What To Do To Be Saved

1. What To Do To Be Saved 1 Peter 3:21 Romans 10:9,10 Acts 2:38 Mark 16:15

2. Confidence Has A Price • No effortless assurances of salvation • False grounds for assurance: • “Once you are saved, you are automatically locked in” (2 Timothy 2:11,12) • “God will save everyone who professes to be a Christian” (Matthew 7:13.14,21-23) • “Virtually every religion has credibility before God” (John 14:6) • “God will judge mankind on a curve” (2 Corinthians 5:10) • “Because of all the confusion and disorder, God is going to greatly lower importance of believing and practicing the right doctrines” (2 John 9) • “Because of all the hypocrites in the church and all the abuses committed in the names of God, He will excuse those who have become discouraged” (Revelation 21:8; Matthew 25:24,25 • “God will save you just as long as you are a good moral person” (Romans 3:23)

3. The Standard: Objective or Subjective • Must realize that a clear conscience doesn’t save us – Acts 26:9 • After conversion he wrote Christians in Corinth – 1 Corinthians 4:4 • Paul living proof that a clear conscience (Acts 23:1) can co-exist with a lost condition (1 Timothy 1:13-15) • Feelings, emotions, personal experiences are unreliable measuring sticks- Proverbs 16:25 • Hebrews 10:22 – “a true heart in full assurance of faith” • God left mankind with an objective means of determining our standing with Him – Scriptures - 2 Timothy 3:16,17

4. Confidence Boosters • 1 John 2:3 “know that we have come to know Him” • Passages demand that certain conclusions about the Bible must be accepted by Christians – 1 John 2:29; 3:10; 5:2; John 14:15; Matthew 7:21; 1 Timothy 3:15 • His commandments must be clear, understandable • The Bible must be concise and to the point – 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 4:2; Jude 3 • Not saved because mom and dad said we were – 1 Peter 1:18 • Not right with God because we are associating with Christians who are saved – Revelation 3:4

5. Confidence Boosters • No easy ticket to confidence before God exists! • Don’t listen to those who say “don’t worry, of course you are saved” they don’t really know us – 1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Corinthians 13:5 • Look at yourselves – examine yourselves! • I’m the only one among men who knows what my true motivation is for serving God – 1 Corinthians 2:11 • I’m the best one qualified to answer the question, “am I keeping the commands of God or not?” 1 John 2:4

6. Confidence Boosters • Conclusions to be drawn from these passages: • I CAN know myself – not only possible but it is commanded • When I compare myself to the Word of God, I can with accuracy know where I stand • Isn’t that the method I used to determine if I was a Christian or not? • Looked at the commands – Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38 • Asked myself “self, have you done that yet” Romans 8:16

7. Anticipated Argument • “But Preacher, no person can understand everything that the Bible teaches perfectly, therefore assurance can never be found from following the Bible.” • Can you understand perfectly any subject? • I have something that the doctor, biologist, engineer, chemist, etc., doesn’t have as yet – I have access to an infallible guide – 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:3

8. Anticipated Argument • Where did God ever argue, “you can’t understand My message completely, so you can’t really ever be sure if you are saved or not”? • Fact that God revealed His will proves He believes that we can understand it – John 8:31,32; 1Timothy 2:4

9. Anticipated Argument • Of what part of God’s will are you unsure? • What to do to be saved? (Mark 16:16) • Organization of the church? (1 Timothy 3:1-5) • How should I treat my wife? (Ephesian 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:7) • My relationship to civil government? (Romans 13:1-7) • When do I partake of the Lord’s Supper? (Acts 20:7) • What are my priorities as a Christian? (Matthew 6:33) • How do I treat Christians that refuse to repent? (2Thessalonians 3:6-15) • What do I do when I sin? (1 John 1:8-10)

10. Salvation Isn’t Based On Perfection • The Righteous Man = The Forgiven Man – Romans 4:6-8 • Forgiveness for transgressions – 1 John 1:8-10 • Not Perfect, but must be honest, sincere, humble, and able to own up to sins committed – James 5:16 • Not flawless, but able to properly handle a rebuke – Galatians 2:14; Luke 17:3

11. Salvation Is Based On Something All Can Give • Not Based on External Factors – Galatians 3:26-29 • Not physically attractive, rich or famous – 1 Corinthians 1:26 • Salvation based on that which is attainable for every person who wants it – Romans 4:16; 1:16 • Everyone can manifest obedient faith is God!

12. God Is For Us • Romans 8:31,32 “who can be against us?” • God Must Really Want Me Saved! 2 Peter 3:9 • God: “If you end up lost, it’s because that was your choice, not Mine.” “I’m not going to let you down. If you are going to end up lost, you are going to have let yourself down!” “I’m in this for the long haul. When you became a Christian, My pledge of faithfulness was given to you for eternity, and if you don’t make it, it is because you didn’t want to be with Me.”

13. God Is For Us • “You can do it, just consider your past successes” • Hebrews 6:9-11 “your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints….show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,”