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Subject Two Hundred Seventeen

THE WAY OF SALVATION FOR MAN

Scripture: Acts 2:37, 38; 16:30, 31; 10:43; John 3:36; 1:12; 6:51; 4:14; Rom. 10:8-10, 13

  1. Both the Savior and His salvation are available
  2. The need is for man to receive
    1. If a man is to receive the Savior and be saved, he must confess that his nature is corrupt and his deeds are evil. He must repent. To repent is to turn one’s thoughts and intents to God; this includes hating, confessing, forsaking, and departing from one’s sins.
    2. Once a man repents, the following step is to believe in the Lord Jesus.
      1. Believing cannot be inherited. Do not think that you are saved because your father or grandfather are pastors or elders.
      2. Believing is not joining a religion or going through a baptismal ceremony.
      3. Believing is not believing some doctrine.
      4. Believing is more than agreeing.
      5. Believing is not merely to acknowledge. To acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior crucified for us is still not enough.
      6. Believing is receiving. To receive is to eat and to drink. The Bible invites man to receive Christ by eating and drinking Him as the bread of life and the water of life. The Bible likens God’s salvation to a feast. At a feast you must use your own mouth to eat and drink in order to receive the food. Others cannot believe for you. If three generations of your forefathers believed in the Lord, or even if you yourself have been baptized and believe some doctrines, you are still not saved. You must let the Lord Jesus come into you. Merely agreeing and acknowledging are both useless. Eating and drinking the Lord Jesus as your bread and water will bring salvation to you.
  3. How to receive
    1. Call upon the Lord Jesus.
    2. Pray to Him according to the inner feeling. Do not compose a prayer. If you feel sinful within, just confess your sin-fulness; if you are conscious of a certain sin, then confess that sin.

Subject Two Hundred Eighteen

THE PROOF OF MAN’S SALVATION

Scripture: 1 John 5:12-13; John 6:47; 3:18; Acts 10:43; 1 John 3:14

  1. You can know that you are saved
    Every man is aware of it when he receives something important. The Savior and His salvation are exceedingly great. When a man is saved, he must not be unaware of it. It is not right for him to receive the Savior and His salvation without realizing it.
  2. How can you know that you are saved? In other words, what proof is there that you are saved? There are two sides to the proof
    1. One side is God’s Word. God’s Word proves that you are saved.
      1. John 6:47 says that whosoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Once you have believed in the Lord Jesus, you have eternal life. If you still say that you do not have eternal life, either you are lying or God is lying.
      2. Furthermore, God’s Word says that once you have believed, you are forgiven. Then are your sins forgiven? You must answer this question according to God’s Word.
      3. His Word also says, “He that hath the Son hath the life.” Do you have the Son of God? If you have the Son of God, you must have the life of God.
    2. The other side of the proof is the change in your life and living. Once you receive the Lord and obtain the Lord’s life, your living must have some changes. Formerly you loved gambling and the sinful things; now they have lost their attraction.
  3. Feelings are unreliable
    Do not depend upon your feelings as they are unreliable. If you realize what God’s Word says and that some changes have taken place in your life, that is sufficient proof that you are saved. Do not emphasize feeling but rely upon the fact that you are saved. It is like having money in your pocket. Whether or not you feel it, it is a fact that the money is there.

Subject Two Hundred Nineteen

AFTER A MAN IS SAVED

Scripture: Matt. 3:8; 2 Cor. 5:14; Rom. 12:1; Eph. 6:18; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 10:25; Acts 2:42

  1. He needs to be baptized
  2. He needs to deal with sins
  3. He needs to consecrate himself
  4. He needs to pray and read the Word
  5. He needs to attend meetings regularly and have fellowship with other Christians

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Gospel Outlines   pg 215