Let's Go Back to the Bible

Salvation God’s Way—What Must Man Do?

God could have provided salvation to mankind in any way that He chose.  As all of us have separated ourselves from the Lord through sin, all of us are dying—dying to drink of the water of life.  Thus, when the water of life is offered to our thirsty, drought-stricken souls, who are we to reject it?

God could have provided salvation unconditionally and not required that man do anything to obtain it, but He didn’t.  God chose to provide salvation from sin, “springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14), only to those who obey and do the will of the Father.  When God identifies His conditions for our parched souls to obtain access to the never-thirst-again water of life, who are we to decide if His way is fair or even acceptable to us?

If we will approach the Scriptures without prejudice and lay aside what we think Scriptures will say or what we think Scriptures should say, we can impartially gather all that God says about salvation, examine it and then obey it.  If we find something required of the Lord in one verse and then find another thing required of the Lord in another verse, which one does God require?  Is it either-or?  Or, is it possible that God requires both?  The answer to that is so obvious that it seems nonsensical to even discuss it.  Yet, man has made it necessary to address, as he perceives God to allow an either-or rather than a both-and.  Consider the fact that all three of the following are linked (in separate verses) with our salvation—faith (Heb. 11:6), hope (Rom. 8:24) and love (1 John 4:7).  Is there anyone who would attempt to claim that one of these is required for salvation but not all of them? Not likely!

So, what does God require, in order for sinful man to be saved from his dreadful sins?  When one reads through the New Testament and gathers all that God requires of man, here is what one, who is handling aright the word of truth, will find.  After a sinful man hears the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16; 10:14, 17), he must believe Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16), repent of his sinful ways (2 Peter 3:9), confess his faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  These are God’s conditions for salvation.  Who am I to question them?

When the most important and fundamental subject of Scripture is studied—salvation—let’s lay aside all man-made doctrines, go to the Bible and find God’s way.