Will These Steps To Salvation Save You?

[AVBibleBeliever]

this is a quote from a Christian Magazine on how to be saved.

 

Men still cry, "what must I do to be saved?" The Bible provides a clear answer. Here are six steps which all must take to pass from life to death.

1. ACKNOWLEDGE: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23  "God be. merciful to me a sinner" Luke 19:13. You must acknowledge in the light of God's Word that you are a sinner.

2. REPENT: "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" Luke 13:;. "Repent ye therefore, and  be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" Acts 3:19. You must see the awfulness of sin and then repent of it.

3. CONFESS: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse  us from all unrighteousness" I John 1:9. "With the mouth' confession is made unto salvation" Romans 10:10. The lord awaits your admission of guilt.

4. FORSAKE: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord ... for he will abundantly pardon" Isaiah 55:7. Sorrow for sin is not enough in itself, We must want to be done with it once and for all.

5. BELIEVE: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him Should net perish, but have everlasting life"John 3:16. "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")Romans 10:9. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" Mark 16:16. Believe in the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

6. RECEIVE: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that Believe on his name" John 1: 11,12. Christ must be received personally into the heart by faith, if the experience of the New Birth is to be yours.

What sayeth ye Brethren?

 

Would you print these steps in your church bulletin or visitors package?

[quinkie]

Yes, as long as the Holy Spirit is dealing (drawing) with the individual. They have to know they are a sinner and in need of a Saviour, they need to be sorry that they have sinned against God, they need to confess that need, they need to endeavor to not continue in their sin, they need to believe that Jesus paid for their sins, and then receive the gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering them.

When the Philippian jailer asked that question, the answer he was given was "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." If having "steps" helps the one who is encouraging the other to get saved, I see nothing wrong with it.

If a person is just going along to get you off their backs, (or if you are pushing them and it is not their own decision) then no, the "steps" will not get anyone saved.

[paid4]

It's missing grace. Needs some Ephesians 2 in it.

[heartstrings]

There are no "steps". God gives three conditions;

 

Believe all three. in your heart, and salvation can take place in a split second. You must believe that you are a dirty, rotten, wicked hopeless, helpless sinner (sin). That Jesus is pure and holy, and that He loves you so much that he paid the ultimate price for you (righteousness) that God is all powerful, that you are headed for Hell and deserve it (judgment).

 

it's simple; turn against sin and self and Hell to Jesus......in simple, childlike faith.

[Salyan]

4. FORSAKE: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord ... for he will abundantly pardon" Isaiah 55:7. Sorrow for sin is not enough in itself, We must want to be done with it once and for all. 

 

 

Look at that. They just added a work in between repentance and faith. They're expecting the sinner to cease from his sin before he has even put his faith in Christ. 

[weary warrior]

4. FORSAKE: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord ... for he will abundantly pardon" Isaiah 55:7. Sorrow for sin is not enough in itself, We must want to be done with it once and for all. 

 

 

Look at that. They just added a work in between repentance and faith. They're expecting the sinner to cease from his sin before he has even put his faith in Christ. 

Actually, to "repent" means a change in direction, not just "I'm sorry". So what I guess they are referring to here is someone who is sincere in wanting Christ to remove their sin and fully change them, not someone who is just looking for "fire insurance". To be sorry for your sin yet keep on sinning is not Biblical repentance. Having said that, I'm always a little bit queasy when people start numbering the steps you have to go through to get "saved".

[Jim_Alaska]

Original Question:

Will These Steps To Salvation Save You?

Answer:  NO.   Act 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

 

All the man made "steps" in the world have no power to save. It is solely by the power of God's Holy Spirit working in both the sinner as well as the one doing the witnessing that a sinner is saved. The sinner must "believe" predicated upon the convicting witness of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is not drawing the sinner, these steps are of no avail.

 John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

I am not trying to be agrumentative here. I just think that too many rely on a formula once they are able to witness to lost people. Just because we can get someone to "repeat after me", or simply agree with our "steps", does not constitute a new birth in the sinner.

 

We must be careful in our witnessing to let God do the saving and simply be faithful on our part to present the Gospel. A profession based on how well we can present a convincing argument does not constitute a true conversion.

 

Unfortunately we see way too many supposed "conversions" by "soul winners" in which the one being witnessed to is never seen again. No resulting baptism, no church attendence, no evidence of any fruit.

