All of the notes leading up to this one have been designed to fortify a foundation of fundamentals for your faith—they have been filled with lots of truths and facts for you to examine for yourself and believe. This note will also be filled with truths and facts, but it also serves as a transition to lead to the applications that we all need to make in our lives of these truths and facts. So, I have something else that I hope you will truly consider, take to heart and keep with you for the rest of your life.
Tune your heart to this: God only has one plan of salvation and you need to follow it! The most important thing that you can ever do is to be saved from your sins and to stay saved from your sins! Sin is the most devastating thing on the face of this earth because just one of them separates a person from God (Isa. 59:1-2), and there is nothing that any person can do, of himself, to get rid of a single sin (Rom. 3:10; Isa. 64:6). That is, of course, where God makes ALL the difference!
Truth: God’s plan of salvation starts with His grace! Regardless of what any of us do, no one could be saved apart from God’s love, grace and mercy (Eph. 2:5; Tit. 3:5).
Truth: God’s plan of salvation requires faith! To be saved, according to God’s plan (and not man’s), a person must believe in his heart that Jesus died for his sins and that God raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
Truth: God’s plan of salvation requires repentance! To be saved, according to God’s plan (and not man’s), a person must regret his sins, turn his mind away from sin and determine to make necessary changes (Acts 2:38; 3:19; Luke 13:3).
Truth: God’s plan of salvation requires confession of faith! To be saved, according to God’s plan (and not man’s), a person must be willing to publicly acknowledge his faith in Jesus (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10).
Truth: God’s plan of salvation requires baptism! To be saved, according to God’s plan (and not man’s), a person must be immersed in water before a single sin is forgiven (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). Baptism is the only way “into Christ” (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27), wherein is salvation (2 Tim. 2:10).
Truth: God’s plan of salvation requires continued faithful service to Him in His kingdom! To stay saved, according to God’s plan (and not man’s), a person must continue to “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7) and abound “in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). Christian living and entering heaven requires endurance and faithfulness (Rev. 2:10; Heb. 10:35-39).
Not everyone teaches or follows this “plan,” but God does! And, that’s all that matters! Please, obey God’s plan!