Salvation a discussion

I am now led to do a bible study discussion on Salvation, our needs for it, its purposes, and benefits to us. God loves people that He wants to save us from our own bad and selfish ways, so that we might serve and glorify Him. Sin has separated us from a relationship with Him, and salvation restores that relationship. God is always after a relationship with man, His creation, for He wants that to be so.  This verse of scripture, in 2 Peter 3 says God does not want any to perish but for all to reach repentance.

(2 Peter 3:9)  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

And these verses from 1 Timothy say that God wishes all to be saved in fact, through the Lord Jesus:

(1 Timothy 2:3)  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

(1 Timothy 2:4)  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

(1 Timothy 2:5)  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

(1Timothy 2:6)  who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

 God does give us free will to serve whosoever we may choose to be saved and serve God or not, according to Joshua

(Joshua 24:15)  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

 I myself have chosen serve the Lord, and to obey Him to the best of my fleshly ability, repenting for my failures as I need to.. Now, I will show by scripture why exactly everyone without exception needs salvation, because we can do not do anything right on our own, with our own strength as it says in scripture:

In Isaiah 64 is written this:

(Isaiah 64:6)  We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

(Isaiah 64:7)  There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

And in Romans

(Romans 3:9)  What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,

(Romans 3:10)  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;

(Romans 3:11)  no one understands; no one seeks for God.

(Romans 3:12)  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

(Romans 3:13)  "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."

(Romans 3:14)  "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."

(Romans 3:15)  "Their feet are swift to shed blood;

(Romans 3:16)  in their paths are ruin and misery,

(Romans 3:17)  and the way of peace they have not known."

(Romans 3:18)  "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

We all do wrong it says but also it goes on to say later

(Romans 3:23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Look at what it says in Romans 6 about the wages and consequences of  our sin

(Romans 6:23)  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The death spoken of here is eternal death, separation from God in the lake of fire (see Revelation 20)

Here in Isaiah 53 it says(this is a prophecy of Jesus)

(Isaiah 53:4)  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

(Isaiah 53:5)  But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

(Isaiah 53:6)  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

And to continue on with the discussion on Jesus back in Romans chapter 3……

(Rom 3:24)  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

(Romans 3:25)  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

(Romans 3:26)  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Look at what God did for us as stated in Romans 5

(Romans 5:7)  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--

(Romans 5:8)  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:9)  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

In Ephesians chapter 2 there is a good discussion on Salvation and remember this is God’s gift of grace to us, and not anything we did for or by ourselves

(Ephesians 2:1)  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

(Ephesians 2:2)  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--

(Ephesians 2:3)  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

(Ephesians 2:4)  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

(Ephesians 2:5)  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--

(Ephesians 2:6)  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

(Ephesians 2:7)  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

(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,

(Ephesians 2:9)  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

(Ephesians 2:10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Also here is a statement on God’s love for and toward us- here(as other places God sent His son to be a sacrifice for our sins.

(1 John 4:9)  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

(1 John 4:10)  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Now look at what Jesus Himself says on the subject. First I want to go to the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus.

(John 3:1)  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

(John 3:2)  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."

(John 3:3)  Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

(John 3:4)  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

(John 3:5)  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

(John 3:6)  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

(John 3:7)  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

(John 3:8)  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

(John 3:9)  Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"

(John 3:10)  Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

(John 3:11)  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

(John 3:12)  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

(John 3:13)  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

(John 3:14)  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

(John 3:15)  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

(John 3:16)  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:17)  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

(John 3:18)  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

(John 3:19)  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

(John 3:20)  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

(John 3:21)  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

Jesus says we MUST be born again, both of the flesh AND of the spirit to see the kingdom of God, then also it is explained God so loved the world to give His only begotten son so that anyone who believes would be saved, for God wants the world to be saved. Anyone who does not believe is already condemned. Later in the same chapter John the Baptist says this concerning Jesus and His mission, and himself (John):

(John 3:30)  He must increase, but I must decrease."

(John 3:31)  He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

(John 3:32)  He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

(John 3:33)  Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.

