Have you heard the good news about God’s plan of salvation?
In life you will make many important decisions—What school to attend, buying a car, buying a house, whether to get married or not, career choices and more. But the most important decision you can make is about your eternal destination. Not only will this determine where you will spend eternity, but also it will affect every aspect of your life.
The most important decision you need to considers is will you spend eternity with God or in the lake of fire? There are no third choices. God is holy & Righteous. To enter heaven we must meet God’s perfect standard of perfection.
If you have decided on heaven you have made a good choice but you need to grasp some of the problems or the bad news that prevents us from entering heaven.
First: The Bad News
Bad News: We are all sinners and God will not allow rebellious sinners to enter heaven:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3: 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Even the best things we do as sinners are unclean in God’s sight:
Isaiah 64: 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Bad News: Our sin separates us from having a relationship with God.
Ephesians 2:1,12 “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
Bad News: God’s standard of perfection demands that God must judge and condemn the sinner.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Romans 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Bad News: The price of sin is high
Romans 6:23 “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Bad News: Everyone is a sinner.
We deserve death and hell and are completely helpless by our own works to change our situation
Finally, the Good News.
Now comes the good part where God reveals the Good News of God’s Plan of Salvation.
Good News: God’s unconditional love.
God loved us in Spite of Our Sin and God wants to have a relationship with us.
Romans 5:8-10 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
It is God’s love that motivated Him to offer eternal life as a gift.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Good News: Salvation is a free gift from God
God’s Plan of Salvation.
Great! How do I receive this gift of God (eternal life)? Do I have to attend church, do good works, live a good life, partake of water baptism, Holy Communion, keeping the Ten Commandments, or by living a moral life? No! Not one of these activities will earn you eternal life or even get you one-step closer. Nothing you do or are capable of doing will ever get you into heaven.
Christ paid for eternal life at the cross! We cannot pay for it or earn it in anyway. It can only be through Christ. It is His righteousness that God sees in us and that is why God through Christ is uniquely qualified to freely give the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Him for their salvation. No one else could do this.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Simply believe in what God says in His Word. At the cross Jesus Christ died for our sins, satisfying God’s righteous requirement. When we trust in what God’s word says, Christ’s righteous is applied to our account and we begin a new relationship with God. We are saved, receiving eternal life.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Good News: Christ’s righteousness is applied to our account.
It is because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection that God’s righteousness is being made available to man through Christ. In fact it is being offered to us as a free gift from God.
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Good News: Once saved, always saved.
Christ died for our sins. Because God sees Christ in us we are eternally secure forever. As we did nothing to earn salvation, there is nothing we can do to lose our salvation.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The clock is ticking:
God’s plan of salvation is certainly good news. Are you going to heaven? Are you going to choose eternal life or the lake of fire? Only you can make this decision. Trust in Christ and live or not trust in Christ and face eternal punishment
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;