RP 101 THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION

#1.1 WE ALL NEED TO BE SAVED

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and everything upon it (Genesis 1), including man (Genesis 2:7). Everything that he made was very good (Genesis 1:31), and there was no knowledge of sin, or sickness, or any evil in the lives of Adam and Eve. They were created perfect, and innocent, and they had fellowship with God in the garden of Eden. Nevertheless, God subjected them to one small test of obedience:

(Genesis 2:17) "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."

There was no need to eat the forbidden fruit, they had been given every other tree in the garden for food (Genesis 2:16), but when Eve was tempted by the serpent, she and Adam both disobeyed God and ate of it (Genesis 3:1-7). Thus it was proven, that creating perfect, innocent people was not the way to get people to walk perfectly with God. Why did this dispensation of innocence fail? One reason was because man had no knowledge or experience of "death"; he did not understand the penalty for disobeying God. When Adam sinned this brought terrible consequences upon the rest of mankind:

(Romans 5:12) "For as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed into all men, by which all sinned."

Once the knowledge of sin entered into the world it was a relatively easy thing for the devil to tempt man into sin. When he sinned, he died spiritually and became separated from God. People were allowed to go according to their conscience during this time, and although many lived over 900 years on the earth (Genesis 5), the end result was that all flesh corrupted his own way (Genesis 6:12), the earth became corrupt (Genesis 6:11), and all of men's thoughts were only to do evil continually (Genesis 6:5). God destroyed all the wicked with a flood, but saved Noah, who was a just and perfect man (Genesis 6:9), together with his family and pairs of each of the animals, in the ark which he built (Genesis 6-8). Thus it was shown that allowing man to go only according to his conscience, was not the way to get him to walk obediently with God, something more was needed. Why did this dispensation of conscience fail? simply because our conscience does not tell us the difference between right and wrong, it only tells us the difference between what we think is right, and what we think is wrong. The conscience is ineffective when people are "wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." (Jeremiah 4:22). After the flood men became corrupt again, although there were a few, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, who sought after God and endeavoured to obey him:

(Romans 5:14) "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression,".

So we come to the time of Moses and the Law, which was given to the children of Israel after they left Egypt. Before the law men could sin without their conscience convicting them:

(Romans 5:13) "For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law."

But once the law came, it brought the knowledge of sin, and their conscience could work effectively again:

(Romans 7:7) "I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet."
(Romans 3:20) "for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Even so, the law was not the answer either, men still did much wickedness, and the law failed to bring man back into right standing with God:

(Galatians 2:16) "for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
(Hebrews 7:19) "For the law made nothing perfect,"
(Hebrews 10:1) "For the law ... can never with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually make those who come to it perfect."

Why did this dispensation of law fail? there were several reasons:

     (1) Many times the conviction of sin came after they sinned, when they read the law.

The law did not prevent people from sinning because it was not in their heart, and it did not cause their conscience to operate when it was needed, that is before they sinned.

     (2) Man's sin was covered through the ritual processes of the law, such as the day of atonement (Leviticus 16), but this did not remove the sin from his heart:

(Hebrews 10:2) "For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged would have no more conscience of sins."
(Hebrews 10:4) "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins."
(Hebrews 10:11) "And every high priest stands daily ministering and offering often the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:"

     (3) A man could obey the law without having his heart right with God:

(2 Chronicles 25:1-2) "Amaziah ... did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart."
(Matthew 15:8) "This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

When God judges us he looks at our heart (1 Samuel 16:7), so this was no good either.

     (4) The law tended to lead men into self righteousness rather than God's righteousness:

(Deuteronomy 6:25) "And it will be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us."
(Romans 10:3) "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God."
(Philippians 3:9) "not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,".

Selfish man always wants to earn his own salvation by doing good deeds, but it is impossible for us to save ourselves (Job 40:9-14), and God does not save us because of our good works:

(Titus 3:5) "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 Spirit;"
(Ephesians 2:8-9) "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Self-righteousness just leads to boasting of our own goodness (Luke 18:11-12). All this leaves every one of us in a sorry state, lost in sin:

(Ecclesiastes 7:20) "For there is not a just man upon the earth who does good, and does not sin."
(Romans 3:10) "There is none righteous, no, not one:"
(Romans 3:23) "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Some might think that they are not sinners, but they are judging themselves by their own standard. When judgement comes God will judge by his standard, not by ours. So none of us are exempt from this, because unbelief is sin (John 16:8-9; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 3:12), lack of faith is sin (Matthew 23:23; Romans 14:23), all unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17), transgression of the law is sin (James 2:9-10; 1 John 3:4), failure to do good is sin (Matthew 23:23; James 4:17), foolish thoughts are sin (Proverbs 15:26; 24:9; Acts 8:22), unnecessary words are sin (Psalms 39:1; Proverbs 10:19; Matthew 5:37; James 3:6), and all disobedience to the word of God is sin (Numbers 15:31; Daniel 9:5; 9:11).

