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God's Simple Plan of Salvation:
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- ALL ARE SINNERS
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23, KJV
- THE REASON ALL ARE SINNERS:
"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12, KJV
- THE RESULT OF SIN:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23, KJV
- GOD'S CONCERN FOR SINNERS:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8, KJV.
- BELIEVE
"... and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved.' and they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.'" Acts 16:30,31, KJV.
Here was a soul desperately desiring salvation. Please notice he was not told to believe in Christ
There is a vast difference. Almost everybody on earth are now aware of the fact that Jesus Christ appeared on earth nearly 2,000 years ago. Just to believe the historical record is not enough. Even to know that He is the Divine Savior is not enough. Salvation requires a personal commitment. Our text says, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Make a complete commitment to Him
We are not saved by Christ plus our own good works. We are saved by grace alone.
"For by grace are ye saved by 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, Emphasis added by the author.
Good works will follow, however.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." KJV, Ephesians 2:10; see also 2 Corinthians 5:17.
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SEVEN SIMPLE STEPS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
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- STEP ONE:
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REPENT
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Repentance is more than simply repeating the sinner's prayer. It means being so sorry for our sins that we are now willing to turn around and forsake our known sins. It means, by the grace of God, we are determined to walk in the light of His revealed Word, the Holy Bible, from this day forth.
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- STEP TWO:
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FULL ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
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To believe on Christ is to believe that he will give you sufficient strength and grace to live for Him. It means that our trust is in God alone, but it also includes a strong determination on our part to live wholly for God. Every born-again child of God has and knows beyond doubt that his name is written in heaven.
"... for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" 2 Timothy 1:12, KJV.
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- STEP THREE:
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WATER BAPTISM
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Baptism is a testimony to the whole world that you have taken a new stand for God and that you are now determined to live a new life for Him. Baptism without full commitment to Christ is meaningless and useless.
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so should we walk in newness of life." Romans 6:3-4 KJV. Read also Acts 2:38
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- STEP FOUR:
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LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
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Your first public testimony is when you come to an altar of prayer and accept Christ as personal Savior and Lord of your life
Your second step is when you are publicly baptized.
Your third step is when you join the local church.
Your fourth step, and most important of all, is your daily walk with God.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16, KJV
"That if thou shall 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9,10 KJV.
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- STEP FIVE:
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JOIN AND ATTEND CHURCH
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"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:24,25 KJV
"And all they that believed were together, and had all things common ..."
"... And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple ... Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (or those that were being saved)."KJV
NOTE: Be sure to read this entire passage.
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- STEP SIX:
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READ YOUR BIBLE DAILY
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"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so." Acts 17:11
We recommend that you acquire a Bible-reading Chart and begin reading the Bible through once every year. This is, of course, in addition to whatever other Bible reading and studying in which you may find yourself engaged.
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- STEP SEVEN:
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ENGAGE YOURSELF IN PRAYER DAILY
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The Christian life is a battlefield. The temptations and tests we will encounter are more than we can cope with in our own human ability. We need the power of God in our lives. Even Jesus Himself was tempted and He, too, went to the Father in prayer. He was God but He was tempted as a man because for some 33 years He took on our human nature.
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15,16 KJV
The apostle Paul has a great deal to say about prayer, both for ourselves, for others, and for whatever ministry the Lord may lead us into (2 Corinthians 11: 24-33). We may not be called to suffer as Paul did, but we, too, need power from on High to live victoriously for Christ daily. To do this we should have a set time for paryer daily. In addition we must go to prayer as many times a day as the need requires. We need to learn to pray for others.
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NOTE:
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This is a tract written by Dr. Charles P. Grier, President, God's Answer, Inc. adapted for this website by J. M. Grier, Sr. All rights reserved. Copies of this tract may be made without charge provided that:
- no changes are made and that Dr. Charles P. Grier, President, God's Answer, Inc. receives full credit as author; and
- Absolutely no resale of this tract may be made by anyone other than by God's Answer, Inc. without full permission in writing via US POSTAL SERVICE from Dr. Charles P. Grier or his headquarter's staff within God's Answer, Inc.
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"I have studied religion at great depth and, in doing so, have found great, and awesome theologies. What my Dad has written should be taken as presented. Knowing Jesus personally has completely changed my life. You can complicate what my Dad has written by reciting Jesus' name in Hebrew or Greek; you might argue about The Divine Logos being the One who enters my life.
But a man from Leyte, Philippines said it like this: 'Only Jesus is Perfect - we must do the best we can. God is very big and we are very little. We talk to Him and He Helps us!'
Try it! Personal relationship is better! It works!"
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