Salvation by Grace through Faith

We have heard the joyful sound – Jesus saves!

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.”

God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

Old Paths Baptist Church of Dubuque is a body of born again believers with extra emphasis on the BORN AGAIN part. So what’s it mean to be born again?

Here’s the explanation the Bible gives:

There’s Only 1 Way to Be Saved

old paths baptist church salvation one wayNowadays there are a lot of religious so-called leaders who would mislead others into believing that there are multiple paths to heaven. There’s just one problem with that…

…their teaching contradicts what God says in the Bible. There is only one way to get to heaven and that is through the new birth (John 3:3). Some call it being born again, regenerated or saved. No matter what you call it, there’s only one way to get it. And when you do, it happens immediately. Being born again is not some long drawn out progression or process. It’s an instantaneous decision.

There’s Only 1 Redeemer

old paths baptist church salvation jesus crossAnd His name is Jesus Christ. Salvation will never happen through Mohammed, Buddha, the priest, the pastor, or anyone else (1 Timothy 2:5). There is absolutely nothing anybody can do to deserve salvation because it is completely an act of mercy and grace from God.

Christ was born a physical man and unlike us, Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). This made Him the perfect sacrifice for sin making His sacrifice the only worthy payment God the Father requires for everyone to be saved (Acts 4:12).

Jesus Paid the Debt

old paths baptist church salvation lambSin is any violation of God’s law. Except for Jesus, every single person born was and is a sinner (Romans 3:23). Back when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, sin and death polluted the DNA of all mankind forever from then on. And this is the reason that despite how “good” a person may think they are, our own merit will never be able to pay the sin debt we owe to Almighty God (Isaiah 64:6) whose perfect nature demands justice when His law is violated.

And that’s the reason for God’s salvation plan. Jesus came to earth and went through life having been tempted and never sinned once. When He died on the cross, His perfect blood was shed to pay the price for everybody who ever sinned (Romans 5:8). He arose from the dead 3 days later and ascended back to heaven which is why being the only perfect man makes His sacrifice the only one God will accept as payment for sin (Ephesians 1:7). Church membership at Old Paths Baptist Church or any other church will never save anyone!

It Takes Repentance & Faith

old paths baptist church salvation faith

Repentance means to turn around (1 John 1:9). And faith is believing something without seeing it first (Hebrews 11:1). Salvation through Jesus Christ requires both (Romans 10: 9).

Repentance is needed because we need God’s forgiveness. There needs to be a penalty paid for sin and nothing short of genuine godly sorrow over one’s sinful condition will satisfy God – that’s repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Faith is needed because without first believing that Christ is the son of God who can and will save a sinner, the conversation between God and the sinner goes no further (Hebrews 11:6). By believing that He will forgive your sins and give you new life, salvation then becomes possible (Isaiah 1:18).

And when somebody repents of their sin and puts their faith in Jesus’ payment for their sin, God the Father pardons them and a soul is born again!

The Holy Spirit Dwells Within

old paths baptist church salvation flowerAfter somebody accepts God’s simple plan of Salvation, the Holy Spirit then literally dwells within that person (1 John 2:27). This sets the person apart for the Lord’s use. The word we use to describe this is sanctification.

The Holy Spirit living within acts as a guide and source of strength to help the believer in all areas of life (John 16:13). As the believer then seeks to live in a way that pleases God, the Holy Spirit, coupled with Scripture provides wisdom to aid in living the new life that the newborn believer is called to live.

Salvation Changes the Person

old paths baptist church salvation apple treeWhen somebody gets saved, they become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The first act of obedience was to accept the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer continually encourages the person to obey what the Bible says (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

Unfortunately, no change in a person’s behavior after professing a salvation experience may prove the person was not truly born again in the first place (Matthew 7:20).

Once Saved, Always Saved

old paths baptist church salvation padlockWhen somebody gets saved, they never lose their salvation. This is because the believer’s salvation is kept by God’s omnipotent power and unchanging promises (John 10:28-29).

Being a natural born sinner means that even after being saved, a person will struggle with the sin nature as long as they live in their current physical body. Future sins cannot cause a born again believer to ever lose his or her salvation (Galatians 5:17).

God Wants Everyone to Be Saved...

…And that’old paths baptist church salvation peoples why God designed salvation so simple that ANYONE who wants to get saved can be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Salvation is a free gift that God offers to every man, woman and child through something called the Gospel – and it doesn’t matter if that person is the “worst person” on earth. The Gospel, which is God’s salvation plan is intended for everyone!

The only thing that will ever stand in the way of a person’s ability to get saved is their own choice to do something other than to get saved today (John 3:36)!

old paths baptist church dubuque fellowship 5

How About You?

Have you accepted Christ as your savior? If not, wouldn’t it feel fantastic to finally be absolutely certain about the most important question you will ever answer in your life…

…What happens to me when I die?

 

That’s all. It Really is That Simple.

Old Paths Baptist Church of Dubuque is here to help you. Please reach out to us and we’ll answer any questions you may have about God’s simple salvation plan.

Next we’d like to invite you to our Statement of Faith page.