(1 John 1:8) "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
(1 John 1:10) "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

The penalty for our sin is also clear:

(Ezekiel 18:4) "The soul who sins, it will die."
(Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death;"
(James 1:15) "sin, when it is finished, brings forth death."

There is no way that we can save ourselves once we have sinned, because we do not have the power to do it (Job 40:9-14). No matter how good a life we have led, every one of us has sinned, and in God's righteous judgment, sin has to be paid for. We cannot put right all the mistakes we have made in the past. If we have killed anyone, can we bring them back to life? If we have hurt anyone, can we take away the pain that they have already suffered? Even if we pay back what we have stolen, can we take back the suffering that our action may already have caused? We cannot even say sorry to those that we have offended or let down, who have since passed away, and even if we live a perfect life from now until we die, this is no more than God expects of us:

(Ecclesiastes 12:13) "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

Without God's intervention we are all destined to the lake of fire, which is the end of all sinners (Revelation 14:9-11; 19:20; 20:10):

(Revelation 20:15) "And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Every person who has ever lived, except Jesus Christ, has sinned and needs a saviour.

#1.2 GOD WANTS TO SAVE US

How can we know that God wants to save us? simply because God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2), and he has made it clear in his word that it is his will for all to be saved:

(Ezekiel 18:32) "I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord God: therefore turn yourselves and live."
(1 Timothy 2:3-4) "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
(2 Peter 3:9) "The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
(John 6:37) "him who comes to me I will certainly not cast out."

This being so, a man might ask, "Why on earth would God want to save me? I am as wicked as can be, I have never done anything for God, or thought much about him, I have lived in sin all my life, and been diligent in all things to please myself, even at the expense of others. Why would God ever want to save me?" There are some good reasons why God wants to save us:

     (1) God is our creator. He not only created man in the beginning, but he continues to create people through the natural process of childbearing now:

(Genesis 1:27) "So God created man in his own image, he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female."
(Isaiah 43:7) "Even every one who is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yes, I have made him."
(Malachi 2:10) "Do we not all have one Father? has not one God created us?"

Many other scriptures also confirm this (Psalms 102:18; 104:30; Isaiah 43:15; 44:24; 45:12; 54:16; Jeremiah 1:5), and as our creator he has a responsibility towards us, which he desires to fulfill.

     (2) God is Just (or righteous). This is shown in the scriptures, (Nehemiah 9:33; Psalms 129:4; Isaiah 45:21; Lamentations 1:18), and so his very nature requires him to do right by us:

(Genesis 18:25) "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?"
(Deuteronomy 32:4) "a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."
(Job 37:23) "Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice;"

In order to do right, God has provided the salvation that we need. Otherwise we would be born into a corrupt world, without having the choice, and become sinners, destined to the lake of fire at the end of this life, with no way out.

     (3) God loves us. In fact God is love (1 John 4:8; 4:16), and he has extended his love towards us, by sending Jesus to suffer and die on the cross for us:

(John 3:16) "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."
(Romans 5:8) "But God demonstrates his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Because he loves us, God wants to save us. Jesus loved us enough to voluntarily lay down his life for us (John 10:11; 10:17-18):

(John 15:13) "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

     (4) God is merciful. The scripture declares that God is "plenteous in mercy." (Psalms 103:8), that his mercy is as high "as the heaven is above the earth," (Psalms 103:11), and "the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him." (Psalms 103:17). Every one of the 26 verses in Psalm 136 says that "his mercy endures for ever." In fact God delights in mercy (Micah 7:18), and one reason why he concluded all the Jews in unbelief, was "that he might have mercy on all." (Romans 11:32). Because he is merciful, God wants to have mercy on us by saving us (Titus 3:5). Dear reader, God's love and mercy is extended towards you as it is towards everyone else. If you are willing to receive it, then trust in the love and mercy of God, and he will surely do what is right.

