Plan of Salvation

PLAN OF SALVATION

The Holy Spirit directed me to do 90 Days of Prayer and to share it on social media. The 90 Days of prayer consisted of me praying in the Spirit, praying in tongues for one hour a day for 90 days and to share a Scripture for each day as He led me. On day 37 while praying in the Spirit I was led to look at my blue English Standard Bible. I grabbed the ESV Holy Bible and began looking over the Contents page at the names of the Old and New Testament Books. Then I began to read the names out loud for several times. As I engaged with Holy Spirit I knew there was more to this than reading. As I looked to the bottom of the page, I saw ‘Plan of Salvation…..p. 1147’ which is the last page. I thought it’s probably a couple paragraphs and an invitation to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. It turns out it was a couple pages front and back. I was then directed to type this out and to share it on my Go Walk the Talk ministry website (gowalkthetalk.com).  

Back to the Basics

God is concerned about people knowing the foundational truths of the Bible. The basic plan of salvation. What the core of salvation is and the importance of sharing it. Returning our focus to God and putting down human idols who have erected themselves as the center of attention. The focus must be on Jesus and salvation. We must honor God and have the fear of the Lord. God is Sovereign the ultimate authority. We have to teach people by example, how to be lovers of God. People who truly love God not just the things he has created. Back to the basics of faith is so important because when the human idols began to fall (and they will fall) many people’s belief systems will be shattered. Many will be in need of spiritual trauma care.

Open the Doors of the Church

The phrase ‘The Doors of the Church Are Open’ represents a sacred time in Worship Service that has been set aside specifically to offer/plead/urge people to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is a very precious time of inviting people to come to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus just as you are. Come to Jesus because God loves you. God loves you so much. His love is an everlasting love. God’s love is unconditional meaning it is not based on what you have done wrong or what you have done right. Come to Jesus is God using others to urge and invite you to come to Him.

Come to Jesus is a time of reflection, repentance, redemption and Salvation. Come to Jesus is a time of ‘Lord I Need You’, ‘I don’t have the answers’, ‘I Need My Father’, ‘I Need the One who created me’, ‘I Need the One who knew me before I was in my Mother’s Womb’. Come to Jesus is God the Father reaching out His big hand for you to take his hand and come back to him. Come to Jesus is you deciding that when I leave this earth—I want to spend eternity (forever) with God.

The Doors of the Church are open—Come to Jesus.

The ’Doors of the Church’ are always open. There is an open invitation to Come to Jesus. You can come to Jesus sitting at home. You can come to Jesus while you’re on the toilet. You can come to Jesus while you’re cooking; whatever and whenever just Come to Jesus. The open invitation is given to you; however you need to Come in time and on time. If you are wondering, well, when is the right time to Come. The answer is Now. Come to Jesus right now. Do you know that we are all only one breath away from death.

You have to prepare for everything in life, including death. If you don’t prepare you are hit. Have you every missed out on something because you didn’t prepare? It’s a bad feeling. You tell yourself next time I will prepare. Have you ever got mail/email that says ‘Time Sensitive’. Time sensitive meaning you have a window of time. You have a period of time to respond. If you don’t respond in the time allowed or on time—then you miss out, you lose, you suffer the consequences of not responding on time. Now here’s the thing about Coming to Jesus. Yes the invitation is there it’s an open invitation But. Catch this—-It’s Time Sensitive.

None of us know when our time is up. Just as there are consequences for not responding appropriately on time there are eternal (forever, never ending) consequences for refusing to Come to Jesus. Your opinion doesn’t matter, what the critics say don’t matter, what your mother said don’t matter, what your favorite influencer said does not matter. The Only thing that matters is what God said in His Word, the Holy Bible. Listen, Coming to Jesus is free to you. You simply have to accept the invitation. You cannot purchase it. You cannot earn it.  Let’s talk about the bottom line consequences.

