God’s Plan of Salvation Part 1 – The Problem x

God’s Plan of Salvation Introduction “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6) No man is going to walk into heaven on his own; he must have the help of Jesus Since Christ died on the cross and rose again, ignorance is no longer an excuse – see Acts 17:30-31, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 Since eternity is on the line, we need to examine God’s teaching, not man’s We will let God define His own terms

God’s Plan of Salvation Our study will break down into the following sections ◦The Problem ◦The Gospel ◦What Must I Do? ◦God’s Teaching About Repentance ◦God’s Teaching About Baptism ◦The Choice ◦The Need to Overcome

God’s Plan of Salvation Man’s problem started way back in the garden of Eden God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden except for one God told Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that he would “surely die” – see Genesis 2:17 Satan said, “You surely shall not die” (Genesis 3:4) When Adam and Eve ate, they disobeyed God and sinned

God’s Plan of Salvation Did Adam die on the day that he ate the forbidden fruit? The Bible says that he lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5) He died a spiritual death Death means “separation” The day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were kicked out of the garden They lost the opportunity to walk and talk with God

God’s Plan of Salvation Sin still separates man from God today “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save… but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God… so that He does not hear” (Isaiah 59:1,2) Sin is the problem; it separates man from God LSD – the devil’s drug; lust  sin  death – see James 1:14-16 X

God’s Plan of Salvation “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar” (1 John 1:10) “But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Galatians 3:22) There is only one way to get out of the jailhouse of sin --

God’s Plan of Salvation What about small children? “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity …” (Ezekiel 18:20) Because of Adam’s sin, sin entered into the world, but each person is accountable for his own sin – see Romans 5:12-14 “And I [Paul] was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died” (Romans 7:9)

God’s Plan of Salvation Small children are innocent before God A point comes where the commandment applies, sin becomes alive, and they die Jesus says of little children, “… their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father …” (Matthew 18:10) “… unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3) Children are still in fellowship with God; the gospel is directed to those who are responsible for their own actions

God’s Plan of Salvation What happens if a person remains in the jailhouse of sin? “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23) Death is here contrasted with eternal life; in other words, the consequence of unforgiven sin is eternal death “And these [the unrighteous] will go away into eternal punishment …” (Matthew 25:46)

God’s Plan of Salvation The punishment for sin is eternal damnation God uses force to persuade human nature that it must take on a new nature We must willingly fall on the Rock of Jesus Christ and break our will to do His will – see Matthew 21:44 Either we confess Jesus as Lord voluntarily on earth, or we will do it later under force – see Philippians 2:9-11

God’s Plan of Salvation Many people reject this God who will condemn a sinner to the black recesses of hell Modern thought teaches that we must avoid all mention of sin and hell “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) You don’t solve a problem by avoiding it Every person has the problem that his own sins separate him from God and condemn him to hell

God’s Plan of Salvation Part 2 – The Gospel