Steps to Salvation
This study was drafted to help teach unbelievers, if you want to use that term (I don’t like that word, I think it might be better said to refer to people who don’t understand about Christ, as uninformed as to the gospel of Jesus), about the initial steps to salvation. I would assume this could be the first in a series of studies (some of which I refer to in this lesson) for some people, but might fit better in the middle for some others. But for people showing an eagerness to learn more about how to get to Heaven, I think it might be a good start. I have listed four steps to salvation. Their order is somewhat important, as, for example, it would be hard to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins if one doesn’t even understand what sin is or that he/she has even attempted to repent of them. So, as you read this, keep an open mind, but judge for yourself the order that YOU would expect them to occur as you take someone on their first Steps to Salvation….(Mac)
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the
Desert of Judea
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
near."
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet
Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the
Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a
leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea
and the whole region of the Jordan.
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
John’s message was one of the first heard by the people
living during the time Jesus was on earth as a human being. He gave one of the key elements of salvation
when he said ‘repent’. This word means
to ‘turn away from whatever you are doing, and do just the opposite’. In other words, we must stop sinning. Another lesson will cover in-depth what sin
is, and what sins are, but for now, just concentrate on the fact that John gave
a command to stop conscious sinning.
SALVATION IS DEPENDENT UPON OUR REPENTANCE. UNTIL WE DECIDE TO TURN FROM
OUR EVIL WAYS AND FOLLOW JESUS AND HIS WORDS, WE HAVE NOT TRULY REPENTED. UNTIL
WE TRULY REPENT, WE CANNOT BE SAVED !!!!!!!
John the Baptist also referred to a second crucial element of salvation, that of confession of our sin; and also a third, the requirement to be baptized. Both of these requirements will be discussed in the paragraphs below.
Read 1st John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
That 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.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him
will never be put to shame."
For there is no difference between Jew and
Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
In these Scriptures we see two other critical elements of salvation; that of confession (which I alluded to above) and of believing in Jesus Christ. And not only believing is important, but ‘calling on His name’ is equally required. In 1st John 1, verse 9, John (the author of John, 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John and Revelation, not John the Baptist) says that we must confess our sins, otherwise, God will NOT be faithful and just, and will not forgive us of our sins. And another study will go into more detail about how sins completely separate us from God, now and for as long as we sin. So, if we die as wanton sinners, and never repent of our sin, never confessing it to God, then we will not be saved and will not enter Heaven.
In Romans, chapter 10 above, we see again the importance of confessing, not necessarily our sin, but stating outright that Jesus is THE Lord of all, and the necessity to believe without a doubt (in your heart) that He is truly the Son of God and was raised from the dead after dying as a human being on the cross. Another study will deal directly with that event, to help bring you closer to understanding the great sacrifice that Jesus made, and why He did it (for our salvation).
We should publicly acknowledge that Jesus Christ has become our savior. Why publicly? Jesus says that if we are ashamed of him, that he would be ashamed of us and not take us to heaven. (Read Mark 8:38.) – “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
We must believe in our hearts. To believe in our hearts means to believe with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We must totally give ourselves to God.
In addition to this, read Ephesians 2:8-9:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
not by works, so that no one can boast.
Note that it is not by works the we can earn a salvation, it is only through our faith (full belief) in Jesus that this may come about. But a little later in this lesson, I want to talk more about this, as the Hebrew writer talks about works and their importance.
3.
We Must Be Born Again of Water – We Must Be Baptized.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,
a member of the Jewish ruling council.
He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we
know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the
miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth,
no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "
"How can a man be born when he is old?"
Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's
womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
This command from Jesus was not a suggestion at all. It was, and is, a requirement for salvation. You must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (salvation). And Jesus Himself says that one who is born again is done so with water and the Spirit. The water is the tool used to immerse a person (the Greek word for baptize, baptismo, or baptiste, means to immerse, not sprinkle as some religions teach), and the Holy Spirit joins with us as were are immersed.
Mark 16:3 says “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This makes it pretty clear that you must do both of these things in order to receive salvation. We talked about belief up above in our discussion of confessing and believing. Couple these words of Jesus with what Peter said in Acts, chapter 2, verse 38, when confronted by new believers because of what they saw on the day of Pentecost, "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.”, it is ample proof that repentance, baptism and belief are all required in order to be saved. And notice here that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the act of baptism. When you are baptized with water (totally immersed), and you have already confessed your sins to God and fully believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you will be ‘baptized’ with the Spirit at the same time. This is the time the Holy Spirit actually enters your body and life. This even happened to Jesus. He came as a baby, and then grew to be a man, 100% man. Then, when He was baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus received His Father’s Holy Spirit. Read Matthew 3:13-17:
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be
baptized by John.
But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to
be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper
for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the
water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and lighting on him.
And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Even Jesus was baptized!
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of
life set me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened
by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have
their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance
with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit
to God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please
God.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature
but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of
sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is
not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you
will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you
will live,
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are
sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a
slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry,
"Abba, Father."
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we
are God's children.
We received that Holy Spirit at Baptism, and that Spirit is what is going to help keep you from turning your back on Jesus, and even losing your salvation. But, that is another lesson as well…about whether or not you can lose your salvation. For now, just see how important it is to BE baptized by both water and the Holy Spirit.
I referred to this key element of ‘maintaining’ our salvation in the Scriptures above from Romans, chapter 8. This is not to say that this must be done BEFORE receiving salvation, but must be done to keep from ‘losing’ it.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those
who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
"Make level paths for your feet," so that
the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to
be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that
no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless
like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Here the Hebrew writer (some say it was Paul) warns about making every effort to live in peace and to be holy. He says that those who do not, will not see the Lord (keep their salvation). This is critical to understand as we know that we will sin again and again. It is the deliberate sinning, and the wanton carelessness of open sin which we are warned against continually committing. We must repent from our sin, even though we may do it regularly, keep asking God for His forgiveness by confessing our sins to Him, and then, and only then, may we stand the chance of keeping the wondrous gift He gives us at our baptism.
Matthew tells
us in 34:13 “… he who stands
firm to the end will be saved.”
Another study will go into more detail about losing salvation.
In summary, here are the key elements to being saved (receiving salvation):
We
Must Acknowledge and Repent of Our Sins
We
Must Confess our sins and Believe that Jesus is Lord
We
Must Be Born Again of Water – We Must Be Baptized.
And to keep that salvation,
We
Must Live Holy Lives
I hope this helps some folks better understand this seemingly difficult concept—gotten wrong by many for many, many years. I challenge you to become a Berean and study these Scriptures (see Acts 17:11), find others that support or seem to refute it, and get back with me (the person leading this study) for more discussion on these critical Steps to Salvation.