THE PLAN OF SALVATION
A long time ago, a Roman Jailer asked of the Apostle Paul the most important question that could ever be asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
Paul’s answer was immediate, to the point, clear, and concise. He said:
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30-31.)
That’s how simple that it actually is.
A man named Nicodemus pretty much asked Jesus the same question. Jesus answered him by saying, “You must be born again” (Jn. 3:1-8).
ALL ARE SINNERS
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.”
That means that all are sinners, actually born that way, in desperate need of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, there are no exceptions to this. That means you and me, and all others for that matter.
Paul also said in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death!”
So, that means that unless something is done about this terrible situation, that all will be eternally lost. However, God did not leave things there. He loves us, every one of us. It is His Desire that “Not any should perish, but that all should come unto repentance” (11 Pet. 3:9).
WHAT DID GOD DO ABOUT THIS SITUATION?
The Scripture plainly says, “And God so loved the world (so loved sinners, and that means you) that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
What does that mean?
Man as a sinner could not save himself. In other words, such was and is impossible; consequently, God literally became man, came into this world born of the Virgin Mary, and then died on Calvary to pay the price for man’s Redemption. As should be obvious, the price was high. But thank God, it was everlastingly paid by Jesus Christ, that “WHOSOEVER WILL, MAY COME AND TAKE THE WATER OF LIFE FREELY” (Rev. 22:17).
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?
Paul says:
“If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto Salvation” (Rom. 10:9-10).
To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is more than just giving mental assent that He is the Son of God. Millions do that and aren’t saved.
When the Scripture speaks of one believing, it simply means that one accepts Who Jesus is, which is the Son of God, and what He has done, which refers to Him dying on Calvary, in effect taking our place, in order that we might be saved.
It means to accept Him, and Him Alone as your Saviour, resolving to make Him the Lord of your life, and to follow Him with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength as long as you live.
SUBSTITUTION AND IDENTIFICATION
As we have already stated, man being eternally lost and helpless to save himself, God had to provide a means of Salvation whereby sinful man could be made righteous. He did that by providing His Own Son, Who gave His Life on Calvary, thereby paying the terrible price which we could not pay. That price was His Own Precious Shed Blood.
He became our Substitute.
What does that mean?
It means He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. There was a terrible sin debt owing due to man’s fallen condition. As stated, that refers to every single human being, none excepted. With no way to save ourselves, God had to provide a Saviour, which He did. It was done simply because He loves us so much (Jn. 3:16).
Jesus being the Substitute, if we identify with Him, which means to accept what He did at Calvary’s Cross on our behalf, we will be saved. It is that simple!
He became our Substitute, and upon our identification with Him, we are rewarded with Eternal Life (Rom. 6:23).
FAITH AND NOT WORKS
The only thing required to obtain this glorious and wonderful Salvation is to simply believe on Christ, exactly as Paul said, which means to have Faith in Him.
What does that mean?
It is actually very simple. The Lord made it this way in order that all may have equal opportunity.
It simply means that you believe or have faith in what He did, and accept it for yourself on a personal basis. That’s all that God requires. But of course, to believe and have faith, even as we have already said, means to accept the Lord as your Saviour and, as well, to make Him the Lord or your life.
First of all, man must understand that he is a sinner. That includes all (Rom. 3:23). As such, he needs a Saviour. There is only one Saviour, only One Who has paid the price for man’s Redemption, and that Saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, if one does not accept Christ, one cannot be saved.
Millions attempt to earn their Salvation in many and varied ways other than accepting Christ. Or else they attempt to become saved by accepting Christ as well as adding other things to Christ.
The Scripture says: “FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU 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).
That means the Church cannot save you, and neither can Water Baptism save you, or anything else for that matter, as important as those things may be in their own way. I have said this because millions think that they are saved by being baptized in water, or joining a Church, or performing good works, etc.
While those things may be important in their own right, they have absolutely nothing to do with one being saved. One is save simply by trusting Jesus Christ, even as we have already said.
Thatmeans that one can be saved anywhere: in Church, on the street corner, watching a Christian Telecast, listening to a Christian Radio Program, or even reading this Commentary.
Where one is doesn’t matter. It is what one believes that really counts.
The moment that one confesses the Lord with one’s mouth, and believes in one’s heart, and does so truly, at that moment, and wherever you may be, you are saved. As we have stated several times, it is just that simple.
Incidently, when the Jailer asked Paul the question, “What must I do to be saved?” ,he was actually at that time in the jail with Paul and Silas. Every evidence is that he at that moment, in that jail, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and was instantly saved (Acts 16:27-34).
