Salvation

A matter of eternal life or death.

The Bible says in Romans 5:12 that, "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

Romans 3:10-12 & 23 says, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.   They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Because God is just, all sin must be punished. Because God is holy, no one can be acceptable unto God unless all his sins are fully paid for. Because of God's love, "he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16). As a result, we have "the gospel" which declares: "how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once . . ." (I Corinthians 15:1-6)

"By his own blood" Jesus "obtained eternal redemption" for all who will be saved (Hebrews 9:12).

God has only one plan of salvation. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

I Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

I Corinthians 15:21-22 says, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Man cannot save himself or anyone else. To try to do so is to show contempt and rebellion toward God's plan. All who fail to be reconciled to God by Christ will be forever in hell, paying on a debt that can only get bigger throughout all eternity.

How can you know if Christ has "obtained eternal redemption" for you? The Bible says that God "gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) In John 6:37 Jesus said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

In John 6:47 He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

God's two requirements in salvation are repentance toward Him and faith in Jesus Christ. Mark 1:15 says, "repent ye, and believe the gospel." In Luke 13:3 Jesus said, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

That repentance and that faith is given by God, undeserved, unearned, and unmerited, and is without exception the fruit and evidence of a new birth.

In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Acts 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Jesus taught that man is both unwilling ("will not" John 5:40) and unable ("No man can" John 6:65) to repent and believe "except it were given unto him of my Father" (John 6:65).

Romans 10:14-15 says, "How can 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? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? . . . ."

God has revealed the gospel in His written Word (the Bible), sends people to preach and declare it, but still it is rejected by the natural man because he is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1 and Colossians 2:13).  In John 5:40 Jesus said, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." In John 6:44 Jesus said, "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." In John 6:65 Jesus said, "Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." One who is "dead in trespasses and sins" must be "quickened" (made alive) spiritually (Ephesians 2:1 and Colossians 2:13) by a new birth before he "can come" to Christ.  In John 3:6-7 Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

One's willingness to repent and one's faith in Christ are supplied ("given" John 6:65) by God. Acts 5:31 and Acts 11:18 show that God grants repentance. Romans 2:4 tells us that "the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." II Timothy 2:25 shows that God gives "repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." Ephesians 2:8 declares that our "faith" is "not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

It is because our salvation is God's work and "not of yourselves" that He can promise that it is "eternal" and "everlasting."

If God has shown His love for you by granting you repentance and faith, you should want to show your love for Him. I John 4:19 says, "We love him, because he first loved us."

In John 14:15 Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

If God has saved you, you should want to follow Jesus' example and command in obtaining scriptural baptism and serving Him in one of His true churches that is "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I [Jesus] have commanded" (Matthew 28:20).

In John 10:27-29 Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."