#1.3 GOD'S PROVISION OF SALVATION

A man might say, "It's not my fault, I didn't ask to be born into a corrupt world, and become a sinner before I understood anything about it. God planned it this way, he should do something about it, I can't stop all the sin around me." Well, that may be true, but look at it like this; suppose we woke up one morning and found that our house was on fire. We could say, "It's not my fault, I did not want to wake up in a burning house, I didn't start this fire, and I can't do anything about it, but somebody ought to do something about it." When we look around we might see an open door at the end of the hall, a certain way of escape if we take it; what should we do? Should we stay there and moan, "It's not my fault, I didn't start this fire," and die refusing to take the escape route? Or should we make all haste to escape, thankful that there was a way out? This is like salvation: the world is burning in sin, and if we stay in it we will die and eventually be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). However, God has shown us the way out, and he has made a clear way of escape, through Jesus Christ, for all those who are willing to take it. What should we do? continue in sin and keep on complaining, or take the escape route while there is still time? Surely the latter is the only sensible solution. In order to save us, God has had to make a provision to pay for our past sins, and this he did by sending his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a sinless life on the earth:

(Hebrews 4:14-15) "Jesus the Son of God ... was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
(1 Peter 2:21-22) "Christ ... Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
(1 John 3:5) "And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."

This being so, he did not have to pay the penalty for his own sin, which is death (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23), but he was able to voluntarily lay down his own life (John 10:15; 10:18), and suffer and die for our sins:

(Isaiah 53:5-6) "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
(Romans 5:8) "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Galatians 1:4) "Who gave himself for our sins,"
(1 Peter 2:24) "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,"

It is like a man standing before a judge in court, convicted of a crime of which he admits he is guilty. The sentence of the judge is either a large fine, or a period in jail. The man admits his guilt, but he has no money to pay the fine, and he does not want to go to jail. What can he do? The son of the judge, having compassion on him, then offers to pay his fine if he will come and work for him, and the judge asks the convicted man if this is acceptable to him. If he agrees, his fine is paid, his debt is cancelled, and he goes free to work for his new friend. If he refuses he goes to jail. So it is with salvation: Jesus has paid our fine for past sins, and we are free to go if we are prepared to follow him. Salvation is totally free, and there is nothing that we can do to earn it (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), but there is a requirement of us after we are saved. Jesus himself said it, "he who does not take his cross, and does not follow after me, is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:38). When we receive Jesus as our Lord and saviour, it is not unconditional, there is an acceptance that we will endeavour to follow him, and obey him:

(Luke 6:46) "And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say?"
(John 10:14) "You are my friends if you do whatever I command you."
(2 Corinthians 5:15) "he died for all, that those who live should not from now on live for themselves, but for him who died for them,"

So there is God's provision, Jesus Christ has paid our debt, if we are prepared to receive it.
Secondly God has to make a provision for our deliverance from sin, because it is clear that no man can deliver himself. The apostle Paul explained it like this:

(Romans 7:19-24) "For the good which I would do, I do not do: but the evil which I would not do, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who will deliver me from the body of this death?"

Again Jesus Christ is the answer. The fact that he is not dead, but God raised him up after three days, his spirit can now come to dwell in our hearts to deliver us from sin:

(Acts 3:26) "To you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
(Galatians 1:4) "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of God and our Father:"

Imagine trying to get the air out of a glass. Tip it up, or spoon it out, all has no effect. Even if we put a cap on it, and tried to suck it out with a vacuum pump, we would not get it all out, and the external pressure would probably break the glass. But if we take it to a tap, and fill it with water, the water would push the air out because it is heavier than air, and it requires little or no effort. So it is with sin: we cannot get sin out of ourselves, there is no way that we can forsake sin by will power and self effort, because if we do get rid of one sin, another often replaces it. The law of sin and death operates in us, which is that sin produces spiritual death, and spiritual death causes sin; and so it perpetuates itself. The answer is through Jesus Christ:

(Romans 7:24-25) "O wretched man that I am! who will deliver me from the body of this death. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 8:2) "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
(John 8:36) "If the Son therefore will make you free, you will be free indeed."

As the spirit of Christ grows in our hearts, it pushes sin out just like water pushes air out of a glass. The law of the spirit of life comes into operation to set us free from sin. Christ is stronger than sin. Don't ever refuse salvation because of sin that you have been unable to forsake; Jesus is the answer, he will help you.

(John 1:12) "But as many as received him, to them gave he authority to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in his name."

