To be saved means:
1. You have eternal life.
2. You are no longer in danger of going to the Lake of Fire.
3. You have been rescued from this danger.
How about you? If you were to die right now, are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven? Are you saved?
- In order for someone to get saved, he must understand some things. In order to understand, you must THINK. Please THINK about this question and state your answer.
What must a person do to be saved?
- You have now established what you believe. This is very important because what you believe is vitally important to being saved.
- Next, we must establish that the Word of God is the final authority on salvation.
Romans 3:4 “…yea, let God be true, but every man a liar…”
- Whatever God says is true. If we disagree with God, then God is right and we are wrong.
- If a teacher or preacher tells you what you must do to be saved, but God says something different, then God is right and they are wrong.
Are you paying attention? Are you still THINKING?
- Many people believe that to be saved you must follow God’s ways, obey the commandments, do good works, live a righteous life, or stop sinning.
Do you believe that?
- So far we have established what YOU BELIEVE a person must do to be saved.
Let’s look at what God says about being righteous to be saved.
Romans 10:1-4 “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
- The children of Israel had a passion for God, and they were trying to establish their own righteousness. However, they were not saved.
Philippians 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
- When we trust in our righteousness for salvation, then we are in contradiction with the Word of God. If you are trying to live a righteous life to be saved, you are lost.
Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
According to this verse, are you righteous in God’s eyes?
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Do your
righteous deeds impress God?
According
to God’s Word, can you get salvation by being a righteous person?
Let’s look at what God says about obeying the commandments to be saved.
Galatians 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
- No person will be justified (declared righteous) in God’s eyes by obeying the law.
James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
- If you break one commandment, then the Bible says you are guilty of breaking them all. All of us have sinned and broken God’s commandments.
Have you
broken any of God’s commandments?
Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
- If keeping the commandments gives us salvation, then there was no reason for Jesus Christ to die on the cross.
According
to God’s Word, can you get salvation by obeying the commandments?
Let’s look at what God says about doing good works to be saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
- God is clearly telling us that we cannot get salvation by our good works. Salvation is not of yourself and not of works.
- Grace is something that one does not deserve. If salvation comes because of works, then you have earned salvation and it is not of grace.
Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
- Romans chapter 4 explains this truth also, here are three of these verses
Romans 4:4-6 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,”
- Once again we see that God is making it very clear. Your works cannot save you! Your works do not determine whether you are saved or lost.
Titus 3:4-5 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
Does God
save you because of the works of righteousness that you have done?
According
to God’s Word, can you get salvation by doing good works?
Let’s look at what God says about stopping your sin to be saved.
1Jn 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
- If you are trying to stop sinning to be saved, then
you are trying to do something that is impossible for any human to do. Certainly God does not want us to
sin, but Jesus Christ was the only Man Who ever was or ever will be without
sin.
- Some believe that you must ask God for forgiveness after every time you sin, and that you must do this continually to be saved. If this is true, then you could be saved one day and lost the next.
- The Bible teaches that either you are saved, or you are lost. Either you are a born-again child of God, or you are a condemned sinner with the wrath of God abiding on you. Salvation is not something that takes place over a long process of time. No one is becoming saved because they change their life to be more like Christ.
Are you a
sinner?
According to God’s Word, can you get salvation by stopping your sin?
REVIEW
You have learned that you cannot obtain salvation by:
1. Being a righteous person.
2. Obeying the commandments.
3. Doing good works.
4. Stopping your sin.
- Now, look back to the beginning of the page.
What did
you think that you believed a person must do to be saved? Did it include any of these things?
- If it did, then you need to change your mind. You need to repent of trusting in these things to save you.
Mark 1:15 “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
- Repent comes from the Greek word, metanoeo. This word means to change your mind or to think differently about something.
- You must change what you are trusting in! You do not turn from all your sins to be saved. You STOP trusting in what you have been trusting (i.e. what you wrote down at the beginning of the booklet.) You MUST change your mind!
- You may be asking, “If these things cannot save me, then how can I be saved?” Someone in the Bible asked the same question.
Acts 16:30-31 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
- Notice that when this man asked what he must do to be saved, they did not tell him to: go to church, get baptized, read the Bible, do good works, live a righteous life, follow Jesus, or stop sinning. They said BELIEVE. You must believe on Jesus Christ to be saved!
Here is a simple plan of salvation from God's Word.
1. Realize you are a sinner.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
2. Realize that you deserve to die and go to Hell because of your sin.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
- We must realize that even if we have only committed what we would call “small sins,” we are still guilty of breaking God’s laws, and we deserve to spend eternity in Hell.
3. Believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Jesus is God Almighty and has the power to forgive sin.
- This is a prophecy about Jesus. He is THE MIGHTY GOD!
Matthew 9:2 “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
- Jesus has the power to forgive sins. He died, was buried, and He rose again, conquering the power of sin and death!
4. Trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
According to God’s Word, and based on what you stated at the beginning of this booklet, were you right or wrong in what you were trusting to give you salvation?
Do you
realize you are a sinner?
Do you
realize you deserve death and Hell because of your sin?
Do you
believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again to pay for your sins and
give you salvation?
Do you
choose to trust in Jesus alone to save you?
- If you answered “yes,” to these questions, then tell God in a prayer something like this:
- “Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I know that I deserve to go to Hell because of my sin. I believe You died to pay for my sins. I trust You, and only You to save me. Thank you for saving me today. Amen.”
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Welcome to the family of God!
Gal 3:26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Getting saved is a one- time happening, but living the Christian life is a daily process. We would like to invite you to come to a church that preaches the truth about salvation. We would like to encourage and edify you, and help you to become the Christian that God wants you to be.
Please visit us!!!
at
Fundamental Baptist Church Int.
Pastor, Ted Speer