(John 3:34)  For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

(John 3:35)  The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

(John 3:36)  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

This verse in John 5 also gives a key to Salvation, to believe in Jesus and His word

(John 5:24)  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Jesus speaks further about His purpose on earth in John 6

(John 6:35)  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

(John 6:36)  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

(John 6:37)  All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

(John 6:38)  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

(John 6:39)  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

(John 6:40)  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

In John 8 Jesus said He came to set us free from the burden of sin

(John 8:31)  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

(John 8:32)  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

(John 8:33)  They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"

(John 8:34)  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

(John 8:35)  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

(John 8:36)  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Then the bible goes on to the purposes of our salvation and all, and not to be ashamed of the gospel

(2 Timothy 1:8)  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

(2 Timothy 1:9)  who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

(2 Timothy 1:10)  and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Also look at what it says in Romans that we are not to be ashamed of the gospel in any way

(Romans 1:16)  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

(Romans 1:17)  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

Jesus further speaks of Himself here about salvation in John 10

(John 10:7)  So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

(John 10:8)  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

(John 10:9)  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

And in John 11

(John 11:25)  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

(John 11:26)  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Then Jesus said that nobody can even come to the Father except that they come by Him:

(John 14:6)  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus said to the Laodiceans in Revelation that He indeed is seeking too

(Revelation 3:20)  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Here are a lot of the benefits and purposes of being saved discussed in this scripture in Ephesians

(Ephesians 1:3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

(Ephesians 1:4)  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

(Ephesians 1:5)  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

(Ephesians 1:6)  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

(Ephesians 1:7)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

(Ephesians 1:8)  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

(Ephesians 1:9)  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

(Ephesians 1:10)  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

(Ephesians 1:11)  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

(Ephesians 1:12)  so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

(Ephesians 1:13)  In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

(Ephesians 1:14)  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The real reason for salvation is to do the Father’s will as Jesus states in Matthew 7

(Matthew 7:21)  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 7:22)  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

(Matthew 7:23)  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

It also is important to listen to Jesus and what He says to you and heed His words, as it is compared to people in the scripture below:

(Matthew 7:24)  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

(Matthew 7:25)  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

(Matthew 7:26)  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

(Matthew 7:27)  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

Here is a passage in Romans 13 to go along with the above reminding us about love

(Romans 13:10)  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

(Romans 13:11)  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

(Romans 13:12)  The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

(Romans 13:13)  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

(Romans 13:14)  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Also here is a passage in Philippians 2 about working out salvation with fear and trembling

(Philippians 2:12)  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

(Philippians 2:13)  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

(Philippians 2:14)  Do all things without grumbling or questioning,

(Philippians 2:15)  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

(Philippians 2:16)  holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

This passage also shows God’s mercy and grace

(Titus 3:4)  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

(Titus 3:5)  he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

(Titus 3:6)  whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

(Titus 3:7)  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

(Titus 3:8)  The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Here is a good message in 1 Thessalonians 5 encouraging us to be sober and build each other up

(1Thessolonians 5:8)  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

(1Thessalonians 5:9)  For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

(1Thessalonians 5:10)  who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

(1Thessalonians 5:11)  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

How does somebody get the gift of Salvation? Here is a key passage in Romans 10 with a lot of answers. Faith and confession of the Lord Jesus are the keys, as well as believing God raised Jesus from the dead.

(Romans 10:8)  But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

(Romans 10:9)  because, 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.

(Romans 10:10)  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

(Romans 10:11)  For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

(Romans 10:12)  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

(Romans 10:13)  For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

We live in the end times so it is even more important to be saved than ever. I really do believe Jesus will come to rapture His bride very, very soon. Nobody knows when but the Father who is in Heaven, who will soon tell His Son to go get His children.

Any unsaved and backslidden people will miss the rapture and be left behind to face all the chaos and then the seven year period of the great tribulations which will be the most horrible period in the history of the earth. I want to be absolutely and completely clear that I am sharing this so that people see the stark and massive contrast between making the rapture and being with Jesus in heaven and missing it and being left behind on earth to face the mess and chaos, and then, the tribulations which will be so bad to make the post-rapture chaos  seem as nothing by comparison. The only way to make it is to know Jesus as your savior as He is the ONLY way to heaven. If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and want to know Him(and He you) in order to make the rapture please pray this prayer with me:

 Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

Now, that you have prayed this prayer I cannot strongly enough suggest praying to Him each day, to get to know Him and for Him to know you, too. I also strongly advise reading and doing the following too, to be that much surer of making the rapture:

 1. Make sure that you have received Jesus Christ into your life as your PERSONAL Lord and Savior(see the salvation prayer above and use it if need be).

