God's Plan of Salvation

The Lord gave David and Sherry personal faith in Jesus when they were young teenagers. Read David's and Sherry's testimony of how God saved them. The following presentation of the Gospel has been written and edited by David beginning around 1995.

GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST AS EXPLAINED IN THE BIBLE

1) God is our holy creator, thus we owe him our lives and our devotion.

• "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
• "You [God] formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-14a)
• "There is no one holy like the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:2)
• "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3b)
• "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil" (Habakkuk 1:13)

2) All people are sinners. From our birth we reject God and disobey His Law. We do not measure up to God's holiness; in fact, we fall infinitely short.

• "The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:2-3)
• "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
• "The intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21b)
• "I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5)

3) Because of our wickedness we are currently under the wrath of God and upon our death will be justly condemned to an eternity in hell.

• "You are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds." (Romans 2:5-6)
• "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
• "The wages of sin is [physical and spiritual] death" (Romans 6:23a)
• "Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus ... will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

4) We are absolutely helpless to do anything about our future punishment and can do nothing to gain a right standing before God.

• "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1)
• "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9)
• "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:7-8)
• "[Salvation] does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)

5) Despite God’s holiness and justice and our sinfulness, He is still loving!

• "The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty" (Numbers 14:18a)
• "He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD." (Psalm 33:5)
• "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
• "By this the love of God was manifested in us [believers], that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him." (1 John 4:9)

6) God has graciously provided a way to be saved. Only Jesus, the Son of God, is able to reconcile us to God the Father.

• Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)

     Why Jesus?

• JESUS IS GOD AND LORD OF ALL
  
  • "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
  • "... the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus" (Titus 2:13)
  • "At the name of Jesus every knee will bow … every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
  
  
• JESUS BECAME A MAN
  
  • "The Word [Jesus] became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14a)
  • "Every spirit [teaching] that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God" (1 John 4:2)
  • "... concerning His Son [Jesus Christ], who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3)
  
  
• JESUS LIVED A SINLESS LIFE AND WILLINGLY DIED ON THE CROSS AS THE SACRIFICE FOR SINS. HE DID THIS IN ORDER TO RECONCILE SINNERS TO GOD.
  
  • "[Jesus] committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth" (1 Peter 2:22)
  • Jesus said, "No one has taken [My life] away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative" (John 10:18a)
  • "He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12)
  • "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  • "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18)
  • "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15)
  
  
• JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD THREE DAYS LATER, CONQUERING DEATH, AND THUS POSSESSES THE AUTHORITY TO GIVE ETERNAL LIFE
  
  • "[Jesus] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4)
  • Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die." (John 11:25-26)
  • "You [God the Father] gave Him [Jesus] authority over all mankind, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life." (John 17:2)
  
  

If Jesus is the only person who can save us, then what can we do?

7) We must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

• "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31)
• "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

     Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ involves ...

• REPENTING OF OUR SINS AND TURNING TO GOD, ASKING HIM FOR FORGIVENESS
  
  • "God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31a)
  • "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other" (Luke 18:13-14a)
  
  
• TRUSTING COMPLETELY IN JESUS AS OUR ONLY HOPE OF SALVATION
  
  • "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Romans 10:9-10)
  • "And there is salvation in no one else [but Jesus]; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
  
  
• FOLLOWING HIM, KNOWING THAT IT WILL COST US EVERYTHING TO DO SO AND EVERYTHING NOT TO
  
  • Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23)
  • Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father" (John 14:21a)
  • Jesus said, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matthew 10:37)
  • Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age ... and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30)
  
  

8) Those who follow Jesus will have an abundant, joyful life in this world and the indescribable wonders of heaven in the next!

• Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10b)
• "The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23b)
• [God has given believers] "a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven" (1 Peter 1:3-4)
• "In My Father's house [heaven] are many dwelling places ... I go to prepare a place for you [believers] ... I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)" (Romans 6:23b)

9) No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Don’t wait until it’s too late to be reconciled to God.

• "You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." (James 4:14)
• "Now is the 'acceptable time,' behold, now is 'the day of salvation'" (2 Corinthians 6:2)
• "We [believers] are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)
• Jesus said, "In the days before the flood people ... knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man ... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come [for judgment] at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:37-44)

Next Steps...

• Go to God in prayer, confessing your need of His forgiveness through Jesus. Consider the example Jesus gives of the tax collector’s prayer: "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13)
• Join yourself to a bible-believing local church in your community that can help you follow Jesus and encourage you in the Christian life. (Hebrews 10:25)
• Make public profession of your faith to your friends and family and through obedience to the Lord’s command by being baptized. (Acts 2:38)
• Begin the simple disciplines of daily bible reading and prayer. (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:16)

Text of #8 taken from "The Gospel for Children" by John Leuzarder, ISBN 0966378687
Other text by David Ward and friends (over many years)
Scripture taken from the
NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
by the Lockman foundation.
Used by permission.