“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8).
Grace: The reason any person will be saved is entirely due to the grace of God. No one can earn eternal life and everyone deserves only death due to sin. The Bible teaches it is only by the grace of God that we have the hope to be saved.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
“No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (Acts 15:11).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the (free) gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).
Faith: Without the faith of Abraham, no one can please God or be saved. Faith is the foundation for believing and obeying the Word of God. Jesus told one follower: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).
“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’ ” (Rom 1:17).
“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Rom 10:10).
“But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved” (Heb 10:39).
“For you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1Pet 1:9).
God our Father: It is essential that we understand and believe that God is one. He chose Abraham and his seed to be His special people. This group includes those who have been baptized into Christ. The Creator of the universe has a plan and a purpose for all creation, including you. He seeks your submission, obedience, praise and worship.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Heb 6:4).
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God” (Isa 45:5).
In Jesus: There is no real hope apart from Jesus. He is the Son of God who was sacrificed to take away the sins of the world. Thanks to his offering, all people now have the opportunity to be reconciled to the Father. God raised him from the dead, gave him immortality, granted him all authority on earth and in heaven, and set him as mediator in heaven between God and man.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (besides Jesus) under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Rom 10:9-10).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Confession/Repentance: All people sin and fall short of the glory of God. In order to please God and obtain salvation, we must confess and repent from our sins. Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (2 Cor 7:10).
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim 6:12).
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9).
Baptism: Jesus taught that disciples must be born again of both water and spirit. The word ‘baptism’ means to dip, or totally immerse (not sprinkle). Jesus was baptized as an adult, and he provided the example that baptism is a necessary symbol of repentance, cleansing, death and resurrection.
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
“And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet 3:21).
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom 6:4).
Communion: Fellowship, communion, sharing and breaking of bread are all Biblical terms that describe the symbolic act of eating bread and drinking wine in memory of Jesus. Paul exhorted early disciples to break bread in memory of Jesus’ body and blood until he comes again.
“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:53-55).
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying,
‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ ”(Matt 26:26-28).
Good Works: Works by themselves can save no one. But good works are an important expression of our faith. Jesus himself performed many good works, and we should follow his example.
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26).
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matt 25:35-36).
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).
Endurance: The Bible says that believers have been saved, are being saved, and still hope to be saved. Salvation is a process that ultimately depends on believers being faithful until the end. No one is “once-saved, always-saved” because we must run the race until the end to win the prize.
“But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13).
“We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end” (Heb 3:14).
“Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off” (Rom 11:22).
The information above is not meant to be a checklist that leads to salvation. Nor is it a comprehensive list for what the Bible says should be done by disciples of Christ. There are several brief lists in Scripture that emphasize the importance of “first principles” such as the nature of man, source of sin, sacrifice of Christ and Kingdom of God — among others.
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4).
It is our hope that this series of articles will have enriched all in their studies of the Bible. We believe that the Word of God is divinely inspired and able to “make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). Our prayer for everyone is that when Jesus returns to the earth to set up his kingdom, we will hear his precious words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt 25:21).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One