Don't delay salvation in order to try to forsake sin first either, if you could make yourself good enough then Christ's death was pointless. Our self righteousness is just filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). So God has made a double provision, forgiveness of past sins, and deliverance from current sins, both of which we can appropriate by faith when we are born again. A better life awaits all those who wish to receive it.

#1.4 THE CONDITIONS TO RECEIVE SALVATION

#1.41 BE PREPARED TO REPENT OF SIN

LUKE 13:1-5
1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you will all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think you that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you will all likewise perish.

ACTS 17:30 (Paul)
30 And the times of this ignorance God overlooked; but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

Note: Repentance is a most important teaching of scripture. John the Baptist preached it (Matthew 3:2), Jesus preached it (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3-5), the disciples preached it (Mark 6:12), which they continued to do even after Jesus' death (Acts 2:38; 3:19), and Paul preached it (Acts 17:30; 26:20; 2 Corinthians 7:9-11). To repent really means "to have a change of mind", and this is what we need to do with regard to sin and our former way of life when we come to Christ. God has commanded all men everywhere to do this (Acts 17:30), and it seems clear that no one will be saved without it (Luke 13:3-5). It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), and he has promised to give us the power to do it thoroughly when we are born again:

(John 1:12-13) "But as many as received him, to them he gave authority to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in his name: Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

#1.42 BELIEVE IN JESUS

JOHN 3:16-18 (Jesus)
16 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.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He who believes in him is not condemned: but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Note: Every saved person is saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8; 1 Peter 1:5; 1:9), which includes believing in the heart. Believing is a verb, and is what we do; faith is a noun, and is what we can have when we believe. So what do we need to believe in order to be saved?

     (1) Believe in God (John 5:24; Hebrews 11:6),
     (2) Believe in Jesus (John 3:16; 3:36),
     (3) Believe in the name of Jesus (John 1:12; 3:18),
     (4) Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 1:18; 16:16; John 20:31; Acts 8:37; Romans 1:4),
     (5) Believe that Jesus died to pay the price for our sins (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24), and
     (6) Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9). (See Matthew 28:1-10; 28:16-20; Mark 16:9-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:11-31; Acts 13:30-33; 1 Corinthians 15:1-23).

Because we could not save ourselves, every Christian needs to believe that God sent Jesus to die for us, and to pay the price for our sins, so that we could be saved. Belief in God, or Jesus Christ, by itself, is not enough to be saved, because "the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 1:19). There were also many of the chief rulers who believed in Jesus, but would not confess him because they did not wish to lose their position in the synagogue (John 12:42-43); they did not have salvation.

#1.43 BE PREPARED TO CONFESS JESUS

MATTHEW 10:32-33 (Jesus)
32 Whoever therefore will confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever will deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

ROMANS 10:9-10 (Paul)
9 That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

Note: A living faith has two ways of expressing itself, and confession with the mouth is the first of these, so we need to confess what we believe in order to stand in faith:

(2 Corinthians 4:13) "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore I have spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak."

Confessing Jesus can mean several different things, but to start with we must be prepared to confess Jesus as Lord:

(Philippians 2:11) "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

This means that we should be prepared to confess to others that Jesus is our Lord; that we are Christians. It is clear that there is no salvation without this, because if we deny Jesus, he will also deny us before the Father (Matthew 10:33). Even the malefactor on the cross was prepared to call Jesus "Lord" (Luke 23:42), and defend him against the malefactor on the other cross (Luke 23:40-41). If we believe and confess, is that enough by itself to obtain salvation for us? The answer is no, there are many who are prepared to call Jesus Lord who will not be accepted by him when he returns (Matthew 7:21; 25:11; Revelation 3:16), and even the demons are prepared to confess who Jesus is in public (Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:34; 8:28). We need to go on to obey Christ, because we can deny him just by not doing the works that he has for us (Titus 1:16).

