The Bible’s Steps of Salvation
The Sin Problem:
- Sin is the transgression of God’s law (I John 3:4).
- Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23).
- Sin’s punishment is death (Romans 6:23).
Jesus Is The Answer:
- “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” (John 3:16).
- Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15), but He suffered and died for us, so that our
sins could be forgiven (Romans 5:6-8).
What Must I Do To Be Saved?
Hear The
Gospel:
- “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God” (Romans 10:17).
- Unless one has heard that Jesus Christ died for his
sins, was buried, and arose from the dead, he cannot be saved (I
Corinthians 15:1-4).
Believe In
Jesus:
- Jesus said: “…if you do not believe that I am He, you
will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
- When the Philippian Jailor
asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas replied,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household” (Acts 16:30-31).
- Jesus also said: “He who believes and is baptized
will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
Repent Of
Sins:
- “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but
now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
- When the Jews on Pentecost Day learned from Peter
that they had crucified the Son of God, they “were cut to the heart” (Acts
2:37). They wanted to be forgiven of their
sins, so they asked, “What shall we do?”
They were told to “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:37-38).
Confess
Jesus As Lord:
- Jesus said: “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” (Matthew 10:32-33).
- The apostle Paul wrote: “But what does it say? ‘The
word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of
faith which we preach): 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” (Romans 10:8-10).
- When Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch,
the eunuch asked, “What hinders me from being baptized?” Philip told him he could be baptized if
he believed. The eunuch then
confessed, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:35-38).
We must make this confession in order to be saved.
Be Baptized Into Christ:
-
Jesus
said: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
-
Only
those who believe in Jesus, repent of sins, and confess that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God can truly be baptized (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, Acts
8:37-38). Otherwise, baptism
becomes what Peter said it is not: “the putting away of the filth of the
flesh…” (I Peter 3:21)…in other
words, a bath.
-
When
one is baptized, or buried in water, according to the Scriptures, he/she is
baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3-4), Added to the Lord’s church
(Acts 2:41,47), saved (Mark 16:16; I Peter 3:21), born again (John 3:3-5),
and in Christ where all
spiritual blessings are to be found (Ephesians 1:3, Galatians 3:26-27).
What does one have to do in order to be forgiven of
his sins? He must:
1.
Hear the Gospel of Christ;
2.
Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God;
3.
Repent of all his past sins;
4.
Confess that Christ is God’s Son;
5.
Be baptized for the remission of sins.
Are
you saved from your sins? Have you taken
these simple steps to salvation? If not,
why not do so today?
For
more information, contact: Walnut Street Church Of
Christ, PO Box
551, Greenville, Alabama, 36037.