALVATION IS SATAN’S COUNTERFEIT OF GOD’S GRACE FOR SALVATION. THIS ISSUE OF “GRACE versus WORKS” WILL ALMOST ALWAYS BE THE MAIN THING WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND!
God says in Matt. 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father (I Tim. 2:3, 4) which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? And in Thy Name have cast out devils? And in Thy Name done many WONDERFUL WORKS? And then I will profess unto them, I NEVER knew you; depart from Me, ye that work INIQUITY.”
These people tried to work their way to heaven, and God called it SIN. When a person realizes that even the best he can possibly do is still filthy rags in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6), he should see the utter folly of believing his good works could help save him.
5. Christ made a complete payment for all sin and offers His righteousness.
“For He (God) hath made Him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21). Christ never sinned. He lived a perfect life. Yet He took our sins upon Himself and paid for them. He did this so He could give us God’s righteousness in place of our sin.
“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38, 39). Keeping the law could not save you. But Christ paid for all sin; so, if you believe in Him, He will forgive you and justify you from all the wrong you have done.
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Heb 10:10,14). It is God’s will that we are made pure and holy because Jesus offered Himself for our sins. His ONE payment was sufficient for all sins, of all time, for all people. By this ONE offering we who believe are made perfect forever. We are pure and holy through His death.
What do we lack? We lack righteousness. God is anxiously waiting to give us His righteousness. God gives His righteousness to whoever accepts Christ’s payment for their sin…and He gives His righteousness the moment the person accepts Christ (II Cor. 5:21). The righteousness of God is given only by faith – never by works (Rom 4:5-8; 4:22-24; 9:30-32).
6. All man must do to be saved is to BELIEVE Jesus is the Lord who paid for all his sin.
God gives eternal life only to those who will accept it by faith alone.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Notice it is not to those who try to work and earn their eternal life but to those who believe.
John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me HATH everlasting life.” Christ who never told one lie, emphasized by saying, Truthfully, truthfully, he that believes on Me possesses now everlasting life.
Philippians 3:9, “And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Notice, found in Christ – not in the church, your denomination, or your own philosophy. You are found “in Christ” not by trying to get to heaven by your own righteousness, but by receiving Christ’s righteousness by faith. God counts you righteous because of your faith not because of your works (Rom. 4:5).
Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Since I trusted Christ, God sees me justified – “just as if I’d never sinned.” God sees Christ’s righteousness instead of my sin. Therefore I have peace with God. Jesus reconciled God and me (Romans 5:8-11).
Acts 13:38,39, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Through Christ you are justified from all things – past, present, and future. This is very important. “Jesus paid it ALL!” You could not be justified through keeping the law. (“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight…” Romans 3:20) Do not despise God’s grace. Do not reject God’s grace. If you could have been saved through your own efforts, Christ’s death would have been useless. Calvary would have been a mistake. “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21). Going back to Acts 13:39, notice that those who are justified from all things are those who BELIEVE.
Man’s great need is to understand God’s way of salvation and to accept His sacrifice.
Nowhere does the Scripture use the phrase “repent of sin” to be saved.
Repentance in salvation means a change of mind from any idea of religion that man might have and accepting God’s way of salvation.
7. Man can KNOW he HAS ETERNAL LIFE NOW because eternal life IS eternal.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Notice, the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE-not, “life until you sin again,” nor “life until you backslide.”
Notice what John 3:16 is saying, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE.” How long is EVERLASTING? Is it six months? Ten years? Does it start and stop? No! Everlasting life is FOR EVER AND EVER!
John 6:47 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath EVERLASTING LIFE.” “Hath everlasting life” is present tense. If you have EVERLASTING LIFE right now, you are safe forever. You do not wait until you die to receive everlasting life. You receive it the instant you trust Christ as your Saviour.
I John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God.”
Jesus is very much like a lifeguard saving a swimmer on the verge of drowning or a police officer returning a lost child to his mother or father.
The definition of a Saviour is a person who saves, rescues, or delivers: a person who rescues another person or a thing from danger or harm, also a title of god, esp. of Christ.
“Jesus” comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew words “Jehovah Yasha” and means “the eternal, self-existent God who saves and keeps.”
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Jesus is God in the Flesh! John 14:6-7 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. You must understand that Jesus is God in the flesh or you won’t receive eternal life! John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins.
What really makes a person lost??? Notice John 3:18, “he that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” It is very clear in the verse what makes a person lost. Notice the words, “he that believeth not is condemned already.” A person who does not believe is condemned. So not believing is what makes a person lost!