IT IS NOW TIME
In fact, if you have hot already given your heart and life to Jesus Christ, it is time that you do so, and actually it can be done this very moment.
I am going to ask you to read these words below, and actually say them out loud. As well, I am going to ask you to believe them with all of your heart, and if you will do so, you will be instantly saved. Please say them with me as you read:
“DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, I COME
TO YOU TODAY AS A LOST SINNER.”
“I AM ASKING YOU THAT YOU
SAVE MY SOUL AND CLEANS ME
FROM ALL SIN.”
“I REALIZE IN MY HEART MY NEED
OF SALVATION, WHICH CAN ONLY
COME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.”
“I AM ACCEPTING CHRIST INTO
MY HEART AND WHAT HE DID ON
THE CROSSS IN ORDER TO PURCHASE
MY REDEMPTION.”
“IN OBEDIENCE TO YOUR WORD,
I CONFESS WITH MY MOUTH THE
LORD JESUS, AND BELIEVE IN MY
HEART THAT GOD HAS RAISE HIM
FROM THE DEAD.
YOU HAVE SAID IN YOUR
WORD WHICH CANNOT LIE, “FOR
WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF LORD SHALL BE SAVED (ROM. 10:13).”
“I HAVE CALLED UPON YOUR
NAME EXACTLY AS YOU HAVE SAID,
AND I BELIEVE THAT RIGHT NOW,
I AM SAVED.”
If you have sincerely prayed these words, which I have written out for you, and believed in your heart upon the Lord Jesus Christ, you are at this moment saved, and your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Congratulations! ( Espositors Study Bible)
YOU ARE NOW RAPTURE READY.
SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
You are now a new creature in Christ Jesus ( 2 Cor. 5:17). As such there are some things you should do and some things you should know.
Find a good Church and get Baptized. Although Baptism does not save you, it is something Jesus said to do.( Math. 28:19)
The Blood of Jesus has washed away your sins and now you need to start studying the Bible to understand your position in Christ. ( I recommend the Expositors Study Bible, published by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. www.jsm.org) The Expositions are very well written, and are extremely helpful.
Also, feel free to make use of the various links on this website. You will find some interesting and relevant material which will be immensely helpful.
You need to develop a prayer life. Praise, Communion, and Petition are all part of a good prayer life.
Praise is thanking The Lord for all he is and all that he has done, and specifically, all he has done for you.
Communion is simply spending time talking to the Lord and telling him what is going on with your life.
Petition is asking the Lord for things we need. We are admonished to ask for thing which we really do need. Remember, this does not mean asking for God to give you everything you want. Many times the things we want are just things to fulfill our own lusts (James 4:2-3).
Now that you are saved, you should ask for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts. 2:4). When Jesus Christ Ascended into Heaven he told his disciples to “wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4) He was speaking of being Baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5).
ITSALLINCHRIST LINKS
Please feel free to use the material on this website. It is designed to keep you close to the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, if you take it to heart, it will keep you in a position which will allow the Holy Spirit to work miraculously in your life. There is nothing in the world better than this resurrection life which has been afforded by Jesus Christ. This website is intended to help you keep your eyes on the finished work of Christ and to learn to fully appreciate what was accomplished on our behalf.
The Church is the Body of Christ. I’m not talking about any particular building but “all true believers who are actually trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ.”
It is recommended that if possible; you find a good Church to attend.
This Church should teach Salvation through the Blood of Christ (and nothing else). Matthew 26:28; Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19.
Your Church should teach the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 28:11-12; Acts 2:4; 10:45-46; 19:6; 1 Corinthians 14:4-5, 14-18).
A victorious, overcoming Christian life should be preached. (Romans 6:11; 1Corinthians 15:57-58; Ephesians 6:10-13; James 1:22; 1 John 5:4-5; Revelation 2:7) One must always remember that although you are saved; you still need the saviour, every day.
God still heals according to his Word. (Isaiah 53:5; Mark 6:14; James 5:14-15; 1 Peter 2:24.)
The Rapture of the Church must be taught and preached. (1 Corinthians, Chapter 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)
The return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth, when the Millennial Reign will begin. (Revelation, Chapter 19).
The people of this Church should have a deep desire to deliver the Gospel to the rest of the World. This is ever so important!!!! What the Lord has done for you, he wants to do for everyone. We simply must do the best we can to deliver this message to whoever we can.
If you will seek out information by Kirk Cameron, you will find some very helpful information on how to do this. http://www.wayofthemaster.com/
