If conviction of sin has led you to ask, “What must I do to be saved?” you have probably received a myriad of answers. Don’t stand in doubt of your soul’s salvation! Read to learn how the Bible answers your heartfelt question.
- When one is confronted with the law of God, or the Ten Commandments, conviction of sin is the natural response. Who could claim they have never lied, envied, or disobeyed their parents? The Scriptures teach,
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV)
Once the heart is convicted of sin, the natural question is “What must I do to be saved?” Christian churches exist for the purpose of answering that all-important question. Sadly, there seems to be confusion among Bible teachers as to the correct answer. On any given Sunday morning one could walk into several different churches and hear several different explanations of how to be saved. Here are three of the most common:
1. “Repent or turn from your sin”
2. “Ask Jesus into your heart”
3. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”
One might argue that all three answers are basically the same. But are they? Are these all valid gospels for today? Does each of these messages have the power to save a lost person from the penalty of sin? Only the Word of God can shed light on these questions, so let’s examine what the Scriptures say about each of these statements.
“Turn from your sin”
Our human nature likes to think that the answer to sin is simply to stop sinning. The assumption is that we must prove ourselves worthy of salvation before God will extend forgiveness. However, according to Scripture, it is impossible for an unsaved person to turn from his sin. Look what the Scriptures say of man’s original condition:
“And you hath he quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins…”(Ephesians 2:1 KJV)
The unsaved condition of every man is dead in sin. And more than that, all unsaved men are “the servants of sin.” In and of ourselves, there is no hope of freedom from bondage to sin. (Romans 6:17 KJV). “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8 KJV).
That is why God had to intervene for us:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love for which he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ…” (Eph. 2:4-5)
Only when a man is in Christ can he be free from the power of sin:
“Knowing this, that our old man [our sin nature] is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:6 KJV)
Prior to salvation, man is incapable of turning from sin. The victory over sin is a result of salvation, not the means to salvation. Therefore, the exhortation to “turn from your sin” is not only a false gospel, it is an impossibility for an unsaved man.
“Ask Jesus into your heart”
This “gospel” cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. It is derived from a misunderstanding of Revelation 3:20:
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Two things must be understood about this passage of Scripture. First, Revelation is a book of future events foretold by the Old Testament prophets and Jesus Christ in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Second, the context of Revelation 3 is the Second coming of Christ to the nation Israel. At that time, those in the nation that recognize him as their messiah and king will sit with him in his kingdom and sup with him. He explains this in verse 21 when he says, “…To him that overcometh [the Great Tribulation] will I grant to sit with me in my throne…”
Revelation 3:20 has nothing to do with us who live in this Age of Grace. Further, it is not teaching us, or anyone, to “ask Jesus into your heart” to be saved. This idea is a false gospel not found anywhere in the Bible.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved
The original question “… what must I do to be saved?” was asked by a jailor to the Apostle Paul as recorded in Acts 16:30. Paul’s reply was simple:
” … Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, …” (Acts 16:31 KJV)
What exactly is it that one must believe about Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul explains:
“I declare unto you the gospel … how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Cor 15:1-4)
Clearly, the only message for today that has power to save a sinner from the penalty of sin and the wrath of God is the message preached by the Apostle Paul, as the Scripture verifies:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;” (Romans 1:16 KJV)
Note that the gospel of Christ does not say to “endure,” “confess,” “repent,” “ask,” or “beg.” The salvation of God through Christ Jesus is offered to “all them that believe” (Romans 3:22).
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…that he [God] might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus…” (Romans 3: 24,26)
Our sense of justice won’t not stand for the innocent being wrongly accused, yet there was one who was willing to take the blame for crimes he did not commit. Read to find out why he didn’t speak up in his own defense.
- The other day while visiting with neighbors, I overheard a friend tell about an upsetting incident that had happened earlier that day. While shopping at a local grocer, she had been falsely accused of shoplifting. Her story gave us a chuckle since we all know her as the quintessential, cookie-baking, next-door neighbor lady. No one could imagine her committing such a crime.
Once the chuckles ended, however, we were outraged for her. Within a few minutes the whole neighborhood was behind her in pledging a boycott of the store in defense of her honor. Our sense of justice would not stand for the innocent being wrongly accused.
The next morning, though, my perspective of the incident changed. As chance would have it, my morning Bible reading took me to Isaiah 53. Here I read one of the prophetic passages about the sufferings of Christ, who was falsely accused but did not fight back:
“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 to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:5-7 KJV)
This passage reminded me that Jesus Christ took the blame for crimes he did not commit. When “he was bruised for our iniquities,” he had every right to protest, “But I’m not guilty!” Instead, when he stood before his accusers, he did not say a word in his defense. No one stood up for his honor. All his followers, like sheep, had fled.