#1.44 BE PREPARED TO DO GOD'S WILL

MATTHEW 7:21 (Jesus)
21 Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

1 JOHN 2:17
17 And the world passes away, and the lust of it: but he who does the will of God abides for ever.

Note: The second way of expressing faith is with our actions, which should correspond with what we believe and confess. Without this we do not have a living faith, because "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:17; 2:20; 2:26). If we have a living faith, we will go on to find out God's will our life and do it, because we will believe that this is necessary to maintain our salvation (Matthew 7:21). The malefactor on the cross never had the opportunity to do this (Luke 23:39-43), which shows again that salvation is totally by faith, without works, but if he had escaped the cross, there is no doubt that he would have endeavoured to find out God's will for his life, and to do it. One reason why the unwise virgins did not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 25:1-13) was because they did not do the will of God:

(Ephesians 5:17) "Therefore do not be unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

In order to determine what God's will is for our lives, we need to study the word of God, and renew our mind with it:

(1 Peter 2:2) "As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow by it:"
(Romans 12:2) "be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Then, step by step, as God reveals his will to us, we need to put it into practice in our lives, which is how we grow and thus consolidate our salvation. If we are prepared to give diligence to this, then we have the assurance that we will not fail:

(2 Peter 1:10-11) "Therefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things you will never fall:
For so an entrance will be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

Salvation is for those who obey Jesus (Hebrews 5:9; Revelation 22:14; 2 John 9), but not for the disobedient (Romans 2:8; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

#1.5 HOW TO RECEIVE SALVATION

#1.51 YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN

JOHN 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, Amen, amen, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

JOHN 3:5
5 Jesus answered, Amen, amen, I say to you, Except a man is born of water, and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

JOHN 3:7 (Jesus)
7 Marvel not that I said to you, You must be born again.

Note: Statements like "he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3), and "he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5), show how necessary the new birth is to a Christian, but the word translated must (John 3:7) is the Greek word "dei" which means "it is necessary", and is absolutely conclusive. Jesus said also, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31), so until heaven and earth do pass away, the new birth will be essential in order to be saved. Jesus" answer to those who say that it not necessary to be born again is this:

(John 12:48) "He who rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same will judge him in the last day."

So what is the new birth? Initially we are born again when the spirit of Christ enters into us; not in it's full maturity, but we become what is referred to as "babes in Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:1), and "new-born babes," (1 Peter 2:2). From then on, as we grow as a Christian, the spirit of Christ grows and is formed in us as we go on to maturity, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." (Galatians 4:19). The spirit of Christ in us is essential for our salvation:

(Romans 8:9) "if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his."
(2 Corinthians 13:5) "Do you not know your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you are reprobates?"
(Colossians 1:27) "Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
(1 John 5:12) "He who has the Son has life; and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Thus in general conclusion, no religion anywhere in the world can produce salvation outside of this new birth experience, which is the spirit of Christ in us. Every religion that does not profess to be partakers of the new birth, as the means of salvation, should be forsaken with all haste. Those who do not teach it are in gross error, and they cannot save anyone:

(Isaiah 9:16) "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and those who are led of them are destroyed."
(Matthew 15:14) "if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch."
(Proverbs 13:20) "a companion of fools will be destroyed."

#1.52 YOU MUST BE CONVERTED

MATTHEW 18:2-3
2 And Jesus called a little child to him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Amen I say to you, Except you are converted, and become as little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

ACTS 3:19 (Peter)
19 Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord;

Note: The basic meaning of being converted is "being turned". It is different to being "born again" which is to do with believing in the heart, and a person can believe without being converted. An example of this are the Jewish rulers who believed on Jesus, but were not prepared to confess him (John 12:42-43); they temporarily believed, but were not converted. Just as an unfed new born baby would die in the natural, so these rulers would soon die spiritually and lose their temporary belief, being "forgetful hearers" (James 1:22-25). Sometimes conversion and being born again occur at the same time, and sometimes conversion follows the new birth, as a consequence of it. Conversion starts with our will, when we make a personal decision, an act of will on our part, to turn from sin and follow Jesus. This can be instantaneous. It is followed by the process of wholly converting our heart, which follows repentance (Luke 1:17), the renewing of our mind with the word of God (Romans 12:2), the forsaking of sinful ways (Ezekiel 18:30-32), and the full growth of Christ in us. An example of a person whose will was converted, but not his heart, was given by Paul (Romans 7:14-25), and another would be the malefactor on the cross with Jesus (Luke 39:43). The will conversion is certainly required to receive salvation by faith, we have to make a choice:

(Joshua 24:15) "choose this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
(1 Kings 18:21) "How long do you halt between two opinions? if the LORD is God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him."

Salvation is not unconditional as many teach, we cannot receive it and continue to live our own lives as before, because Jesus Christ has bought us with his own blood (Acts 20:28), and we will now belong to him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God is not mocked by people who try to take salvation as a gift, and then continue their own way, such people are deceiving themselves. Sit down and decide, do you want eternal life or not? Do you want to go to heaven or hell when you die? Will you serve the true God or "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4)? There are no other choices, by failing to serve God we automatically make the other choice. Jesus said:

(Matthew 12:30) "He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad."

