HOW IS SALVATION GAINED?
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” THAT NOT MANY ARE SAVED
Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door,because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Luke 13:23-24
THEN GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” THAT MOSES AND THE PROPHETS ARE SUFFICIENT FOR SALVATION
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:29-31
THEN GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” THAT IT IS ONLY THROUGH JESUS, AND NOT THROUGH THE LAW OF MOSES
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. Acts 13:39
This means that all those who died before Jesus’ time, or who have never heard his gospel, are excluded and not saved.
SALVATION IS:
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY FAITH (BELIEF) ONLY
50 But Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Luke 7:50,
14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him would have eternal life. 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his uniquely existing Son so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. John 3:14-16
John 3:18, 36, 5:24, 6:29, 35, 40, 47, 70, 10:25-28, Acts 13:39, 16:31, Rom 1:16, 3:20-26, Rom 4, 9:32, Gal 2:16, 3:11, 14, Eph 1:13, 2:8-9, 1 Tim 1:16, 2 Tim 3:14-15, 1 Pet 1:9, Heb 10:38-39, and 11:17, where Paul gives as an example Abraham offering Isaac).
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – THAT MERCY CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR UNBELIEF
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 1 Tim 1:13
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY WORKS ONLY (INCLUDING OBEDIENCE TO COMMANDMENTS)
21 “Not everyone who keeps saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom from heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. Matt 7:21
“keep the commandments,”
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?” 17 Jesus asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.” Matt 19:16-20
Luke 10:36-37, 12:47-48, 19:8-9, John 14:15; also Lev 18:5, Ps 65:12, 103:17-20). Paul also says works (“law”) (Rom 2:5-6, 13, 2 Cor 5:10), and says we must “work out” our own salvation (Php 2:12).
James also says works, giving the example of Abraham offering Isaac (James 2:20-24). James also says “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-26), and “be doers of the word,” which you must also know (so that knowledge is also required; James 1:22-27). Also Ezek 18:1- 22, 30, Rev 20:12-15 (“judged according to their works”), 22:12-14, 2 Pet 1:10, 1 John 2:3-5, Ps 62:12, Jer 17:10, 2 Tim 3:17, Heb 5:9.
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – CHARITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FAITH
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:2
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13
Those who do not help the needy are condemned
34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 because I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. 36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’….Matt 25:34-36
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matt 25:44-46
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY GRACE ONLY, I.E., IT IS A “GIFT”
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him to life on the last day. John 6:44
65 So he said, “That’s why I told you that no one can come to me unless it be granted him by the Father.” John 6:65
11 We certainly believe that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[a] that we are saved, just as they are.” Acts 15:11
14 “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice, Acts 22:14
Rom 3:24, 5:15-21 (a “free gift”), 6:23, 9:16, 11:5-6, Eph 2:5-9, 1 Pet 1:10, 2 Tim 1:9, Tit 2:11, 3:5-7, Isa 43:25, Jer 30:21
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY CONFESSION OF SIN
Catholics LOVE this one.
My sin I acknowledged to you; my iniquity I did not hide.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin! Ps 32:5
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY REPENTANCE
(Isa 55:6-7, Matt 3:1-6, 4:17, 9:10-13, Luke 13:1-5, Acts 17:30, Rom 6:23, James 4:7-10, 2 Pet 3:9, Rev 3:19-21).
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY REPENTANCE PLUS BAPTISM
4 John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4
3 John went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, Luke 3:3
Acts 2:37-38, Acts 22:16
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY BAPTISM
Rejecting God’s Plan if you refuse …
28 I tell you, no one has ever been born who is greater than John. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 By having been baptized with John’s baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God’s plan for themselves[c] by refusing to be baptized by John Luke 7:28-30
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell you[a] emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5
38 Peter answered them, “Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah[b] for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. Acts 2:38
21 Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clear[a] conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, 21 Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clear conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,
Matt 3:1-17, 28:19-20, Acts 10:47-48 16:25-33, 22:10-16, Gal 3:27, Heb 6:1-2
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY BELIEF AND BAPTISM
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY REPENTANCE, FAITH, BAPTISM, AND LAYING ON OF HANDS
Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God,2 instruction about cleansing rites,[b] the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Heb 6:1-2
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY CALLING ON THE LORD’S (OR JESUS’) NAME
21 Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Acts 2:21
13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Rom 10:13
Not Everyone
But… “not everyone that saith Lord, Lord shall enter;”
21 “Not everyone who keeps saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom from[a] heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. Matt 7:21
25 After the homeowner gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside, knock on the door, and say again and again, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ Luke 13:25
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY STATING ALOUD A BELIEF IN JESUS AND HIS RESURRECTION
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Rom 10:9
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY ENDURING TO THE END
You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matt 10:22
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matt 24:13
Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY POVERTY
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” Matt 19:21
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then he told him, “You’re missing one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” Mark 10:21-24
24 So when Jesus saw how sad he was, he said, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:24-25
8 Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, “Look! I’m giving half of my possessions to the destitute, and if I have accused anyone falsely, I’m repaying four times as much as I owe.” 9 Then Jesus told him, “Today salvation has come to this home, because this man is also a descendant of Abraham, Luke 19:8-9
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY LOSING OUR LIFE FOR JESUS
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matt 16:25
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY BEING “BORN AGAIN”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BY EATING JESUS’ FLESH – (BE A CANNIBAL)
48 I’m the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die. 51 I’m the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he’ll live forever. And the bread I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 Then the Jewish leaders[a] debated angrily with each other, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you[b] emphatically, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I’ll raise him to life on the last day, 55 because my flesh is real[c] food, and my blood is real[d] drink. 56 The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will also live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not the kind that your ancestors ate. They died, but the one who eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:48-58
BUT, GOD DECIDES, REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DO
23 He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.” Matt 20:23
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him to life on the last day. John 6:44
John 6:65, 17:2, 6, 9, Acts 2:39, 47, 4:28, 13:48, Eph 1:4-5, 11, 2:10, Ps 133:3, 139:16, 1 Thess 5:9, 2 Thess 2:11-14, Rom 2:4, 8:29-30, 9:11-18, Cor 12:18, Php 2:13, 2 Tim 1:9, 1 Pet 2:8, 5:10, Rev 17:8).
SALVATION LEARNED?
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE SCRIPTURES, I.E., THE OT
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:29-31
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 3:15
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BUT THE GOSPEL HAD BEEN KEPT HIDDEN UNTIL JESUS
Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel,the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[a] faith— Rom 16:25-26
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. Col 1:26
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – JESUS USES PARABLES SO THAT THE MEANING WILL BE HIDDEN
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. Matt 11:25
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ Matt 13:10-15
He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ Mark 4:11-12
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’ Luke 8:10
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – BUT JESUS CAME TO BRING THE TRUTH
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37
WILL ANYONE, ONCE SAVED, BE LOST?
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – NONE WILL BE LOST
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:27- 29
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Pet 3:9
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – SOME WILL BACKSLIDE AND BE LOST
No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Cor 9:27
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Tim 4:1
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[a] away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Heb 6:4-6
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? Heb 10:26-29
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”[a] and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” 2 Pet 2:20-22
GOD SAID IN HIS “WORD” – THE FORMER RIGHTEOUSNESS OF A SINNER WILL BE FORGOTTEN
20 “When a righteous man abandons his righteousness to practice unrighteousness, I’ll set a stumbling block before him. He’ll die. If you don’t warn him, he’ll die in his sin and the righteous deeds that he had practiced won’t be remembered, but you’ll be held responsible for his death.[a] Ezek 3:20