Bear in mind, the word “believing” is the Greek word which means “to rely upon.” When one believes on Christ, he simply relies on him to save him and take him to Heaven when he dies. It is very plain here that what condemns a person is believing not. Then notice it says, “because he hath not believed in the name of the begotten Son of God.” Once again, we are told what makes a person lost – because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. It is as simple as that.
Quick review
Do you BELIEVE that you’re a sinner in God’s eyes?
Do you BELIEVE that you need to be born-again to see heaven?
Do you BELIEVE that we must be as perfect as God to enter heaven?
Do you BELIEVE it’s impossible to work your way to heaven?
Do you BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross to pay YOUR SIN DEBT IN FULL, that He was buried and rose from the dead after 3 days and 3 nights in the grave and that He will live forever more?
Do you BELIEVE that Jesus is God in the flesh. ( I AM! )
Do You BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST as your only hope of Heaven?
What Kind of life does God offer in return for our BELIEF? ETERNAL LIFE!!!
What did the thief on the cross do in order to be in paradise with Jesus?
The thief did not join a church, he did not donate any money, he was not water baptized, he was not given the last rights, he was not anointed with oil, he did not give his last confession, & he did not have the time to work his way to heaven…
ALL HE DID WAS BELIEVE IN THE PERSON HANGING ON THE CROSS NEXT TO HIM… JESUS CHRIST!
If all this makes sense, wont you take the next step and make it official!!
Will you trust Jesus as your Saviour right now, the one who shed his precious blood on the cross of Calvary to pay for all of your sins?
Sinners Prayer
Lord, I admit that I’m a sinner & I don’t understand a whole lot about the bible, but I do believe that Jesus Christ died & paid for my sins in full, by his death & shed blood on the cross. I trust right now that He died for me, was buried & rose again from the dead and will live forever more. I trust Jesus Christ right now to save me, to be my Saviour, to forgive my sins & to give me the gift of eternal life.
The moment you believe this, God up in heaven knows and He saves you, gives you eternal life and you’ll be born-again!
Salvation is forsaking any other means of salvation but Christ and casting ourselves fully upon Him for eternal life.
Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance.
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should LOSE NOTHING, but should raise it up again at the last day.
It is God’s will that no saved person would ever become lost. He says He will “lose nothing” and you are at least something! You could never be saved and lost again.
Final Notes
Water Baptism is not required to receive the gift of eternal life. I do however recommend that every believer get baptized (totally submerged) because of the rewards you will receive both here in this life and in heaven for publicly confessing Him.
Witnessing to others is highly recommended. You will receive the biggest rewards in this life and in Heaven for faithfully witnessing to those you come in contact with. God said that we are wise when we share the gospel with others! Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Start slowly by witnessing to your friends and family and then branch out to others when you feel more comfortable.
Read your Bible daily. Learn more about your Father in heaven by studying consistently and He will speak to you thru His Word. Start reading the New Testament and see how many times it says that the believer is secure by believing in Jesus as his Saviour.
Start building up treasures in heaven. Matt 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt , and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Phil 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. Please give to the poor, help the needy, support a church or missionary so that YOU will arrive in heaven with lots of fruit in YOUR account. (Very Important!)
Beware false teachers / prophets. DO NOT support financially or visit any church or missionary that teaches another gospel!! Steer clear of any organization that teaches works for salvation, or teaches that Jesus is not God in the flesh, or teaches that you can lose your salvation for ANY reason, or teaches that you need to be water baptized to be saved, or teaches that if you continue to sin you were never saved… these are ALL FALSE MESSAGES and you do not want to support them in any way!!
Chastening & Rewards. Yes, Eternal life is guaranteed to all believers, but never make the mistake of thinking Christians can live as they please. They cannot. They can try, but God will not allow it. If a person thinks a Christian could live in sin and not be punished for it, he doesn’t know much of the bible, nor does he understand the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian. You can NEVER sin your way into hell, but as a Christian you can sin your way into a whole lot of trouble & chastening from God!!
Biblical Salvation is forsaking any other means of salvation but Christ and casting ourselves fully upon Him for eternal life.
The Gift of God, Eternal Life can never be lost once possessed for any reason. John 6:39 ” And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should LOSE NOTHING, but should raise it up again at the last day.” You have God’s promise that once you put your trust in Jesus you can never be lost for ANY reason whatsoever.
“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” Romans 11:29 Again, God is telling you that this Gift of God that you have just received is without repentance. He can never take His gift back for any reason, no matter how bad you get, or how bad your sins are it is not possible. God would have to cease to exist for that to happen because He cannot lie.