One day we will die. We will take our last breath and leave here. Our end here on earth will be our beginning there. In the Beginning God! We will face God, whether we receive Him as our Lord and our Savior or whether we reject Him. He is alpha and omega, God is the first and the last, God is the beginning and the ending. There is One God and we will answer to Him. I have decided to answer in time and on time by believing in my heart and saying with my mouth—Lord I receive you as my Lord and Savior. It’s personal. It’s a personal decision but it is time sensitive.

The Doors of the Church Are Open—Come to Jesus. Now, if you reject Salvation and God’s love for you, you will face the consequences of your choice both while alive here on earth and after. You do have a choice. But with making your choice please be aware that you are choosing your own consequence.  There are good consequences such as knowing that you have a relationship with Almighty God while you are alive, knowing that God Himself will always be with you and for you; both now and when you die and forever. The bad consequence is if you reject God’s offer of Salvation to you, you will suffer the consequence of being separated from God and spending forever without Him. If you die without receiving the forgiveness of sin through Jesus as Lord; you will spend eternity with the devil-in hell (forever). Your time will be up. If you mess around and reject God—You’re going to Hell.

You have a time sensitive choice. You can believe what the Bible says or you can listen to foolish people. I experience the love of God  everyday and I cannot imagine not spending eternity with Him. Accepting Jesus is the best decision I have ever made. He has been with me through all the good and the bad. I only want to do life with Him. My relationship with Jesus is precious; it’s the most important relationship I have ever had. When you receive Jesus as Lord, you receive His precious gift—Holy Spirit. Don’t get me started on the Spirit of God living within me. He is real! Right now you are reading His work.

I could go on and on and on and on about the precious Holy Spirit. Sometimes I like to just sit with Him. Just sit in His presence. Christ in me and I in Him. It is a beautiful thing. We will never be separated. People may come and go. People that you love dearly my leave or may die but not God. God will never leave you. He is so kind, loving, and faithful. Sometimes when I’m feeling His presence and He’s letting me know, I love you Rhonda. When He reveals Himself in my everyday life circumstances—I have so much joy and peace.

I have learned and am learning to trust Him more and more. I could never doubt God. I have seen His miracles in my life. I am a miracle. Jesus is the lover of my soul. He is wonderful and altogether lovely. I love God, I worship, and adore Him. Please don’t get me started talking about the kind of Friend that He is. I wish we could sit together and talk about Him. Do you know God loves you so much that He watches out for you—while you are rejecting Him. While you are sinning. While you are saying He’s not real.

The Love of God. God is Love. And I want everyone to know Holy Spirit will Help you to get to know God. I mean to really know Him for yourself. You don’t have to take anyone else’s word or opinion. There is only one Promise that I can make—if you Come to Jesus-it is the best decision you could ever make. Now I want to share with you the Plan of Salvation that Holy Spirit led me to share with you. I pray that you receive the absolute love of God for you. I pray that you dedicate or rededicate your life to Jesus. I pray that you have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know the Savior, and to understand the hope that God has called you to. I pray that you have strength and power to be filled with the love of Christ, and to understand the love that surpasses knowledge. In the name of Jesus I pray.

P L A N   OF   S A L V A T I O N

From the first chapters of Genesis through the closing scenes in Revelation, the Bible is the book of God’s salvation. From start to finish, its one unifying theme is that of grace and forgiveness for sinners through God’s redeeming work in Jesus Christ. Whatever else you gain through the reading of the Bible, it would be tragic if you missed the heart of its message for you—God’s gracious provision of Jesus Christ as the atonement for sin.

In the Beginning

When God created the heavens and the earth, his work was perfect and pure. God looked upon all he had created and judged it to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31). He took great pleasure in what he made, and the culmination of his creation came with Adam and Eve. They were made in the very image of God, which made them capable of having fellowship with God and bringing glory to his name (Genesis 1:27).

