Bible Basics: Salvation

By: Brother S. Evans

The Lord desires that all people would be saved

1Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Revelations 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

God doesn’t care what gender, skin color, nationality, social status, or economic conditions you come from, as he said that he has no respect of persons. He doesn’t care if you are a good moral person or the most wicked sinner. This gift is available to whosoever will accept it!

I’m not a bad person, so why do I need to be saved?

Romans 5:12 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 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

In Romans 5 the scripture tells us that because of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden Eden, that all mankind is cursed with sin and death. We have all sinned and can not live a righteous life without Jesus Christ. If you have not given your heart and life to the Lord, then you are lost and on the path to Hell.

I have lived a very sinful life and I’m not sure that God would save me.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

In Isaiah 64 the Bible tells us that that we are all unclean and our righteousness without the Lord is as filthy rags. Chapter two of Ephesians continues with that thought as it says that by the gift of grace are we saved not by our own works. We can not earn this gift of salvation. If you feel conviction or a pull at your heart from the Holy Ghost at all, then you are a candidate to be saved.

Jesus explains to Simon (in Luke 7) that those, to whom much is forgiven, will have much love for the Lord.

This makes even the vilest sinner a prime candidate for salvation!

Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

In the book of John, Jesus said that “whosoever believeth” should have everlasting life. There are no requirements except for a repentant heart. It doesn’t matter what terrible things we have done in the past, God let’s us start with a clean slate.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I would like to be saved sometime, but this is not a convenient time in my life.

2Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

“Now is the acceptable time”, “now is the day of salvation”. We are not guaranteed tomorrow and by putting your decision off another day, we are playing “Russian Roulette” with our soul. Is the possibility of burning in Hell for eternity worth a gamble? Can you guarantee that you will be alive tomorrow to even have another chance?

The Judgment of God

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Revelations 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Every person will bow before Jesus and be judged from the records that God has kept. What will it be like to be a sinner standing before the creator of the Universe and explain why we rejected him!

Could a merciful and loving God send my soul to Hell?

As John 3:16 states, God the Father provided his only begotten son (Jesus Christ) as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He created mankind with a soul and the capacity to make his/her own decision about who they will serve. If we turn down the Lord’s gift of grace and spend eternity in hell, we have no one to blame but our self. What will your choice be?

Hell was made for the Devil and his followers (originally just the other fallen angels), so if we choose to follow Satan then we have made our decision. You may say that you aren’t following Satan, but if you refuse God, then by default you are a servant of Satan.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Revelations 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Revelations 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever

Isaiah 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 5:15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

2Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds); 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

How bad can Hell be? I’ll just burn up and that is the end of it, right?

Hell will be worse than any nightmare that you could every experienced. From the following verses we can see that those condemned there will burn in flames and experience bites upon their flesh. Hell will be full of souls, but each will seem to be in isolation in a void of darkness. We read from Luke that the “rich man” saw those in Paradise and that they weren’t suffering this torment. Could you image enduring this pain and then the mental agony of seeing what you missed out on? If you go to Hell, you will have plenty of time to regret refusing the Lord’s gift, but remorse at that time will be too late. Once we pass from this mortal life, we have established forever our eternal destiny.

Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 16:23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

The “new hell” or the Lake of Fire is so terrible that even the existing hell it’s self will be cast into it. (Rev 20:14)

Revelations 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Hebrews 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

2Peter 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest: to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.

Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

The term “worm dieth not” refers to the body of man continuously dying but the soul (or worm) of man not being annihilated.

This my friend is “eternal damnation”. We could not suffer this level of torture on earth since death would end that pain, but in Hell it will never end.

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Isaiah 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

I have heard some people say that hell will not last forever, because Revelations 2:11,20:14 refers to a “second death”. The problem with this understanding is that this second death lasts forever. There are too many references to hell being “eternal”, “everlasting”, and “forever” to think otherwise. Can you imagine how horrible it will be to experience death over and over forever?

Revelations 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

The verse below says that we can not even imagine (enter heart of man) how great heaven will be. I think we can give Hell the same comparison, that you can not image the horrors there.