2. Examine your own heart for any signs of backsliding, worldliness, unwatchfulness, compromising, and Luke warmness.

3. REPENT (Turn COMPLETELY away from sin and turn COMPLETELY around towards Jesus).  Sin separates you from God, even as a Christian.

4. Study end-time Biblical prophecy(Daniel 7-12, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, 21, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, other placesd but the  book of Revelation in particular)  until you become completely convinced that His Coming is, indeed, AT THE DOOR.  This will help keep you from temptation and sin.  JESUS IS COMING VERY SOON!!! Lord help me be absolutely convinced YOU ARE at the door!!!!!

5. Do something for the Lord.  (Passing out tracts would be a good start.)

6. Examine your priorities, lest the CARES OF THIS LIFE cause YOU to MISS THE RAPTURE, as we are so adamantly WARNED about in Luke 21, and so many other Scriptures.

7. Draw closer to God by praying, reading His Word, attending a fundamental church as often as possible, and surround yourself with a Christian atmosphere (Christian friends, books, music, radio, TV, etc.)

8. PRAY DILIGENTLY.  ASK THE LORD TO REVEAL TO YOU ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT EVEN MIGHT KEEP YOU FROM THE RAPTURE.  PRAY THAT THE LORD WOULD GIVE YOU A PEACE, IF YOU ARE READY, AND AN UNREST AND UNEASINESS IN YOUR HEART, IF YOU ARE NOT READY.

9. Listen for His voice and then STAY OPEN TO THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

10. Act upon that which the Lord is calling you to do. DO IT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

Please also pray and ask the Lord Jesus to see if you are indeed ready, and to give you peace if you and If the Lord has planted even the least bit of doubt or uneasiness in your heart, will you swallow your pride and pray this prayer with me:

"Dear Lord, Thank you for preparing a WAY OF ESCAPE from the horrible Tribulation to come.  It is my sincere desire to be ready for your Soon Return, so that I can participate in the Rapture. Give me a COMPLETE PEACE IN MY HEART FROM YOU if I am, indeed, ready. Let there be no false sense of security in my heart concerning my readiness for Your Return.  Begin to reveal to me things in my life and in my heart that might keep me from the Rapture.  Show me what I need to do to BE READY and then give me the power to act upon that which you show me to do.  Draw me away from the world and closer to you every day.  Use me in whatever way you can to help others

who may not be ready for your Return.  Fill me with your peace when I am ready and fill me with YOUR POWER, for victory over sin and temptation, and for effective service for your kingdom.  In Jesus' mighty name, Amen

If, by some chance, you are reading this after the rapture has taken place, all is not lost, just pray immediately to accept Jesus as savior and /or recommit your life to Him, if backsliding was the cause of missing the rapture, repenting of any and all sin and backslidings and lukewarmness that caused you to miss the rapture and whatever else you do NEVER, EVER TAKE THE MARK OF THE BEAST OR YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY IN THE LAKE OF FIRE!!!!!(taking the mark of the beat means you are married to Satan, the antichrist, the beast and false prophet ALL OF WHOM ARE DESTINED FOR THE LAKE OF FIRE, AS ARE ALL WHO TAKE THEIR MARK ON THEIR FORHEAD OR HAND). IT IS NOT AT ALL FORGIVABLE TO TAKE THIS MARK- and this is something God DOES NOT forgive for- so again do all you can to survive even though you won’t be able to buy, sell, work, and so on, have to hide from civilization, face jail, torture, and be executed. If you do die that way, for refusing the mark of the beast and if you are Jesus’ you will go to heaven immediately as a tribulation saint. I cannot Stress enough to NEVER, EVER accept the mark of the beast, no matter what the cost!!!!

Here is a video link of the above http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbvC-9Ei83E&feature=youtu.be