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Our Need For Salvation
John R. Gentry
Man is lost in sin and in Jeremiah 10.23 we learn that man does not have the ability to save himself.
I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10.23).
However, God has the ability to save us and He has made salvation available to all men.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people (Titus 2.11).
Unfortunately many people and most denominations teach various conflicting ideas about salvation. We need to understand that God has a single plan for us to be saved. Listen to Paul’s explanation of this one plan in Ephesians 4.4-6:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
And God has revealed this one plan for us on the pages of His New Testament. Beginning with this bulletin we want to explore and examine God’s plan for our salvation in light of the New Testament by looking at why we need a plan of salvation, what God has done to make salvation available to us, what we must do to receive this salvation, and we will examine several common misconceptions and objections to God’s plan for our salvation.
Let’s begin by looking at why we need a plan of salvation. We need a plan for our salvation…
Because Man Is A Sinner
The apostle Paul tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3.23). But what does it mean to sin? John describes and defines sin for us in 1 John 3.4 when he says, “sin is lawlessness” or “sin is a violation of the law.” This means we sin when we break the law of God; when we do something God tells us not to do, or when we don’t do something God tells us to do. Putting this in the context of Romans 3.23, we learn that every person has broken the law of God, that is to say, every person has either done something God tells us not to do or failed to do something God tells us to do. Therefore, we need a plan for our salvation. But, to help us understand the severity and seriousness of our sins, we must understand we need a plan for our salvation…
Because Sin Leads To Death
The Bible is very clear that the result and consequence of sin is death.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2.16-17).
For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6.23).
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1.14-15).
The Bible also tells us that death is a separation. Physical death is a separation of the body and the spirit (cf. James 2.26). And spiritual death is a separation of the sinner from God (cf. Isaiah 59.1-2). A sinner who does not receive salvation according to God’s plan will be separated from God for all eternity (cf. Matthew 7.23; 2 Thessalonians 1.9).
Next, consider that we need a plan for our salvation…
Because Goodness Alone Cannot Save A Person
Being a good and moral person cannot save a person. In Acts 10 Luke introduces us to a man named Cornelius. And in verse 2 he tells us that Cornelius was “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.” Without doubt this is the description of a good and moral man. But Cornelius was not yet saved. You see, the angel told Cornelius to “send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11.13-14). If Cornelius would obey the message of Peter he could be saved (cf. Acts 10.48). No, we cannot be saved just by living a good and moral life; we need God’s plan for our salvation.
And, lastly, consider that we need a plan for our salvation…
Because We Must Do What The Lord Commands
Only those who do the will of God will go to Heaven.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven… (Matthew 7.21-23).
Only those who are obedient will be saved.
And being made perfect, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5.9).
While those who are not obedient will not be saved.
…those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thess. 1.7-9).
Folks and friends, we need a plan for our salvation. We can’t save ourselves. Only by knowing and obeying God’s plan for salvation can we have hope of an eternal home in Heaven.
Have you obeyed God’s plan for your salvation? If not, why not?
Galena Guardian
Vol. IX, No. 1, January 2007