In the garden of Eden, however, through deception and disobedience Adam and Eve sinned against God, causing a break in their relationship with him. Sin is real, and sin is deadly. The guilt that resulted from their disobedience caused Adam and Eve to hide from God and to attempt to cover their personal shame. Because they had disobeyed God’s command, they were now flawed and shameful in God’s presence.

Adam deliberately chose a path of self-will and rebellion, which brought sin and death—including spiritual death—into the world. “…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)—the whole human race is affected by Adam’s sin.

To cover the shame and nakedness of Adam and Eve, the Lord made coats from an animal’s skin for them to wear (Genesis 3:21). God thus made the first sacrifice, and it followed the clear promise of a Redeemer when God pronounced these words of judgment upon the serpent, or Satan: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This prophetic word speaks of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross of Calvary.

The Story of Redemption

So the story of redemption and sacrifice begins, and it is repeated throughout the Word of God, culminating in the coming of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on our behalf. We discover through the Bible that a personal relationship with God is not dependent on good works that we do, or on church membership, or even on living a highly moral life. Rather, God’s amazing grace is the fountain through which redemption flows to us.

Separated from God by sin and guilt, we all face two primary spiritual needs. First, we need to be restored to fellowship with God. We are truly guilty before God, and somehow we must find forgiveness. We must face the problem of our sin, and there is no answer to this need within ourselves. The only answer is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, we need power to change our lives. Our sin reveals the spiritual depravity of our heart—the selfishness, the lust, the greed, the pride, and the anger that are so destructive. “The heart,” God says, “is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). If we are going to be changed, something must be done in our hearts to turn our lives around. Jesus taught that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Only the blood of Jesus can take away the guilt of our sin, and only the Holy Spirit can come into our hearts and make up new people.

Redemption through Christ

Redemption often involves the concept of purchasing something back that has been lost, by the payment of a ransom. It can mean a deliverance from some sort of confinement; such is the case with the deliverance of the children of Israel from their bondage to slavery I Egypt (Exodus 14:29-30; 15:2).

There are many passages in the New Testament that represent Christ’s  sufferings as a ransom or price, and the result secured is a purchase or redemption (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Galatians 3:13; 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9). The idea running through all these texts is that of a payment made for our redemption. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and redeemed us.

The penalty for our sin and rebellion is death; Jesus stepped in and laid down his life and took the penalty we deserve. The debt against us is not viewed as simply cancelled but as fully paid. Both the Old and New Testaments proclaim salvation as an accomplished fact. Christ’s blood or life, which he surrendered for us, is the “ransom” by which we are freed from sin. “Blood” is mentioned 460 times in the Bible. Fourteen times in the New Testament, Jesus spoke of his own blood. Why? Because by the shedding of his blood on the cross, he accomplished the salvation of everyone who believes.

The Extraordinary Good News of Eternal Life

The Gospel of John tells the redemptive story of what Jesus Christ did in our behalf. Summarizing his Gospel, John says, “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing your may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Read on as we examine what the apostle John has to say in his Gospel about the eternal life we receive through Jesus Christ.

The Son of God

John wants to show us who Jesus really is: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). Jesus, during his life on earth, was God in human form? And just in case John’s introduction isn’t clear enough, a few sentences later he quotes John the Baptist, who says, “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (1:34). Throughout the book, John gives evidences of Jesus’s deity—that Jesus performed many miracles (2:1-11, 4:46-54; 5:1-17; 6:1-13, 16-21; 9:1-7; 11:38-44), and that he fulfilled prophecies written about him centuries before (2:13-22; 3:14; 5:46; 12: 14-16).  

God’s Love

But why would Jesus, who is God, leave heaven to live on earth as a human? Jesus himself tells us why: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). God saw us as we were, dead in our sin. That’s why Jesus came. God is a forgiving God whose love and patience call all to repent of their sins.

Why Do We Need to Be Saved?

So why do we need to be saved? Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). If we are honest with ourselves, we cannot deny that from the moment of our birth we have done wrong things—things that make us guilty before God and deserving of his judgment. The Bible calls these wrong things sin, and sin separates us from God. And because we are separated from God, we face the awful prospect of “the wrath of God” (3:36), which is eternal.

