Below are listed verses which, when read collectively, should absolutely shock millions of Christians today, Christians who have been deceived into thinking that they have no personal responsibility in their own salvation. Ignore any of the below passages at your own risk. In the ensuing pages I will discuss each of these in detail…
GOD’S ROLE IN OUR SALVATION:
Luke 1.76-79
[Zechariah speaking] “And you, my child [John the Baptist], will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Ephesians 1.7-8
In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (NOTE: Christ’s blood makes it possible for believers to have their sins forgiven. Sin is what separates us from God and prevents God from hearing our prayers or saving us, Isaiah 59.1-2.)
Ephesians 2.5
…even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…(NOTE: We are saved by “grace.” Grace is always associated with the forgiveness of sins, and only God/Christ have the ultimate authority to take away a person’s sins.)
Ephesians 2.8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God… (NOTE AGAIN: We are saved by “grace through faith.” Again, grace is “unearned/undeserved favors,” and forgiveness of our past sins is undeserved. But receiving this grace depends on certain factors, noticed next.)
MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY TO RECEIVE GOD’S GRACE:
Matthew 7:13-14
[Jesus speaking] Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
2 Corinthians 6:1
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men – teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…
Revelation 21.7-8
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Philippians 2:12
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling… (NOTE: We must take accountability for our own salvation.)
Acts 2.40
And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
(NOTE: You actually have to “save yourself.”)
1 Corinthians 16:22
If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.
(NOTE: Can we be saved if a “curse” is upon us due to not loving the Lord? In fact, it isn’t possible to love the Lord if we don’t obey His commands and teachings, noticed next.)
John 14:15
[Jesus] If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:23
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (NOTE: It isn’t possible to love the Lord if we don’t obey Him and His Word. Nor will God and Christ “live within us.”)
James 2:14
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
Matthew 7:21
[Jesus speaking] Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Acts 11.14
[The Apostle Peter was instructed to tell the people]…words by which you and all your household will be saved. (NOTE: We are saved by a “message.”)
Matthew 25.31-37,40-46
[Jesus speaking] When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I [was] naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed [You], or thirsty and give [You] drink?
…And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did [it] to one of the least of these My brethren, you did [it] to Me.’
…Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do [it] to one of the least of these, you did not do [it] to Me.’
And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
(NOTE: Christ made it clear that we should be active in all kinds of good deeds if we expect to be saved. We must help the poor we must help the needy. We must take care of those who can’t help themselves, such as orphans and our widows of the church–and even help our enemies. Failure to help those with needs, when we have the means to do so, will result in the loss of our eternal souls.)
1 Corinthians 1.21
…it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. (NOTE: We are saved by “the message of preaching.”)
James 1.21
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. (NOTE: The Word—if “meekly implanted in our hearts”—can, but not necessarily will, save us. Note carefully the conditionality of this statement!)
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (NOTE: It is a salvation issue!)
1 Timothy 4:6
If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
2 Peter 3.15-18
…consider [that] the longsuffering of our Lord [is] salvation–as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. [Note that this is a salvation issue!]
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him [be] the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Acts 16.31
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (NOTE: We are saved by “believing in the LORD Jesus.”)
Colossians 1:23
…if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Galatians 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the law [of Moses]; you have fallen from grace.
Romans 10.9-10
…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (NOTE: We are saved by first believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and then by verbally confessing that “Jesus is LORD.”)
James 2.14,24
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
…You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (NOTE: We are saved by deeds of obedience and “NOT by faith alone.”)
Acts 16.30
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (NOTE: We are saved by “doing something.”)
Romans 10.13
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NOTE: We are saved by “calling on the name of the Lord.” Also, per the next verse [v. 14], we can’t sincerely call upon someone that we don’t believe in. This means faith in Christ as Lord comes first.)
James 5.20
…let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (NOTE: Whoever brings back a sinner from his sins will save his soul from eternal death. This implies that we must TURN FROM OUR SINS, in other words, REPENT OF OUR SINS if we expect to be saved.)
Acts 3.19
[To those who seemed interested but hadn’t yet accepted Christ, Peter said]: Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord... (NOTE: To be saved, our sins must be blotted out [Is. 59.1-2, noticed shortly]. To get them blotted out we must REPENT and CHANGE.)
Luke 5.32
[Jesus said]: I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (NOTE: Jesus came to the world to “seek and save the lost” [Lk 17.10], but in order for us to be saved we must REPENT.)
Mark 16.16; 1 Peter 3.20-21
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned... (NOTE: This is not “Holy Spirit” baptism as some erroneously believe.)
…long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ… (NOTE: Water baptism saves us, just as water saved Noah in the days of the flood.)
Revelation 2.26
And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations…
Matthew 10.22
[Jesus said]…And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Revelation 12:17; 14:12
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
This calls for the patient endurance of the saints—those who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.Romans 2:5-11
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds“:
eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness–indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For there is no partiality with God.
From these passages, the following observations may be logically concluded…
Man’s Critical Role in his Own Salvation:
Introduction
Verses
Facts 1-3
Facts 4-6
Facts 7-9
Facts 10-12 (Conclusion)