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FIVE MATTERS OF SALVATION ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

Believe

Believe in Jesus.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” — Acts 16:31 NASB

Confess

Confess your belief in Him.

“For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” — Romans 10:10 NASB

Repent

Turn away from your sins.

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” — Luke 13:3 NASB

Be baptized

Be baptized.

“Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” — 1 Peter 3:21 NASB, plus “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” — Mark 16:16 NASB

Obey

Obey God’s commandments.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” — Matthew 7:21 NASB

Full Bible Study

HOW DO YOU GET TO HEAVEN ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?

The most important question that anyone can ask themselves is:

“What must I do to be saved?”

Another way to say that is:

“How do I get to Heaven?”

This is the single, most important question that we can ask ourselves, and yet, how many of us are prepared to answer it?

People have pondered this question for thousands of years!

When Paul and Silas were in prison (Acts 16:30 NASB), the jailor asked them what he needed to do to be saved. They answered him:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” – Acts 16:31 NASB.

Precisely! As Luke wrote in the Book of Acts:

“There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 NASB.

This leads to another question. Is believing in Jesus the ONLY thing that we need to do to be saved?

FIVE MATTERS OF SALVATION

According to the Bible, there are five things that must be done to go to Heaven.
They are as follows:

  1. Believe in Jesus. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31 NASB,

  2. Confess your belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10 NASB,

  3. Repent of your sins (turn away from them). “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3 NASB

  4. Be baptized. “Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 3:21 NASB and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16 NASB,

  5. Obey God’s commandments. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” – Matthew 7:21 NASB.

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

Once we understand what it takes to get to Heaven, we need to share this good news with others.
In Peter’s first epistle, he wrote:

“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” – 1 Peter 3:15 NASB.

God’s plan to spread the Gospel requires us to act on our faith and tell others about Jesus.
As God’s children, we are charged with the task of making disciples of all nations, as we see in the following scripture:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20 NASB.

If others ask us questions about salvation, we need to be armed with scripture and ready to give an answer for the faith that we have in Jesus.

MAKING MISTAKES ALONG THE WAY

None of us are perfect.
As we live our lives, Satan will come in and try to tempt us.
Sometimes, despite our best intentions, he will be successful.
There is a constant battle occurring between the flesh and the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul described the struggle this way:

“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold into bondage to sin. For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good. But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.” – Romans 7:14-20 NASB.

When we fall short and sin, the response that God wants is for us to:

  1. Repent,

  2. Ask for His forgiveness.

If we do these two things, we will be forgiven.

Consider the following scripture from John’s first epistle:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 NASB.

CONCLUSION

The Bible lists five things that we must do to go to Heaven:

​

  1. • Believe in Jesus,

  2. • Confess our belief in Him,

  3. • Repent (turn away from) our sins,

  4. • Be baptized,

  5. • Obey God’s commandments.

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At the core of our salvation is our faith in Jesus.
We will conclude today’s lesson with the following two scriptures.
They remind us of how glorious Heaven will be for those who remain faithful until the end!

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” -Revelation 22:1-5 NASB,

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3-4 NASB.

Reflect on the Lesson

Consider these questions on your own or discuss them with others.

Question 1

Do you think most people today believe in Heaven? Why or why not?

Question 2

Do you think people’s beliefs about Heaven influence how they live? Why or why not?

Question 3

How does the hope of Heaven influence your own choices and priorities?

Question 4

As you reflect on the five matters of salvation discussed in this lesson, is there an area you want to understand better or give more attention to? What might hold you back?

  1. Believe in Jesus,
  2. Confess our belief in Him,
  3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins,
  4. Be baptized,
  5. Obey God’s commandments.

Question 5

What is one specific thing you will do this week in response to this lesson? What will your first step be?

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