God wishes for all of His children to know Him and to be saved. This page will show you the path God has intended for His children to follow to be saved. It includes: Hear, Believe, Confess, Repent, be Baptized, and Obey and Develop. Let us discuss each point, and please feel free to follow the links in each section to see lessons on God's plan for salvation.
1. Hear the Word of God.
In order to obey and follow God, you must hear about Him.
Romans 10:14
How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
2. Believe in Jesus Christ and the good news.
In order to be saved and in good standing in the eyes of the Lord, you must believe in Him and His Son.
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
Will Belief Alone Save?
And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house," (Acts 16:31).
The Bible teaches us very clearly that belief is a very important and foundational aspect of our walk with God. There are many, however, who hold to the position that all one needs to do is believe and they will be saved. Maybe you hold to this, or perhaps you have heard it spoken at a church you've attended or from your friends. But is it true? Does one need only to believe to be saved?
It is important to first consider what is meant by "belief". To many, belief is simply giving mental approval to a statement being true. To many people, saying "I believe in Jesus Christ" means as much to them as saying "I believe that 2+2=4". They accept that the statement is true, but go no further than that.
According to the Bible, even demons believe, and shudder (James 2:19). Demons surely know that Jesus is the Christ, and yet no one believes that they will be saved by that belief!
Be not deceived: Jesus demands more than simple mental agreement to the proposition that He is the Christ.
Another definition of belief is to have confidence in the object of the belief. We use this idea frequently: "I believe in his ability," for instance. Our belief in Jesus as the Christ requires us to have confidence in the person of Jesus and His claim of being the Savior of mankind (John 3:16). Therefore, we are to not only accept the proposition that Jesus is the Christ, but also have full confidence in Him.
But is that all that is necessary to be saved? As we explore the New Testament, we can see quickly that this is not the case. People who come to faith-- to have belief-- in Jesus Christ change their lives. This is the demand of repentance (Acts 2:38): to make a change of mind and to act upon it. In Romans 6:17-18, we see that those who believe in Jesus Christ by necessity become obedient to His standard of teaching. We see the changes in people like Peter, Paul, Apollos, and many others, and the changes begin with believing and then acting on that belief.
Indeed, we must believe that Jesus is the Christ, and place our confidence in Him. Without that belief we cannot be saved. Nevertheless, there is more to belief than simple acceptance of a proposition and confidence in the one believed upon; Christ calls upon those who believe in Him to change their lives. Those who believe are called upon to be obedient servants of God (cf. Romans 1:5, 6:17-18), and that obedience begins with confessing Jesus as Christ, repenting of sin, and being immersed in water for the remission of past sin (Romans 10:9-10, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21). Obedience continues through life, growing and developing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18).
What does God say about the fate of those who believe but do not obey? 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 characterizes those who do not obey the Gospel of Jesus in the same category as those who do not even know God! Furthermore, Jesus says that He does not know such people, and that on the last day they will be cast out (Matthew 7:21-23). We do not want that fate for anyone, and we especially do not want that fate for you. We encourage you to consider becoming obedient to Christ Jesus and to gain the salvation that flows from Him!
3. Confess before men that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
If you confess Him, He will confess you before the Father:
Matthew 10:32
"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in heaven."
Confessing Christ
As you drive down the road, you are often confronted with cars that have a fish symbol on the back or a sticker saying "Jesus is Lord" on it. Such things show that the inhabitant of the vehicle, more likely than not, believes that Jesus is Lord in some way or another, and probably believes that indicating so on the back of his car partly indicates his salvation per 1 Corinthians 12:3. What, however, is involved in confessing Jesus as the Christ?
Indeed, a major part of confession is the verbal confirmation before witnesses that one believes that Jesus is the Christ, as seen in Romans 10:9:
Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Examples of confession include Jesus' own confession before Pilate and the confession of Timothy before witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12-13).
Nevertheless, confession is not simply something done in a comfortable environment around God's people, but also to be done even in difficult circumstances. Peter's great sin in Matthew 26:69-79 is denying that he was with Christ and was a disciple of Him when faced with accusers, having beforehand sworn that he would never do such a thing (Matthew 26:33). As it is written,
"Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven," (Matthew 10:32-33).
Confession, however, is not just about what one says. If we confess Jesus as Lord only by mouth, and not by how we live our lives, our testimony is hypocritical and false and leads to blaspheming and reviling, and not as is written in 1 Peter 2:11-12:
Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
A Christian who does not obey from the heart the standard of teaching to which he is committed (cf. Romans 6:16-18) is not pleasing to God. In many ways, a life lived represents a far greater witness and testimony than mere words spoken. Anyone can recognize a hypocrite; one who lives as he professes, however, will at least be heard and respected. So it is in spiritual matters: confessing Christ by mouth alone is vanity, but confession in word and deed is most pleasing in the sight of God (cf. 1 John 4:15).
Confession of Christ should be far more than a bumper sticker or a fish icon on the back of a car, but a constant part of one's life, both in word and deed. The life that confesses Christ will remain for all eternity. Are you willing to truly confess Jesus as Lord, and make Him the Lord of your life, and serve Him only and always?
4. Repent of the sins you have committed.
God will forgive you only if you feel truly sorry for the sins you have committed, determine to sin no more, and follow through with your commitment!
Acts 2:38
And Peter said, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
6. Be baptized in Christ to walk in newness of life.
You must immerse the body in sin so that it may rise, clothed in Christ (see Acts 2:38 above).
Acts 22:16
'And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name."
7. Obey from the heart the true teachings of God and develop in the faith, enduring to the end.
God wants us to obey what He has told us.
Romans 6:17
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.
The previous steps are only the beginning; salvation is only possible with faithfulness to God until death.
Matthew 10:22
"And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved."
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