Jesus is the Only Way

Can anyone save us from God’s wrath and assure us of heaven? Some people believe they can get to heaven by doing good works, or by following the teachings of a religion, or even by giving money to churches or charities. But Jesus clearly said that none of these things would save us: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6). He did not say that he simply knew the way to heaven; Jesus said he is the only way to heaven. No human effort can give us eternal life. Christ, and Christ alone, is the one and only Redeemer.

How Does Jesus Save Us?

John the Baptist calls Jesus the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus came into this world knowing what it would cost him, and he explains that salvation comes through his death on the cross as the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for our sins (3:14-15). He bore in his pure being the fullness of sin, that God might forgive sinners and make them pure. And the price of Christs’ bearing those sins was death. The gates of salvation are open wide to all who accept his invitation to enter by faith.

Chapters 18-19 of John describe Jesus’ death, and then chapter 20 describes his glorious triumph over death as he rose from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection means that he can give eternal life to all who believe in him. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11: 25-26).

Do You Believe?

That last verse (John 11:26) actually ends with Jesus asking, “Do you believe this?” It is a question that every person must answer. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Is Jesus the object of your faith? Not faith in ritual, not faith in sacrifices, not faith in morals, not faith in yourself. Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross to free you from the guilt and judgment of sin? Do you believe that he rose from the grave, breaking the power of death and making a way for you to have eternal life in heaven? If, so you may express your faith in him by praying this prayer:

Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, and that he died on the cross to save me from my sin. I believe that the rose again to life, and that he invites me to live forever with him in heaven as part of your family. Because of what Jesus has done, I ask you to forgive me of my sin and give me eternal life. I invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as my Lord. Help me to live in a way that pleases and honors you. Amen.

Growing in Christ

Once you have received the gift of eternal lie and have been made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), you will want to grow in your knowledge of Jesus and your obedience to him. Jesus’ teaching about how to live for God can be summed up in three simple instructions.

1. Read the Bible. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (John 14:21). One way to show your love for God is to read the Bible and to live out your new life on the basis of its teaching. Read the Bible daily to learn how to live a life that honors God and gives testimony to others that Jesus has mad a difference in your life.
2. Pray. Communication with God through prayer keeps your focus on eternal things. If you are truly following Jesus, your desires will be for God’s glory and for his kingdom, the church. Jesus promised, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in your, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”(John 15:7).
3. Seek Christian Fellowship. Meeting regularly with Christian brothers and sisters allows you to follow Jesus’ example of love and to fulfill his command to “love one another: just as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Just as Jesus surrounded himself daily with his disciples and followers, find a Bible-believing church where you can meet with other Christians. There you will find joy and encouragement in the fellowship of God’s people.

Assurance

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you may be wondering, What happens if I sin after I’m saved? All Christians sin. But the good news is that Jesus’ death paid for all your sin, both past and future. If you humbly admit your sin to God, the Bible promises that God will forgive you and cleanse you from all your sin. Pray for God’s help to keep you from falling into sin again. Jesus assures us that “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Your salvation is sure because Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross is greater than any sin.

You might also wonder, What happens when I don’t feel close to God? Am I still saved? When a person has accepted the gift of salvation, Jesus describes his relationship with them as being life the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Salvation is not based on your feelings but on the fact that God has welcomed you into his family through faith I Jesus. Nothing on earth or in heaven can break that bond—-nothing.

If you feel far away from God, examine your life to see if there is unconfessed sin standing between you and God. Continue to read the Bible and pray regularly, filling your mind with God’s truth and goodness. Talk with other Christians and learn from their experiences. You will grow closer to God as your knowledge and experience of him grows. Rest assured in the promise that nothing can separate you from his love (Romans 8:35-39).

(Plan of Salvation….Crossway English Standard Version p. 1147-1150)