The Plan of Salvation
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
If you were asked "if you were to die today, do you know for sure you would go to heaven?", would your answer be yes?
What do you believe one must do to be saved?
- Do you have to go to church?
- Do you have to live a good life?
- Do you have to repent of all your sins?
- Do you have to follow all the commandments?
- Do you just have to believe in Jesus Christ?
Do you believe there is anything you can do to lose your salvation?
Let me show you from the Holy Bible how you could know for sure you're saved.
The Bible says that everyone has sinned. I have sinned, you have sinned, everyone has sinned.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"
We are all going to die some day, physically. The Bible says that the punishment of sin is death.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Not only will we die one day, but the Bible talks about a second death.
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
Revelation 20:14-15 "14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
What would you call the place mentioned in the previous verses, the "lake of fire"? Its Hell.
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."
You're probably not a murderer or a sorcerer. However, what about the part of the verse that talks about "all liars"? I know that I have lied before. Have you lied before? The reality is everyone has lied before. The Bible says all liars will go to Hell when they die. You may have done other things on that list, but, even if all you have done is lie, Hell is still where you would end up.
According to the Bible we all deserve to go to Hell, but did you know God loves us? If God loves us, does he want us to go to Hell? Of course he doesn't want us to go to Hell. Was he kidding when he said we deserve Hell? No, he wasn't. God loves us, and because he loves us he doesn't want us to pay the punishment of sin.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus Christ came to this earth in order to give us a way to be saved from the punishment of our sin. The Bible says Jesus Christ is the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and was born of a virgin.
Mathew 1:18 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
The next few verses are here to show you that Jesus is God, and that God came to this earth in the form of a flesh and blood man.
John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
While Jesus was on this earth he lived a perfect sinless life. It was through his death on the cross that we were given the opportunity to be saved from our sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
When Jesus Christ chose to die for the sins of the world on the cross, he paid the debt of sin for all who will believe.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
How Can I be Saved?
This question was asked in the bible.
Acts 16:30-31 "30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."