ETERNAL ALTERNATIVES
The most profoundly important question you will ever be asked in your entire life, a question for which you absolutely must have the correct answer, is the question that follows…
IF YOU WERE TO DIE TONIGHT, STAND BEFORE GOD, AND BE ASKED BY HIM, "WHY SHOULD I LET YOU INTO MY HEAVEN?"… HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER?
The Bible (Old and New Testaments) teaches that there is only one acceptable answer. In a nutshell, the answer is...
"I HAVE RECEIVED JESUS CHRIST AS MY PERSONAL SAVIOR (John 1:12), HAVING REPENTED OF MY SINS (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 26:20), AND AM TRUSTING GOD AND GOD ALONE TO FORGIVE ME OF MY SINS (Acts 10:43; Romans 8:1) BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR ME (Romans 5:8) AND THUS TOOK THE PUNISHMENT [THE HELL] MY SINS DESERVED" (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18).
Concerning SALVATION, the Bible teaches…
Salvation (the saving of a soul from sin, death, eternal punishment, i.e. Hell) is necessary (Romans 3:10, 23; Isaiah 59:1-2)
- Heaven is a holy place for holy people (1 Peter 1:15-16)
- No matter how good we may be, we are not good enough for a holy heaven (Isaiah 64:6; Titus 3:5)
Salvation is through Jesus Christ and Him alone (John 14:6; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14)
Salvation cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 7:15-29)
Salvation is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23)
Salvation is received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 16:31)
- "Faith" = "Believe" = "Receive"
- Note: John 1:12; 3:16 Ephesians 2:8-9
- Faith, in effect, is being convinced of something or Someone to the point of action, commitment,(e.g., when you sit down in a chair as opposed to simply saying the chair will hold you)
- Authentic faith includes: knowledge of the Gospel's facts, assent to the truth of them, trust in Christ Who accomplished them
- Authentic faith is more than mere intellectual assent (Titus 1:16; Luke 8:13; Hebrews 3:12; 1 Timothy 4:1; James 2:19)
- "Faith/believe/receive" = Repentance
- Note: Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:30-31; 11:18; 20:21; cf. Matthew3:2/John 1:7
- Repentance is…
- "A change of mind" (literally. an "afterthought," i.e. a different thought) in relation to the following:
- One's sin (Luke 5:32; 15:7,10; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; Romans 3:23; 6:23; Isaiah 59:1-2)
- Jesus Christ (Luke 18:18-19; John 3:16, 36; 1 John 5:12; Romans 5:8; Acts 4:12; 16:31)
- Salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 1 John 5:12)
- A change of mind that leads to "deeds worthy of repentance" (Acts 26:20; Matthew 3:2, 8)
- "A change of mind" (literally. an "afterthought," i.e. a different thought) in relation to the following:
IN SUMMARY...
SALVATION IS RECEIVING JESUS CHRIST AS PERSONAL SAVIOR (John 1:12), HAVING REPENTED OF ONE'S SINS (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 26:20), AND TRUSTING GOD AND GOD ALONE TO FORGIVE THOSE SINS (Acts 10:43; Romans 8:1) BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR ALL, (FOR ME) (Romans 5:8) AND THUS TOOK THE PUNISHMENT [THE HELL] THOSE SINS DESERVED" (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18).
- Salvation results in being clothed in the righteousness of God (Romans 5:17), justified, i.e. "declared righteous", or viewed by God "just-as-if-I-never-sinned" (Romans 3:24; 5:1)
- Salvation affects such a change in a believer's life that life's bent is forever after toward Righteousness**
- 2 Corinthians 5:1; 3:18; 1 Peter 1:22-2:10; Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:17-6:9; 1 Peter 4:3-4; John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26; Colossians 3:8-4:6; Romans 6:1-23; 12:1-21
- While good works are not the ground of salvation and justification, they definitely are consequences of it (Ephesians 2:8-10).
- While God is always the object of faith, faith is often different in degree (Matthew 6:30; 8:10; Romans 4:19-20; 1:16-17; Mark 9:24) thus explaining the ebb and flow of a genuine believer's Christian life (Romans 7:15-25; Galatians 5:16-17).
** Speaking of the people of God, the late John Murray of Westminster Seminary wrote:"They are not perfect in holiness. But they have been translated from the realm of sin and death to that of righteousness and life. Sin is their burden and plague. Why? Because it is not their realm, they are not at home with it. It is foreign country to them (cf. 1 Peter 4:3-4). They are in the world, but not of it.They who are of the world are those who live in sin, in the realm of sin. They are those to whom holiness is abhorrent even though they may be able to keep up a good front before the church and the world. They do not hunger and thirst after righteousness. Their aspirations are not heavenly. They are not strangers and pilgrims on the earth, looking for the city which hath the foundations." (Works, 3:278-79)