[heartstrings]

In Isaiah 55:7. For the "unrighteous man" to "forsake his thoughts" it takes faith, not works. It's repentance really; so, in that respect, their point #2 and #4 are basically the same thing. Notice also that they said "we must want to be done with it once and for all"  That is biblical because if that desire is not there at the time of salvation, I don't believe true repentance took place.. But of course none of us are "done with it" because we still sin from time to time. I don't see anything wrong with that statement in itself.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

As a former pastor's wife once said, "I'm glad I knew the Man (Christ Jesus) before I knew the plan".

 

When I got saved I didn't know the first book of the Bible was Genesis, I didn't know the Lord was coming back, I didn't know people got baptized.

I had never heard of repentance yet quit relying on my perceived "brownie points" (not as a conscious effort but as a realization that they were worthless according to the Word of God). I didn't actively seek to turn from sin yet I knew if I got saved that as a Christian some things were not going to be permissible in God's sight. When my heart yearned for and cried out for the freely offered forgiveness of sin ... my mouth followed in suit.

 

I don't know that the above "plan" is as much a pre-flight checklist as a breakdown of attitude in the truly repentant. 

[weary warrior]

As a former pastor's wife once said, "I'm glad I knew the Man (Christ Jesus) before I knew the plan".

 

When I got saved I didn't know the first book of the Bible was Genesis, I didn't know the Lord was coming back, I didn't know people got baptized.

I had never heard of repentance yet quit relying on my perceived "brownie points" (not as a conscious effort but as a realization that they were worthless according to the Word of God). I didn't actively seek to turn from sin yet I knew if I got saved that as a Christian some things were not going to be permissible in God's sight. When my heart yearned for and cried out for the freely offered forgiveness of sin ... my mouth followed in suit.

 

I don't know that the above "plan" is as much a pre-flight checklist as a breakdown of attitude in the truly repentant. 

 

I could not have stated my view of the subject, and my own salvation experience, any clearer. Thank you, Brother.

[heartstrings]

When my heart yearned for and cried out for the freely offered forgiveness of sin ... my mouth followed in suit.

 

That's it right there.

[Salyan]

Actually, to "repent" means a change in direction, not just "I'm sorry". So what I guess they are referring to here is someone who is sincere in wanting Christ to remove their sin and fully change them, not someone who is just looking for "fire insurance". To be sorry for your sin yet keep on sinning is not Biblical repentance. Having said that, I'm always a little bit queasy when people start numbering the steps you have to go through to get "saved".

Repenting isn't to be sorry (although that may be present), nor is it a change in direction (although that is the logical progression that will occur). It is simply to change one's mind. A sincere change of mind will always result in a change of action/direction - but that change is not itself repentance.

[AVBibleBeliever]

One thing I saw in this was the fact that there was no clear gospel.

 

Paul said this is the gospel, 1Cor 15:1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received (see Gal 1:11) , how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

 

While one point talks about the cross of Christ, the cross meant two different things depending on who you were if you were a Jew, the death and burial of the Messiah, the cross mentioned in Acts 2 was for Israel as proof that Jesus was their Messiah and King. Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
 26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.  There is a death and resurrection but not once in Acts 2 does Peter say, "Jesus died for our sins".  Those fulfilled scriptures were for Israel to know he was their King and Messiah/Christ.

 

While the Paul said that Christ died for our sins, It was the gospel for all men he received from Christ Himself.  Gal 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

The steps in and of themselves without the clear presentation of the Gospel of the grace of God Paul taught will not save. 

 

Christ died for your sins and rose again the third day.  You believe that in your heart and confess with your mouth that he rose from the dead you are saved.   when Paul says confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus he is speaking of his death for your sins and rising on the third day. Roms10:9 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.

[Genevanpreacher]

There is a reason that this plan is referred to as 'The Romans Road'.

In reference to the Romish type of religion I mean.

 

The prayer alone to save someone is a work.

 

A 'key' if you please; and too many churches use a 'key' to heaven attitude when 'proclaiming the gospel',

and through this 'key' they give 'everyone that sayeth "Lord, Lord", an entrance to heaven.

Which, of course, is contrary to the word of God. [Matthew 7:21]

[AVBibleBeliever]

There is a reason that this plan is referred to as 'The Romans Road'.

In reference to the Romish type of religion I mean.

 

The prayer alone to save someone is a work.

 

A 'key' if you please; and too many churches use a 'key' to heaven attitude when 'proclaiming the gospel',

and through this 'key' they give 'everyone that sayeth "Lord, Lord", an entrance to heaven.

Which, of course, is contrary to the word of God. [Matthew 7:21]

The one I know called the Romans Road is used because they only use verses from the book of Romans.

 

But no routine saves only your faith in the knowledge that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again the third day.  All other knowledge is unnecessary until after salvation.  IMHO