How Can We Have Our Sins Forgiven And Receive Salvation

HOW CAN WE HAVE OUR SINS FORGIVEN

AND RECEIVE SALVATION

PURPOSE

In this study, we will search the Bible to find out how we can have our sins forgiven, and receive salvation.

OPENER

Does the Bible present a plan of salvation?

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Yes. God has clearly communicated His will for our lives. The Bible teaches that we must obey five principles to receive salvation. Jesus did His part on the cross, now we must do our part by obeying God's plan of salvation.

LESSON

1. TO RECEIVE SALVATION, WE MUST FIRST BELIEVE IN GOD AND IN HIS SON JESUS (ROMANS 1:16-17; JOHN 8:24).

What does it mean to "believe" in God?

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The Greek root word for "believe" pisteuo {pist-yoo’-o} means "believe, to be committed to, to trust in. Belief is the most important part of salvation. But we must understand that people who really believe commit themselves to what they believe. Therefore, God saves people who believe, that is, who really commit their lives to the gospel of Christ.

How do we obtain faith or belief in God (Romans 10:17)?

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There are three steps involved in faith.

1. Faith involves hearing. We must be willing to listen to the message of Christ (Matthew 13:16). We must read the Bible and be willing to listen to it with an open mind and heart.

2. Faith involves a mental assessment. We must not only listen to the Bible; we must agree that the message is true.

3. Faith involves commitment. When the New Testament speaks of faith, it speaks of commitment, a personal commitment to the truth. People who hear the truth and agree with it will do something about it. We must commit and yield our lives to the truth.

§ Saving faith is believing in Jesus Christ and committing one’s life to Him. It is trusting Jesus Christ, completely putting one’s trust in Him, who He is and what He has done. It is casting one’s life into His hands, believing He will take care of one’s past (sins), present (looking after), and future (delivering from death unto life eternal) (John 3:15; 36; 5:24).

Is believing in God and Jesus the only necessary step in receiving salvation?

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1. We must do more than just mentally believe in God, for we must obey His commandments and teachings as well (Hebrews 5:8-9; Matthew 7:21; 1 John 2:3-6; 5:3; John 14:23).

2. When Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul believed in the Lord (Acts 9:3-6). At that point, was he saved just because he believed? No, because Jesus sent Ananias to teach Saul what he needed to do in order to be saved (Acts 22:12-16). "Be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name" (v. 16). Saul was saved, not just because he believed, but because he obeyed the Lord's will and was baptized for the remission of his sins.

3. The Demons believe in Jesus, however, they will not be saved (Mark 1:24; James 2:19).

4. Belief in the Lord is essential to salvation. However, it is just the beginning of the salvation process. We must be willing to obey and be faithful to the Lord as well.

2. SECOND, TO RECEIVE SALVATION, WE MUST REPENT OF OUR SINS (LUKE 13:3; ACTS 17:30; 3:19).

What does "repentance" mean?

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The Greek root word for "repentance" metanoeo {met-an-o-eh’-o} (appears 34 times in the Greek NT) means "to change one's mind or purpose." It is a change of mind that results in a change of life. It is forsaking evil and following righteousness.

What is the biblical process of repentance?

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1. True repentance involves admitting that we have sinned against God (Luke 15:18; 2 Samuel 12:13; 1 John 1:9).

The first step to repentance is admitting that we have sinned against God. We must admit that we are sinners and are in need of God's forgiveness.

2. True repentance involves feeling remorse for what we have done (2 Corinthians 7:10; James 4:8-10).

After admitting that we have sinned against God, we should feel remorse. Our mourning should move us to turn away from our sins and start living better Christ-centered lives.

3. True repentance involves turning away from sin and striving to live righteous lives (1 John 3:6; Hebrews 10:26-27).

We cannot truly repent, if all we do is admit our sins, and feel sorry about them. We must forsake our sins as well. We must turn away from them!

Repentance is an important part of becoming a Christian. It lets God know that we are serious about living Christian lives. If we really love God and want to spend eternity with Him in Heaven, then we will turn away from sin and follow His commands.

What sins do you need to repent of?

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3. THIRD, TO RECEIVE SALVATION, WE MUST CONFESS FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST (MATTHEW 10:32-33).

What does "confessing faith in Jesus" mean?

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Confessing faith in Jesus means that we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. We believe He is who He claimed to be. Then, we will always look for opportunities to share Jesus with others.

When was the last time you shared Jesus with others?

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4. FOURTH, TO RECEIVE SALVATION, WE MUST BE BAPTIZED FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS (MARK 16:16; ACTS 2:38; 22:16; 1 PETER 3:21).

Why are we baptized?

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We are baptized to receive forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

What happens to our sins once we believe, repent, confess, and are baptized?

