GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION
Many people believe in God. Some believe there are many
gods. Christians believe there is only One God and He commands men and woman
from all nations to worship Him only. The Biblical text of Luke, chapter 4 and
verse 8 (Luke 4:8) states “It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God
and serve Him only”. Christians also believe that the Bible is the normative
source for Theology – The God of heaven is the ultimate source of His own
theology, even though others have suggested many possible sources of revelation
about God. God reveals Himself to us through the works of His hands (Psalm
19:1; Romans 1:18-20), through the “built in knowledge of His moral laws”
(Romans 2:15), through general and special revelation, and through tradition.
We cannot rely on “subjective general revelation” as this can lead to error – “We
exchange God’s truth for lies in order to justify our unbelief and to excuse
our sinful ways” (Romans 1:25) [1].
The Bible affirms that God is its author (Matthew 15:6) and
urges us to live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew
4:4). Jesus when He was on the earth calls the word of God “His words” (John 5:
38-39) and the Apostle Paul calls the writings of the Bible “The very words of
God” (Romans 3:2). The Bible therefore, is “inspired by God and is profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (the
ways of God) and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible
then is the divine authority of the God of heaven (2 Peter 1:20-21) and gives
instructions to man as to the need for salvation.
As it is written in the Bible, “There is none righteous, no,
not one…All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does
good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). This biblical text sums up the condition
of man – “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
The Apostle John said, “If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves
and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). In other words, we all need help to
overcome our sin problem. The answer for sin is found only in the message of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life:
No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me”. Jesus, the Son of God (1 John 5:20)
declares that salvation is found only in Him: “Nor is there salvation in any
other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must
be saved (Acts 4:12).
Revealing The Plan Of Salvation
In time, God provided an answer for the problem of sin in a
rescue mission. This rescue mission was announced over the all of history,
recorded in biblical text and revealed finally with the Birth of Jesus. An Angel
from heaven announced this rescue mission stating “Behold I bring you good
tidings of great Joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this
day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Jesus
was born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:25). He lived among the people, experienced
life within His community, experienced life like any human, and later began His
teaching ministry. He healed the sick, cured diseases, cast out demons, worked
miracles, taught the people the words of God, and was later offered up as a
sacrifice for all mankind (John 3:16-17). He was offered up on a cross for the
propitiation of sins (1 John 2:2). He endured the cross, despised the shame and
is now seated at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2). While we were still
sinners, Christ died on the cross (Romans 5:8). Jesus fulfilled His mission to
rescue man from their sins. He was the only way.
In this we find the
good News – Jesus Christ was crucified (John 19: 17, 28, 30), was resurrected
from the dead (John 20) and returned to heaven (Acts 1:9). It was now the task
of His followers (now the church) and the power of His Holy Spirit to declares
the Good News of this rescue Mission. Christ’ followers were commanded to share
the Good News of the Gospel which is: The Death, Burial and Resurrection of
Jesus Christ to all people (Acts 1:7-8). Here’s the reliable Truth – “God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has
life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).
Anyone who believes in the name of the Son of God (Jesus) “will have eternal
life as long as he continues to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John
4: 13). This is what Jesus was referring to when He laid out the Plan of
Salvation to a Jewish Rabbi called Nicodemus. Jesus told Him “Truly, truly. I
say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Unless
one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
(John 3: 3-5). In this single statement Jesus essentially said that in order to
be saved, a person must be baptized in His name and be filled with His Spirit.
Entrance into the kingdom requires baptism by water for the forgiveness of
sins, and a filling of God’s Holy Spirit for daily sanctification (Holy Spirit
directed living). When a person comes to God, He (God) removes our heart of
stone (rebellion and sin) and replaces it with a heart of flesh (a submitted
will to God’s commands and purposes) [Ezekiel 36:26].
Here’s what the Plan
of Salvation looks like:
· First, say Yes! - Yes to Jesus. Accept His free gift of salvation. Confess this! Jesus is
Lord and Savior. Remember, there is nothing you can do to earn this. Only
believe in Christ work on the cross.
Þ Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)
Þ Jesus Christ gave His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28)
Þ This has been God’s plan since the beginning (Revelation 13:8)
Þ On Calvary, Jesus offered Himself up, so that His blood cleanses us from
all our sins (Romans 3:25; John 2:2; 1 John 1:7)
· Second, You must believe this by Faith - For it is by grace you have
been saved through faith, and this not from
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no
one can boast.… (Ephesians 2:8)
· Third, You must Repent of your sins - “Repent,
and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
· Fourth, You must be Baptized in Jesus Name - Baptism saves you!
Þ In Baptism, we die to our old self and put on Christ’ righteousness. There
is a spiritual cleansing where the blood of Jesus covers you, cleans you up
(purify), you are sanctified, and you rise up from the water a new person
Þ You become a son of God; a heir by
Faith in Christ (Galatians 3:26)
Þ Anyone “in-Christ” is counted as a son and heir as we become adopted into
the family of God. You will never be alone (Galatians 4:5)
Þ You become royalty, holy - Because God is holy, you
become holy. He calls His people to be separate and distinct and to live
morally pure.
“Be holy for I am holy” (1
Peter 1:16)
A Few Spiritual Disciplines On This New Journey
A Few Spiritual Disciplines On This New Journey
· Pursue holiness - It must be your goal to depend upon the Holy
Spirit daily for the strength to live a holy life. Holy living is Spirit guided
living—life lived listening to the voice of God and giving honor to him in
living.
Þ You are called to be a witness for God in school, at work, at church, at
play. “So, whether you
eat or drink or whatever you do, do it
all to the glory of God. Do not become a stumbling block…”
(1 Corinthians 10: 31-32)
Þ Your Faith in God will give you the desire to please Him (Colossians 1:10)
Þ Living an unrestrained, sinful lifestyle will only lead you away from God.
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God” (2 Corinthians 7:1)
· Live a Spirit-Filled Life - The Holy Spirit that took a hold of your life
at baptism will empower you to become an effective witness: “But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest
part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
· Read your Bible - It is essential that you study God’s holy
word. They say, “You are what you eat”. So it is with God’s word. You know Him
when you study Him. Get to know Him through the daily reading of the
Scriptures. Search for Him and you will find Him. God wants to reveal His
secrets to you. A regular intake of God’s holy word is how you grow spiritually
(1 Timothy 2:15; Psalms 119:105)
· Pray every day - This is how you communicate with God. The
Bible encourages us to “Pray without ceasing” (1
Thessalonians 5:17). Praying will give us a good conscience and the strength to
act honorably (Hebrews 13:18)
· Attend a Bible-believing church - This is where you grow with other believers;
get strengthened in your faith; exercise your spiritual gifts become effective
in witness (Hebrews 10:25)
References:
1.
Cottrell, J. Baptism. The United States of
America: College Press Publishing (2006)
2.
The Macarthur Study Bible. The United States of
America: Thomas Nelson (1997)
3.
Cottrell, J. A Faith Once For All. The United
States of America: College Press Publishing (2003)
4.
Robbins, D. First Steps For New Christians.
Summarized next steps - Retrieved from:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#sent/15afc31606a10e8a?projector=1
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