Prior to the cross, while praying in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus, in anticipation of the terrifying events shortly to come, prayed to his father:
“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” (John 12:27 KJV)
Jesus understood what was coming. He knew that at any moment the Roman soldiers would be there, along with one of his own disciples, to bring him before his accusers. He knew he would be charged with blasphemy and be found guilty. He knew, yet he stayed. Why? Because he also knew that the cross was his Father’s will. In faithful obedience, he carried out God’s plan for our redemption, knowing that he would face the wrath of God—the penalty of sins he had not committed.
While on the cross, Jesus did more than take the blame for the sins of the world. The Apostle Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote:
“For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin [that is, Christ knew no sin]; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)
Christ died for our sins so that God could forgive us. And more, his death on the cross made it possible for God to impute righteousness to all those who trust in the blood of Christ as God’s fully satisfying sacrifice. To be “made the righteousness of God in him” means to be declared perfectly righteous by God—completely justified from all sin and guilt, as it is written:
“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:39 KJV)
“…not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” (Philippians. 3:9 KJV)
I am eternally grateful to Jesus Christ. Even though he had “more than twelve legions of angels” ready at any moment to rescue him from the cross (Matthew 26:53 KJV), Jesus chose to endure the shame and pain. He was willing and able to suffer for sins he did not commit so that you and I might be forgiven and, as well, receive the imputed righteousness of God.
Rich, so very rich was Christ
Through all eternity,
As God the Son, with God enthroned,
The heir of all was he.
Poor, so very poor, did he
As son of man become,
From manger birth to shameful death,
Rejected by his own.
For us, ah, yes it was for us
He bore such poverty,
That we through his redeeming grace
Might be as rich as he!
-C.R. Stam
- Many Bible students assume that the word “gospel” refers to the same message each time it is used throughout the Bible. If that is so, why would the Bible use so many different titles for the same message? For instance:
Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt 4:23 KJV)
Gospel of the Grace of God (Eph 2:8-9 KJV)
Everlasting Gospel (Rev. 14:6 KJV)
The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” While all of God’s good news centers in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, not all of the gospel revelations contain the same information about him.
Let’s examine the first two—the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the graceof God—to see if they are the same message.
The Gospel of the Kingdom
The gospel of the kingdom is the message that John the Baptist, Christ in his earthly ministry, and Christ’s 12 apostles all preached:
“ … Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2 KJV)
“ … Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17, 23 KJV)
“ … Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38 KJV)
The logical question is, “What did they mean by, ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’?” This question must be answered in two parts:
1. The “kingdom of heaven” referred to the literal, physical, earthly, Davidic kingdom that God promised Israel throughout the Old Testament. Daniel 2:44 is just one of the many passages that speak of this kingdom:
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” ( KJV)
2. The phrase “…at hand” simply meant that the time of fulfilling the prophecies concerning the kingdom of heaven was near.
The gospel of the kingdom was the good news that God was ready to fulfill his word to Israel concerning the promised Messiah who would sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem as monarch of planet Earth.
The Gospel of the Grace of God
The gospel of the grace of God is found in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, written after the death and resurrection of Christ. The heart of this gospel is contained in the following verses:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, …” (Romans 3:23-25 KJV)
“ … I (Paul) declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; …how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (I Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)
The key elements of the gospel of the grace of God are the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This gospel is the good news that God provided a solution to man’s sin—the fully satisfying sacrifice of his Son on the cross.
The gospel of the kingdom did not contain information about Christ going to the cross to pay the sin debt of all mankind. Consider this: After the 12 disciples had already gone out preaching “the kingdom of God…the gospel” (Luke 9:1-6 KJV), much later in Luke 18, Jesus tells them,
“ … Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he (Jesus) shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: … ” (Luke 18: 31-34 KJV)
The gospel taught by the 12 disciples during the earthly ministry of Christ did not include the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ because they understood nothing about it.
Why is it important to know the difference between the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the grace of God? It is important because the salvation of your soul is at stake. There is eternal danger in mixing the two gospel messages together.
By what authority do you know which gospel to claim for today? As in all things concerning faith, let the Bible answer that critical question. Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave the answer to the believers in Galatia when he wrote:
“… But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1: 6-8 KJV)
This warning applies to us all. The only gospel for today that has power to save a sinner from the penalty of sin and the wrath of God is the gospel preached by the Apostle Paul—the gospel of the grace of God. This is the message of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to all mankind today.
- All Christians have questions about the Bible and its role in today’s life. For example, why are there so many books, programs and seminars to teach Christians what to believe about the Bible? Does the Bible really need to be interpreted by scholars before it is understood? Is the Bible sufficient in itself to teach us all we need to know about God and His will for our lives? And how do we know for sure that we can trust the Bible fully? These critical questions are answered by the Bible itself.
The Bible tells us many things about itself, but there are four things in particular that help us come to a firm conviction that the Bible can be trusted as the final authority in all matters of faith.
Reason #1: God makes His word equal to Himself.
