The plight of mankind and
GOD'S PLAN OF SAVING GRACE

ALL HAVE SINNED - Rom. 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

RESULTS OF SIN - "For the end of those things is death" (Rom. 6:21). "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). That means spiritual death, eternal separation from God; that is what everyone on earth truthfully deserves.

GOD LOVES US - He doesn't want anyone to be lost. He "desires all men to be saved" (1Tim. 2:4). He is "not willing that any should perish" (2Pet.3:9).

GOD IS HOLY AND JUST- He can have no fellowship with sin or sinners. He cannot overlook or excuse sin. Yet He still loved us and wanted us to be saved and in His fellowship. That presented a dilemma. He came up with a solution to that dilemma - a painful solution, but the only one possible.

JESUS PAID THE PRICE - God loved us so much that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins - "that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). That was grace on His part.

WHOSOEVER WILL - God did (and does) what was necessary on His part to save us. Now, He requires a demonstration from us of our desire to be saved. Whosoever will may come and take the water of life freely. (Rev. 22:17, Jn. 4:14) Jesus said, "Come unto Me.....and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28-30). "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). The Holy Spirit, through the scriptures, instructs us in how to call on His name.

FAITH - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). "But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). Faith is a condition of salvation.

REPENTANCE - Come to God in repentance. "I tell you no, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:3, 5) "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Repentance is another condition of salvation.

CONFESS CHRIST - "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32-33). "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). Confession of Christ is required.

BE BAPTIZED FOR REMISSION OF SINS - "And He said unto them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mk. 16:15-16). "Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). Baptism is another condition of salvation. If one has taken these steps in all sincerity he is at this point forgiven of his sins and added to the body of Christ, the kingdom of God, and is expected to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47, Col. 1:13, 2Pet. 3:18).

This is the obedience that Jesus requires as a condition of salvation, to demonstrate our faith in Him and our desire to be saved. He is the "author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). By this obedience we "call on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). We are nowhere told to pray for our salvation. All of the scriptures are from God and are true. We must accept and apply all of His instructions concerning salvation, as well as on other subjects.

When we obey the gospel of Christ we are born again (1Pet 1:22-23). We become new creatures, newborn babies, spiritually (2Cor. 5:17, 1Pet. 2:1-2). That is how we know what Jesus was talking about in Jn. 3:3-5 when He said "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God", and, "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God".

Jesus said when the Holy Spirit came He would guide the apostles into all the truth (Jn. 16:12-15). When they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost soon after Jesus' ascension back to heaven, the Holy Spirit led Peter to say what he said (Acts 2:14-38). When the question was asked, "what shall we do", the answer Peter gave was the Holy Spirit's answer. He said to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.

Those who gladly received his word were baptized (2:41). The Lord then added them to the church (2:47). They were added to the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13). This is how we know they were born again, of water and the Spirit, as Jesus said they must be. They were led by the Spirit to be immersed in water in Jesus' name. Being led by the Spirit of God, they became sons of God (Rom. 8:14).

When we obey the Lord's commands we are not earning our salvation. There is no way we could ever earn it. We are simply acknowledging the lordship of Jesus, meeting the conditions He has laid out and accepting "the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" that He gives (Titus 3:5).

Those who obeyed the Lord were full of gladness and joy; were all close, sharing and praising God (Acts 2:41-47). Soon, even many of the Jewish priests were obeying the gospel (Acts 6:7). Then those of Samaria heard the gospel and were baptized (Acts 8:12). The Ethiopian eunuch obeyed the gospel and "went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:36-39). When the Philippian jailer and his family obeyed, they rejoiced (Acts 16:30-34).

There is very good reason to rejoice and be happy when people obey the Lord. They have their sins forgiven - no more burden of guilt to carry around; no more trying to hide from God. No longer worrying about their eternal fate when this life is over (Matt. 25:34, Jn. 14:1-4). They have their citizenship in heaven and eagerly wait for the Savior to come again (Phil. 3:20). "Rejoice in the Lord always", Paul said, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:4-7).

We rejoice in hope (Rom. 12:12); the hope which is laid up for us in heaven (Col. 1:5), the hope of eternal life, a promise from God (Titus 1:2). That hope is an anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19). Yes, there is much to be joyful for!

It's true, there are responsibilities to bear and work to be done for God in this short life, but it is done with joy, gladness and hope. Paul said, "... the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18), and he gladly suffered and worked for the cause of Christ.

Come to Jesus; He will save you. Submit to His will, trust His grace and let Him lift your burden and give you hope today. There is great joy in the Lord!
[More on this subject]

BACK      TOP