1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I feel that even Christians do not fully understand the seriousness of being sentenced to the Lake of Fire or Hell. This lack of understanding is due to the limited capability of the human mind in understanding eternity. In our meager mortal existence, we know that everything in our world has a start and end just as we are born and eventually die. It is hard to understand the concept of something lasting forever. For us “forever” means a lifetime or less than 120 years, but to God forever has no end. We could be in Hell for 99,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 years and still have just as long left as when we started. When a criminal is committed to prison, they typically have a jail term to serve with a fixed number of years, but Hell doesn’t work that way. As I write this commentary, I pray that God will open your eyes (sinner and Christian) to the seriousness of eternal damnation in Hell. If he does open your eyes, then it would cause sinners to repent and Christians to pray for their lost loved ones like they have never prayed before.

As Christians, if we can grasp this understanding of eternity, then we can see the gravity and seriousness for every lost soul. Each sinner is only a breath away from burning in a Hell that was planned for Satan! I’m not talking about suffering for a few minutes and being burned up, we are talking about a repetitive continual dying that will never stop!

But, I’m not sure that I can live the life that God expects from a Christian

We can’t live a holy life without the Lord’s help, but his grace is sufficient. A Christian life is one that requires continual growth and perseverance. The Lord understands this and will help us if we slip or falter (Psalms 37).

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 1:25 To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

The church members should work to help new converts if they slip

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

In the book of Luke, Jesus instructs us to count the costs, to see if we are able to build. As indicated here, we should be fully persuaded in our decision to accept Christ as our savior, as a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 14:30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

An old Preacher that visited local churches often made the statement: “Give the Lord a try for 30 days and if you aren’t happy, the Devil will always take you back”. He was definitely correct.

What profit is there in putting off salvation another day?

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

What is your soul worth? I think most people are selling out cheap.

What must I do to be saved?

To be saved we need to come to the Lord with a repentant heart (sorry for our sinful ways) and ask the Lord to forgive us and take our life for his will. Once we have done this, our belief brings forgiveness of sins and our confession to others brings salvation.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

2Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt 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. 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 10:11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

You do not have to be in Church to pray through to salvation, just you and the Lord are all that is required. If you come to him with a broken, repentant heart, he will not turn you down. I beseech you to pray to him now, where ever you may be, as Jesus will meet you there. Once you pray through, confess it by letting someone know and then find a Bible believing Church to attend.

I was saved when I was younger, but turned my back on God. Will he take me back?

God welcomes backsliders back with out stretched hands! He also says that he will heal our backslidings.

Jeremiah 3:22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 14:3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

Revelations 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

The Lord Jesus gave us the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32, which illustrates the return of a wayward son to God.

Luke 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

What happens to me after I’m saved?

First of all, Jesus washes away our sins by his blood

Revelations 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Our past sins are cast into the sea of forgetfulness to never be remembered

Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Spiritually, we become a new man or woman in Christ (thus the term being born again). We will lose our desires for the world and develop a hunger for God.

2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

What happens in Heaven when I repent?

Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

I believe that our loved ones which are already in Heaven, will know when we repent and give our hearts to God.

Can I continue in Sin after I’m saved?

The writer Paul asks in Romans 6 if we can continue in sin after being saved. The answer is no. God will give us a new heart that seeks his will and will help us grow in faith and strength.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 6:4 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 we also should walk in newness of life. 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 12:1 tells us that after we are saved, that living a holy life is our reasonable service. This means that by doing so, we aren’t going above our required duty, but just meeting expectations.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Even though we commit our souls to the Lord, we can only receive salvation if we continue to serve him until our death or the coming of the Lord.

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

What if I do Sin after being saved, what must I do?

If we do make a mistake and sin, we have an advocate or mediator (Jesus Christ) with God the Father. This means that we should repent of our failure and Jesus will go to the Father to ask forgiveness on our behalf.

1John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

What can I do to grow in faith and spiritual strength?

There are three keys to maintaining our Salvation:

1) Studying the Bible (not just reading a few verses, but studying to understand it - 2Timothy 2:15)

2) a. Prayer (not just a simple kid’s bedtime prayer, but one that touches God with faith and spiritual fire - 1Thessalonians 5:17, James 5:16)

b. Fasting (Jesus told us that some answers only come by Prayer and Fasting - Mark 9:29)

3) Attending Church services regularly (not just when convenient with your schedule - Hebrews 10:25)

2Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Hebrews 10:25 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.

I hope that these scriptures help you to see that the Lord wants to save you and adopt you into his family. If you did pray for salvation, congratulations and welcome to the family of God! If you are still undecided, I pray that the Holy Ghost conviction will continue to deal with your soul. Please don’t put your decision off too late. You can find additional Bible reference material on my website (listed below).

Brother S. Evans

Email: holyliving@gmail.com

Website: www.trinity-holiness.com