Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: May 7, 2006
GOD’S SIMPLE PLAN OF SALVATION
Ben Justice
Do you believe that God has a plan for the saving of your soul? The apostle Paul
penned to the Romans, “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” (Rom. 1:16). The Bible clearly affirms in this passage that God’s saving
power is the gospel of Christ. In fact, according to 2 Thess. 1:8-9, one can’t
possibly be saved and go to heaven without obeying the gospel. Listen to the
words of Paul: “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;” In Rom.
10:16, Paul spoke of some who had not “obeyed the gospel.” Yes, my friend, the
gospel must be obeyed in order to be saved.
The question is, “What must I do to obey the gospel?” The above scriptures
simply state the fact that we must obey the gospel. They don’t answer the
question of what all is involved in that obedience. To learn this, we must go to
other scriptures. What did people do in the first century to obey the gospel? The
book of Acts is the record of conversions. It clearly tells us what men and
women did to obey the gospel of Christ.
In Acts 2:47, it tells us, “. . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should
be saved.” This verse reveals a number of important truths. Note the following:
1.) Jesus added the saved ones to the church. Hence, they did not “join” the
church, as one would some social club.
2.) The saved are in the church. Hence, the church is comprised of the saved.
There are no saved outside of the church.
3.) This is the Lord’s church, the one he promised to build in Matt. 16:18.
Hence, the church was a present reality. People were becoming members of it on
a daily basis.
We must ask this question at this point: What did those folks do to be saved
that resulted in the Lord adding them to his church? If we can answer that
question, then why can’t we do the very same thing and that result in the Lord
adding us to his church? If we back up in the context, we can very clearly see
what those folks did to be saved. Please note the following:
1.) They heard the gospel preached, according to v. 37.
2.) They were “pricked in their heart,” according to v. 37. The word “pricked”
means they were “convicted.” Hence, they believed the message.
3.) They asked in v. 37, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Was there
anything else to do, or were they saved at this point?
4.) Notice the response of Peter in v. 38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” There are two specific commands Peter
issued: (1) Repent, and (2) Be Baptized. Complying with these two commands
will result in receiving the remission of sins.
5.) In v. 40, Peter exhorted them, “. . . Save yourselves from this untoward
generation.” How would they save themselves? Obviously, by doing what Peter
had just commanded them to do in v. 38 and that is repent and be baptized.
5.) According to v. 41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.”
Why were they baptized? Again, to have the remission of sins (v. 38) and to save
themselves (v. 40). Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
What a simple plan of salvation! Obeying the gospel entails hearing the gospel,
believing the gospel, repenting of sins, and being baptized. Even though the
context of Acts 2 nowhere explicitly states they confessed Jesus to be God’s
Son, we learn from other Scriptures that God requires that one make this
confession prior to being baptized. Consider the account given in Acts 8:36-38,
as it relates to the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Before Philip would
baptize the Eunuch, the Eunuch had to confess Jesus as the Son of God (v. 36-
37). Upon this confession, Philip baptized the Eunuch (v. 38). Jesus said we
must confess him before men (Matt. 10:32-33). Even though the context in Acts
2 doesn’t explicitly tell us that they confessed Jesus to be God’s Son, it is
implied that they did. After all, some of the very ones present on that day were
personally responsible for the murder of Jesus. When they put Jesus on the
cross, they didn’t believe he was the Son of God, but an imposter. However,
Peter proclaimed to them, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (v.
36). In the very next verse it tells us that they were “pricked in their heart.” Of
course, they confessed Jesus as Deity, as God’s Son.
So, what is God’s simple plan of salvation? It is hearing the gospel message,
believing it, repenting of sins, confessing Jesus, and being baptized. What is the
result? It is the remission of sins and salvation, according to Peter. But, not
only that, it results in the Lord adding one to his church (Acts 2:47). The very
same process that results in salvation is the very same process that results in
becoming a member of the Lord’s church, the body of saved people (Eph. 5:23).