Man seeks to place the word of God, the Bible, on an equal status with the writings of men. Some scholars choose to respect the Bible only for its antiquity and history, similar to the writings of ancient mythology, while denying the divine nature and origin of Scripture.
This is not God’s viewpoint. John 1:1 makes the status of the word of God equal to God Himself.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, KJV)
It is not our choice to value the Bible as one among many documents written by men. God has made clear that the words of the Bible are His and should be valued as such.
Reason #2: God claims the Bible’s authorship.
We can trust the authority of Scripture because God puts His stamp of authorship on it:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV)
The word “inspiration” means “breathed.” As God breathed into Adam the breath of life, so God breathed His very words of Scripture.
We are also reminded by the apostle Peter of God’s authorship of His word concerning the Old Testament prophecy:
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:21 KJV)
Reason #3: God claims His word as the standard for truth.
When religious tradition, science or the wisdom of men stand against the word of God as final authority, God’s answer is short, but to the point:
“ …let God be true, but every man a liar… ” (Romans 3:4 KJV)
In Genesis three when Satan appeared to man in the Garden of Eden as that “subtil” serpent, he became the original Bible critic. His question to Eve, “Yea, hath God said…?” (Gen. 3:1, KJV) was intended to cast doubt on the validity of God’s word to Adam and Eve. As Genesis three teaches us, his trick worked. Eve’s belief in the word of Satan rather than the word of God caused the downfall of man and the beginning of Satan’s attack against the word of God.
Satan’s program of lies against the word of God is alive and well today. Sadly, it is often manifested in classrooms of theology, where future pastors are taught that the word of God is inerrant only in original manuscripts—the inference being that our English Bible is not error-free. This system of doubt puts every church-going believer at the mercy of Bible critics. Without the final authority of Scripture, the very message of salvation loses credibility. Instead of believing those lies, we can believe in God and his word, holding it up as our standard for truth.
Reason #4: God preserves His word.
Fellow Bible student, you can hold all critics at bay with a simple belief in God’s eternal promise that He would preserve His word:
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalms 12:6-7 KJV)
Remember, Christ Himself promised:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35 KJV)
Don’t get caught up in the false assumption that your Bible must be interpreted, explained, fixed up or repackaged in order for you to understand God, His plan of salvation, and His will for your life. If you trust what God says about His word, then you can rest assured in the faith that you can read and understand the Bible.
Radio, print media, and the internet provide 24-7 access to preaching and teaching about the Word of God. However, the messages about salvation and eternal life are far from consistent. If the conflicting messages have left you confused, read on, because your eternal destiny is at stake!
- The other day I listened to a radio preacher talk about how one obtains eternal life. He used Mark 10:17-21 as an example of Biblical repentance to obtain eternal life. In this passage, when the rich man asked Jesus,“Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ reply was “… sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up thy cross, and follow me.”(KJV)
The preacher’s explanation of the verse was that unless unbelievers repent and turn their lives over to Christ, they cannot have eternal life. Sadly, he gave a false interpretation of the passage. Christ’s command to the rich man to sell all he had was specific and literal, not figurative. It applied to those living during and shortly following the time Christ was on the earth, preparing to establish the kingdom promised to Israel. That is why in Acts 4:32-35 you find the command obeyed literally by believers:
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common…Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. (KJV)
Do you know of any church-going people today who have actually sold all their possessions and given their money to the poor? Most likely not, because those are not the instructions God has given for us today during what the Bible calls “the dispensation of grace” (Eph 3:1). They were instructions given when “the kingdom of God” was “at hand.” (Mark 1:15). Other verses in the four gospels also apply specifically to that time. Consider Matthew 6:25-26:
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. … Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
If the above verses apply today, how do they reconcile with the following instructions that God gave through the Apostle Paul?:
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” (1 Timothy 5:8 KJV)
“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” (2 Thessalonians. 3:10 KJV)
The key to understanding the commandments of Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the four gospels) is to realize that Christ’s earthly ministry was to the nation of Israel concerning their promised kingdom, not to the world at large. That is why Jesus said to the Gentile woman,“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24 KJV).
The gospel of our salvation was revealed by the risen Christ Jesus through the Apostle Paul, “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13 KJV), as he explains in Galatians 1:11-12:
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The details of the gospel that was given to the Apostle Paul for us today are outlined in the first five chapters of the book of Romans, but Romans 3:23-26 summarize them well:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [fully satisfying sacrifice] through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (KJV)
This passage teaches us that it is Christ who does the work and God who does the justifying. The only response that God will accept from us is belief in Jesus as the fully satisfying sacrifice for our sins. The gospel today is clear. No works whatsoever are required for salvation:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
Separating the words of Jesus Christ to Israel (during his earthly ministry) from the message of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to the church of today will unravel any confusion about the gospel. The wonderful gospel of the grace of God will become clear.