How then do we receive this new birth? Sometimes God just does it as we read or hear his word (1 Peter 1:23), an example of which is Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:44). If we believe what we have read here in the scriptures, then all we really need to do is confess it, and act upon it; but if we have any doubts about whether we are born again or not, one way is simply to pray and ask for it. God has given us assurances in his word, that if we ask in faith, he will give it to us:

(Matthew 7:7-8) "Ask, and it will be given you; ... For every one who asks receives;"
(Matthew 21:22) "And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer believing, you will receive."
(John 14:14) "If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it."

So you can pray this prayer, believing that God will do his part.

#1.53 A PRAYER TO RECEIVE JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR

The references on the right hand side show the scriptures which apply to each line.
So what assurance can we have that if we pray this prayer that God will not refuse us? Firstly God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2), and having made clear that it is his will for all to be saved, then he will certainly not say no:

(John 6:37) "him who comes to me I will certainly not cast out."
(1 Timothy 2:3-4) "God our saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
(2 Peter 3:9) "The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

A man might say, "I prayed this prayer and nothing happened, I do not believe that God has saved me. What shall I do?" Two things:

     (1) Keep on asking until you do believe it; God will not refuse you. The time is coming when salvation will be cut off from the Gentile world altogether (Matthew 25:11-12; Luke 13:24-28), but that hasn't happened yet. There are places in scripture where prayers were prayed more than once before obtaining the answer (Matthew 26:39-45; Luke 11:5-10), and even prayers of long endurance (Daniel 10:1-21; Acts 27:21-24).

     (2) Study the word of God (the bible), begin to do what it says, and God will give you the belief according to his word:

(John 7:16-17) "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me. If any man will do his will, he will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."

#1.6 THE FATE OF ALL UNBELIEVERS AND UNREPENTANT SINNERS IS TO BE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE

MATTHEW 13:40-42 (Jesus)
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so it will be in the end of this age.
41The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness;
42 And will cast them into a furnace of fire: there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

MATTHEW 13:49-50 (Jesus)
49 So will it be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And will cast them into the furnace of fire: there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

MATTHEW 25:41, 46 (Jesus)
41Then he will say to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

MARK 9:43-48 (Jesus)
43 And if your hand offends you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that will never be quenched:
44 Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if your foot offends you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter maimed into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that will never be quenched:
46 Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if your eye offends you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

JOHN 5:28-29 (Jesus)
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice,
29 And will come forth; those who have done good to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

REVELATION 14:9-12 (John)
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

REVELATION 19:2-3
2 For true and righteous are his judgements: for he has judged the great whore, who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

REVELATION 19:20 (John)
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked miracles before him, with which he had deceived those who had the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

REVELATION 20:10 (John)
10 And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

REVELATION 20:15 (John)
15 And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

REVELATION 21:8 (John)
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Note: Some say that the lake of fire is a quick annihilation, but these scriptures reveal several facts that deny that:

     (1) Expressions such as "everlasting fire," (Matthew 25:41), "the fire that will never be quenched:" (Mark 9:43,45), and "the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:44,46,48), show that the fire does not go out.

     (2) Expressions such as "where their worm does not die," (Mark 9:44; 9:46; 9:48), and "they have no rest day nor night," (Revelation 14:11), show that people remain alive in it.

     (3) Expressions such as "everlasting punishment:" (Matthew 25:46), and statements such as "he will be tormented with fire" (Revelation 14:10), "the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night," (Revelation 14:11), and "will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10), all indicate continued torment and suffering.

     (4) Expressions such as "everlasting fire," (Matthew 25:41), "everlasting punishment:" (Matthew 25:46), "for ever and ever:" (Revelation 14:11; 19:3; 20:10), all indicate a prolonged duration.

The words translated "for ever and ever" literally mean "for the ages of the ages" in the Greek, and can only honestly be interpreted as an unspecified period which is immeasurable to us in terms of time. Is this really the ultimate destination of most people who ever lived? The simple answer is yes, because God has said it in his word, and he cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). Even if you doubt it, then surely it has to be worth finding out before it is too late? What exactly does it take to get our name written in the book of life (Revelation 20:15)? Why not study the word of God and find out? Compare it with the fate of the righteous (Revelation 21:1-27; 22:1-5). "For what will it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul (or life)?" (Mark 8:36).

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This is the end of this Study about the First Step to Salvation.