What is the plan of salvation?

In Pastor Barnett's words, the heart-felt prayer of Grace Bible Baptist Church is for people to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. When someone asks us how, we answer with five steps, each tied to a verse of the Bible. We call it the plan of salvation. Here it is, in the King James wording we read from. Take the steps in order, because each one builds on the one before, and take your time with them. Nothing here is a trap.

1. Realize that God loves you

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The starting point is not what you have done. It is what God has done. He gave his Son because he loves the world, and the offer is for whosoever, which means anyone at all. That includes you, wherever you are tonight and whatever your week has held.

2. All men are sinners

Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

This is the honest part, and it is meant for everyone equally. To sin is to fall short of what God requires, and the verse says all have done it. It does not single out the worst of us. It includes the rest of us too, and that is where we have to begin if we want the truth.

3. Sin must be paid for

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Wages are what is earned. The verse says what sin earns is death. But notice the turn in the second half: eternal life is a gift, and a gift is something you receive, not something you work for. The debt is real, and so is the offer.

4. Christ paid for our sins

Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Look at the timing: while we were yet sinners. Christ did not wait for us to clean up our lives first. He died for us as we were. This is the answer to the third step. The payment that sin demands has been made.

5. We must personally pray and receive Christ by faith

Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The last step is the personal one. No one can pray it for you. Calling on the name of the Lord is your own prayer, from your own heart, receiving Christ by faith. The word whosoever shows up again here, just as it did in the first verse, and it means the door is open to anyone.

Faith, in this step, means trusting Christ himself to do what he said he did. It is not trust in your own goodness, and it is not trust in a church building or a ritual. It is you, speaking to God, asking him to save you because Christ died for you.

A prayer you can pray

If you want to talk to God about this, our church publishes this prayer: “Lord, I know that I am a sinner. If I died today, I would not go to heaven. Forgive my sin, come into my life and be my Savior. Help me live for you from this day forward. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

The prayer is there to help you find words, and it is meant to be prayed honestly. We close the plan with this sentence: “Everlasting life begins when we receive Christ as our Savior.”

If you prayed, or you still have questions

If you prayed that prayer, or if you are still thinking it over, we would be glad to talk with you. Pastor Barnett can be reached through the church at (865) 637-8954, and you can also write to us from the Contact page. No question is too basic to ask.

You are also welcome to come and hear the Bible preached for yourself. We meet at 2646 Jefferson Ave in Knoxville, with Sunday School at 10:00 A.M., Morning Worship at 11:00 A.M., and Evening Worship at 7:00 P.M. The Services page has the full weekly list, the About page tells you who we are, and the Sermons page has earlier messages if you would like to listen first. Come as you are.