SALVATION
You can find numerous plans and schemes promoted to find peace in your soul, deliverance from sin and hope for eternity. God has only one plan. It is a personal and direct experience. It is not by repeating what someone else is praying, nor is it by trusting in any ritual or ceremony. You may go to church every Sunday and be active in some religious organization, but that alone is not sufficient. You may view yourself as a good moral person; but God looks into your heart and soul and knows what is contained within. You may try to excuse yourself and cover up, but God views your true inner being and nature. The elements involved in God's gracious plan of salvation are found in the Word of God, which we refer to as the Holy Bible. Only you, as an accountable individual, must come before God seeking his pardon and favor. No one on this earth can look into your soul and tell you that you are saved. This matter is between you and God. You must know for yourself that God has saved your soul! You will have a time and a place in your life that you know that this has happened.
We have provided the following elements of salvation and scriptural references for your consideration. Please prayerfully study them and honestly answer in your heart if you really understand what they are teaching you and if you can relate to them by what you have experienced in your spiritual life.
(To view a broader context of scripture click on the underline scripture for a link) "Salvation by Grace"
Eph. 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved"
1. All Have Sinned;
- Ro. 3:23, "For all have sinned."
- 2. The Gospel's Purpose;
- Ro. 1:16, it is the power of God unto salvation."
II Ti. 1:10, "brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
- 3. The Reproving Work of the Holy Spirit;
- Jn. 16:8, "he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
- 4. Drawing of the Heart;
- Jn. 6:44 & 65, "except the Father......draw him."
- 5. Humbling of the Heart;
- Lk. 18:9-18, "smote his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
- 6. Everyone Must Repent;
- Lk. 13:3, "except ye repent."
Acts 17;30, "hath now commandeth all men every where to repent."
- 7. Godly Sorrow Works Repentence;
- II Co. 7:10, "godly sorrow worketh repentence unto salvation"
- 8. Faith in Christ;
- I Jn. 5:1-5, "whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."
- 9. Belief with the Heart;
- Ro. 10:10, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness."
- 10. Inward Evidence of Regeneration;
- Ro. 8:14-17, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."
- Eph. 2
- 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
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- 1. All Have Sinned.
- Ro. 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the
poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before
God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by
the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by
the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
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- 2. The Gospel's Purpose.
- Ro. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,
The just shall live by faith.II Ti. 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind.
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began,
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
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- 3. The Reproving Work of the Holy Spirit.
- Jn.16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither
goest thou?
6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
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- Jn. 16:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall
never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me.
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.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down
from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?
how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.
Jn. 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard
saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them,
Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who
they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were
given unto him of my Father
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- Lk.18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto
heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every
one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted.
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- Lk.13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose
blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners
above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that
they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.Acts17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I
perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare
I unto you.
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and
earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he
giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the
earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him,
though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets
have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the
Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every
where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
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- 7. Godly Sorrow Works Repentance.
- II Co.7:8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent:
for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a
season.
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye
were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the
sorrow of the world worketh death.
11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it
wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what
fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have
approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
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- I Jn.5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
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- Ro.10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 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.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
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- 10. Inward Evidence of Regeneration.
- Ro. 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
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