Steps To Salvation

1. All men are sinners:

• (Romans 3:23) "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
• (Ecclesiastes 7:20) "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."
• (Isaiah 64:6) " ¶But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
• (Romans 3:10) "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"
• (James 2:10) "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
• (1 John.1:8) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

2. Salvation by grace (undeserved mercy), not works:

• (Ephesians 2:8,9 ) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."
• (Mark 10:25-27) " It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. {26} And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? {27} And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."
• (Romans 3:20) "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
• (Romans 11:6) "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
• (Galatians 2:16) "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
• (2 Timothy 1:9) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"
• (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 Ghost;"

3. Salvation only through Jesus:

• (Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
• (1 Timothy 2:5) "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
• (John 3:16) "¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
• (John 3:36) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
• (John 8:24) " I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
• (John 10:1) " Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
• (John 10:9) " I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
• (John 14:6) "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
• (1 Corinthians 3:11) "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
• (1 John 5:12) "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

4. Believe on Jesus:

• (John 3:16) "¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
• (John 11:25-26) "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: {26} And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
• (Acts 16:31) "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
• (Romans 10:9-10) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. {10} For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
• (1 John 5:1) "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him."

5. Receive Jesus:

• (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."
• (John 1:12) "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
• (Galatians 4:6) "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
• (Ephesians 3:17) "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,"

6. Eternal salvation:

A. You can never lose it, even if you make mistakes and fall:

• (Psalms 37:24) "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."
• (John 3:36a) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life"
• (John 6:37) " All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
• (John 10:28) " And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
• (Romans 8:38-39) "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, {39} Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
• (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. {12} Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; {13} Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. {14} If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. {15} If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
• (1 Corinthians 5:5) "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
• (Hebrews 13:5) "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
• (2 Timothy 2:13) "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."
• (1 John 5:13) "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

B. But the Lord will chasten you for wrongdoing:

• (Psalms 89:30-34) "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; {31} If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; {32} Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. {33} Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. {34} My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."
• (Hebrews 12:5-8) "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: {6} For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. {7} If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? {8} But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
• (Revelation 3:19) " As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

7. Receiving Jesus guarantees eternal life in Heaven:

• (Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
• (John 11:26) " And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
• (John 14:2-3) " In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
• (1 Peter 1:3-4) "¶Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, {4} To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,"
• (1 John 5:11) "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

(See Rev.21:1-27 and 22:1-5 for a description of Heaven)

8. The results of being born again:

A. Spiritual rebirth makes you a new creature:

• (John 3:3) "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
• (Matthew 18:3) "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
• (John 1:13) "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
• (Romans 12:2) "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
• (2 Corinthians 5:17) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
• (1 Peter 1:23) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

B. You will desire to work for Jesus:

• (Ephesians 2:10) "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
• (Titus 2:14) "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

(See also Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3:8-10; Titus 3:8; James 2:18.)

9. Sin brings about spiritual death; but Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment:

• (Isaiah 59:2) "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."
• (Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
• (Romans 5:8) "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
• (2 Corinthians 5:21) "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
• (1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
• (1 John 2:1-2) "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: {2} And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

10. In the Mosaic law, blood is payment for sin; Jesus' death paid that price in full:

• (Leviticus 17:11) "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
• (Hebrews 9:22) "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sin)."
• (Matthew 26:28) " For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
• (1 John 1:7) "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
• (John 1:29) "¶The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
• (Ephesians 1:7) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (See also 1John 2:12)
• (1 Peter 1:18-19) "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; {19} But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"

11. All men are not saved sons of God in their natural state:

• (Ephesians 2:2-3) "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Ephesians 2:12) "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:"
• (Matthew 7:13) "¶ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:"
• (John 3:19) " And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
• (John 8:44) " Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
• (John 8:47) " He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

12. The self-righteous refuse Jesus' salvation:

(See Mat.5:20; 9:10-13; 21:31b; Lk.18:9-14; Jn.5:39-44; Rom.10:3; 1Jn.1:9,10.)

13. New Testament examples of salvation:

• Luke 19:1-10 [Conversion of the corrupt tax-collector, Zaccheus]
• Acts 9:1-22 [Conversion of apostle Paul] (See also Acts 6:8-14; 7:57-60; 8:1-4; 26:9-11.)
• Acts 10:1-8 [Conversion of Roman centurion Cornelius]
• Acts 13:1-12 [Conversion of governor of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus]
• Acts 16:13-34 [Conversion of the merchant Lydia and Roman jailor]

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