THE PLAN OF SALVATION

At the end of Matthew's Gospel are what most in the Church consider Christ's marching orders for the church. Matthew 28:18-20 read, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded ...”. In fact, all four gospels and the Book of Acts contain some words of instruction concerning what the Church was to do until Christ would return. Mark 16:15 adds, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”. Luke has this to say in chapter 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations”. John chimes in with chapter 20:21, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”. Finally Luke also records in Acts 1:8, “"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”. With His Great Commission to Teach, to Preach, to Witness, just what is we are to tell.

Getting people to agree on what the gospel or good news is is like trying to get three blind men to agree on what an elephant looks like. Three blind men are brought up next to an elephant. The first is put back near the tail, the second next to a leg, and the last near the trunk. The first man thinks an elephant is like a rope, its long and skinny, even a little frayed on the end. The man near a leg thinks the elephant is like a big tree. The last man thinks the animal is like a snake wrapping itself around him. That is a good description of how the Church describes or explains the gospel. Several answers for the same question – How does one get saved.

The first thing we need to address is WHY do we need saving? Simple, we are all sinners, and being such, all bound for damnation if left in that state. Consult Romans 3:23 and 6:23 on this. What is a sin some may ask? I John 5:17 defines a sin as, “ All unrighteousness is sin...”. Any action that goes against God or His Word is a sin. James 4:17 says this, ““Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”. In other words, to NOT do what God has I instructed us is a sin. Finally there are sins that do not involve any action just a thought or contemplation. Jesus said in Matthew 5:27 and 28, “"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”.

The good news is we can be saved. A fairly clear explanation of mankind's situation is found in Ephesians 2:1 to 8. Verse 8 reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”. God offers a free gift to all who will accept, that gift is grace. A couple of easy definitions of grace we need to remember and share are, Grace is the unmerited (unearned) favor of God. Another is to take the letters forming the word GRACE. God's Riches At Christ;'s Expense. This is predicated on the fact we will accept that gift via our faith (trust, belief) in His offer and its existence. Without these two, Grace and Faith, anything else we do is a waste of time. There are other directions given in Scripture which we here cited as the way of salvation. But Grace and Faith are the starting place.

Many cite Romans 10:9 and 10, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”. A profession of one's belief in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Another form of profession or confession is found in I John 1:8 to 10, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. “. This confession of sin doesn't have to be made in public or to a clergy member, but only to God.

Repentance is also cited as an action based on one's faith. Acts 3:19 says,”Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”. To repent is to renounce your former life, to turn away from any sins that may have plagued you. Water Baptism is often coupled with repentance. Acts 2:38 and 39 state, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.". Immersion for the remission of sin.

Some stop at grace and faith. Others add verbal confession or profession to the mix. Some advocate saying a “sinner';s prayer” as the way of salvation. I leave you with a simple question, whose idea or opinion counts more? Man picks a piece here and a piece there, and says that enough to be saved. Maybe they are right, we do have a merciful Father. However, our Father has laid out relatively clearly what His Word says we must do to be saved. Who;'s word carry s more authority or weight?

Dr. O