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After we are baptized, every sin that we have ever committed will be wiped away and remembered no more. No matter what we have done in our past, God will forgive us. We become a new creation.

§ "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).

Is baptism necessary for salvation?

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The Bible teaches it is (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21). In the New Testament, there was no such thing as an unbaptized Christian.

Examples of Baptisms:

Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:16).
The people at Pentecost were baptized (Acts 2:38, 41).
Simon in Samaria was baptized (Acts 8:12, 13).
Ethiopian Eunuch was baptized (Acts 8:38).
Paul was baptized (Acts 9:18; 22:16).
Cornelius and his household were baptized (Acts 10:48).
Lydia and her household were baptized (Acts 16:15).
The Jailer and his family believed (Acts 16:31) and were baptized (Acts 16:33).

Why do think many religious people believe that baptism is not important and necessary for salvation?

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How are we baptized? Are we sprinkled or immersed in water?

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Being immersed in water is the only biblical baptism.

Examples of water baptisms:

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water (Matthew 3:16).
Philip and the Eunuch "went down into the water and Philip baptized him" (Acts 8:38).
Water is linked to baptism in (1 Peter 3:21).
Baptism is a burial (Romans 6:4).

In fact, according to the "Greek English Lexicon" by Arndt & Gingrich, the Greek word for baptism (baptizo) means immerse, dip, dip oneself, wash. It does not mean to sprinkle.

Even the founders of denominations agree that baptism should be by immersion.

Martin Luther…"I would have those who are to be baptized to be entirely immersed, as the word imports and the mystery signifies."

John Calvin…"The word 'baptize' signifies to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church."

John Wesley…"Buried with Him, alludes to baptizing by immersion according to the custom of the first church."

Is infant baptism a valid baptism?

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No. The Bible does not record a single occurrence of an infant being baptized. On the contrary, every mention of baptism involves people old enough to hear and receive the baptism.

Jesus (Matthew 3:16).
Crispus (Acts 18:8).
The Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:30-33).

Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. A child is not born a sinner. In fact, God says in (Genesis 8:21) that sin begins sometime in childhood.

We do not inherit the sins our fathers (Ezekiel 18:20).

If we did not receive a biblical baptism, should we be re-baptized?

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In (Acts 19:1-7), twelve men who had previously been baptized by John the Baptist were re-baptized after finding out about Jesus' baptism.

If you feel that your first baptism was not biblical, then you should be re-baptized for the right reasons. We do have a biblical example of re-baptism.

When should we be baptized?

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Once we believe in the Lord, and are willing to repent of our sins, and confess faith in Jesus, then we should be baptized right away (Acts 2:41; 8:35-38). There is no reason to delay. As soon as we realize that we want to give our lives to the Lord, we should be baptized. If we wait until we are "perfect", we will never feel good enough and ready for baptism.

5. FIFTH, TO RECEIVE SALVATION, WE MUST LIVE FAITHFUL GODLY LIVES TO THE END (REVELATION 2:10; MATTHEW 10:22).

How do we as Christians exhibit faithfulness?

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Christians exhibit faithfulness by:

Worshipping God (John 4:23-24).

Obeying the Scriptures (John 14:23).

Serving (Doing the work of the Lord) (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Sharing Christ with others (Matthew 10:32; 28:19-20).

Attending church services regularly (Hebrews 10:25).

Staying away from sin (1 John 3:6).

Loving one another (1 John 4:7; 3:11; John 15:12).

If we want to go to heaven, we must remain faithful to the very end.

Once we obey the gospel, by believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins, we must remain faithful to the Lord. We should be so in love with the Lord that we want to serve and follow Him on a daily basis. We should study the Bible daily, pray, do good to all people, and attend church faithfully. Being a Christian is a lifetime commitment.

When turbulent times come, we must remain faithful. When stress at work has us down, we must remain faithful. When illnesses creep into our lives, we must remain faithful. God never promised that life would be without problems, however, He did promise that if we remain faithful to Him, we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

CONCLUSION:

1. How can we have our sins forgiven and receive salvation?

2. To receive salvation, we must…

Believe in God.

Repent of our sins.

Confess faith in Jesus.

Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

Remain faithful to the Lord.

3. Would you like to have your sins forgiven and receive salvation today?

4. If you believe in God, and are willing to turn away from your sins, and confess faith in Jesus, then you are ready to become a Christian. You are ready to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 22:16; 2:41).

5. There is only one way to enter into the Kingdom of heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. We cannot hope our way in, sneak our way in or buy our way in. Salvation does not come through a preacher, priest, or family members. It only comes through the Lord (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

6. Today, you have an important decision to make. You can choose to reject the Lord and the salvation He offers or you can choose to accept the Lord and the salvation that He offers (Joshua 24:15).

7. What will your decision be? Spiritual life in heaven or spiritual death in hell? I pray that you choose spiritual life in heaven!

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