The Simplicity of Salvation
9/17/06
There is nothing more serious
in all of life than being saved.
Salvation was never meant to
be complicated, hard, confusing or difficult.
Mat. 11:25 At that time Jesus
said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden
these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes,
Father, for this was your good pleasure.
2 Cor. 11:3 (NASB) But I am
afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be
led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Salvation made simple
Five
steps--Believe--Repent--Receive--Confess--Transfer of Ownership.
1. Believe
We believe from the heart.
Rom. 10:8 But what does it
say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is,
the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your
mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, “Anyone who
trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly
blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved.”
Jo. 3:16 “For God so loved
the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands
condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only
Son.
Jo. 16:7 But I tell you the
truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the
Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When
he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness
and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in
me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the
Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment,
because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Rom. 1:16 I am not ashamed of
the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone
who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For
in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by
faith.”
1 Thess. 2:13 And we also
thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you
heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is,
the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
Ja. 2:18 But someone will
say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I
will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one
God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
2. Repent
Acts
2:29 “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and
was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet
and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his
descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the
resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his
body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all
witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has
received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you
now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he
said,
“‘The Lord
said to my Lord:
“Sit at my
right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’
36“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart
and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is
for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our
God will call.”
3. Receive Jesus
Jo. 1:10 He was in the world,
and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet
to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God—13children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Col. 2:6 So then, just
as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted
and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness.
4. Confess
Rom. 10:8 But what does it
say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is,
the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess
with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, “Anyone
who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly
blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved.”
Jo. 12:42 Yet at the same
time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they
would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the
synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from
God.
Mat. 10:32 (KJV) Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
1 Tim. 6:11 But you, man of
God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take
hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good
confession in the presence of many witnesses.
5. Transfer of Ownership
1 Cor. 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits
are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your
own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore
honor God with your body.
I gladly
submit to His will because I belong to Jesus, I am not my own anymore.
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,
which he bought with his own blood.
1 Cor. 7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become
slaves of men.
1 Pet. 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as
silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Rev.
5:9 And they sang a new song:
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for
God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.