The way of salvation from sin and hell fire is clearly revealed in Scripture. If you follow the path of salvation shown in the Scripture, you will surely be saved. God has never predestined you to eternal damnation. He is merciful to you. Do the following for your salvation from sin and hell fire:
- Firstly, accept the fact that you have sinned against God through disobeying His commandments. You have done many evil things against God, against yourself and your fellow men. By virtue of your sins and wicked deeds, which may be many or few, you are justly condemned by God and are in the number of those doomed for everlasting destruction in hell fire.
Galatians 5:19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Psalm 51:3, 4 "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."
- Secondly :God is a merciful God who freely forgives the sins of those that repent and seek His forgiveness. Confess your sins to Him, repent of them and plead with Him to forgive you.
Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Psalm 51:1, 2 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitudes of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions
2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."
- Thirdly: Jesus Christ is the Saviour from sin. You cannot stop sinning by your power without Him. Welcome Him into your life to give you the power to overcome sin. When Jesus comes into your life He will save you from sin and give you the power of righteousness. Jesus is the universal Saviour from sin. Apart from Him there is no other one and no other way.
Acts 16:30, 31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
- Fourthly, when you give your life to Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven and you have a new life from God. Your name enters into the book of life in heaven. Surely, you will not want to start committing new sins and to get your name removed from the book of life. You must determine to continue in Christ by living a righteous life every day to the end of your life on earth. Make sure you have a good Bible. Study your Bible regularly and pray always to God for His grace to live the Christian life. Obey God's word in every area of your life. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth, obey Him. Do not be afraid of man and be not ashamed of following Jesus. Dissociate from evil friends, relationships and associations.
1 John 3:9, 10 "Whosoever is born of God doth no commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God, 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." Colossians 2:6-8 "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. 7 Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Having given your life to Jesus Christ, you will need to submit yourself to water baptism. Water baptism follows repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:35-39 "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
The scriptural water baptism is one immersion into water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Water baptism is not for ignorant and unconverted children, nor for unrepentant adult. Those who were baptized when they were still sinners need to be baptized when they truly repent and give their lives to Jesus Christ. The apostles practiced water baptism according to the instruction given to them by the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ as seen in the above passage and in other passages in Acts of the Apostles means baptism as instructed or authorized by Jesus Christ.
- Baptism With the Holy Ghost
Baptism with the Holy Ghost or the gift of the Holy Ghost is the coming of the Holy Spirit upon a believer in baptismal measure for the purpose of filling him with power for effective Christian service. All believers are promised the baptism with the Holy Spirit by God. This is received by prayer and faith on God's promises.
Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Luke 11:13 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."
The scriptural evidence of baptism with the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues as the Spirit inspires. Acts 2:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 10:44-46 "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost, 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God."
Speaking in tongues as evidence of baptism with the Holy Spirit is given to every believer who is baptized with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of prayer and personal edification. This is, however, different from speaking in tongues as a ministry gift which God does not give to every believer, as the gifts of prophecy, healing, working of miracles, etc.
1 Corinthians 12:28-31 "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way."
Now that you are in Christ, the Lord expects you to serve Him with a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. Hence you will need to take some corrective actions over your past life, according to the teaching of the Scripture. This may involve settling your differences with those offended by you, paying back your just debts, returning stolen property, apologizing for lies told, false claims, fraudulent acts; dissolving your unscriptural marriage union, given up false certificates. This is called restitution.
The Holy Spirit will reveal to you those things that require your corrective actions, according to the word of God. God will be with you as you carry out your
restitution and His grace will be sufficient for you. Restitution as an act of righteousness will fill you with joy and peace and will glorify the name of the Lord among men.
Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past." 1 Samuel 12:3-5 "Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before His anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you, 4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. 5 And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness."
Ezekiel 33:14-16 "Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right: 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he hath robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live."
Luke 19:5-10 "And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, for as much as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Acts 23:1 "And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." Acts 24:16 "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men."
Some restitution require counseling from true and wise men of God, especially those involving others. Take sufficient counsel before carrying out such restitution. Proverbs 11:14 "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."
- The Church To Worship God With
The Bible is very clear on this area. Follow the instructions of the word of God so that you can preserve your salvation to the end of your life on earth. The Bible warns us against joining the wrong church.
Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." Matthew 15:7-9, 14 "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8. This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. 9 But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."
Matthew 23:13, 15 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in, 15 Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte (convert), and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
From the above and many other scriptures we understand that some churches are ignorant and foolish to the ways of God. Their worship of God is only lip service. Some of these churches are completely demonic in origin and in activities. They are deeply buried in their sins. Their leaders are blind guides. If you are in such a church you will be made twice a child of hell than the leaders themselves. Not all churches teach the truth that leads people to heaven: beware and be warned! Do not join such a church and if you are already a member, you must withdraw yourself.
Do not allow family, ethnic, tribal, religious or denominational politics to hinder you from obeying the clear instructions of the Scripture. If you are the leader of such assembly, you need to repent of your sins and give your life to Jesus Christ and allow your members to worship God in the true way with a true church of Christ.
Humble yourself and obey the truth that will save your soul
. Isaiah 48:17-20 "Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. 18 O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: 19 Thy seed also hath been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels as the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me. 20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed His servant Jacob."
- Characteristics Of A Good Church Of Christ
The Bible reveals the characteristics of the fellowship of true believers. Look for a true church of Christ and worship God with them. Again, do not allow the politics of religion or denomination to affect your obeying Bible instructions which are for your eternal life.
2 Timothy 2:2, 22 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, which shall be able to teach others also. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
1 John 1:3, 5, 7 "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 5 This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Matthew 28:18-20"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
As seen in the above scriptures and many others, a true church of Christ is built upon the word of God. The leaders faithfully preach and teach the word of God. They do not change Christ's doctrines along with the changing world. The members serve God in righteousness and holiness. The presence of God is clearly manifest among them in the demonstration of power and gifts of the Spirit.
Acts 4:23, 29-33 "And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy Child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
Locate a true church of Christ and worship God together with the brethren. This will help to preserve your Christian faith and prepare you for eternal life. If you are a minister over a congregation, make sure you practice and teach all the word of God so that you can save yourself and them that hear you.
Matthew 7:4, 5 "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shall thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. 1 Timothy 4:15, 16 "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."
It is unfortunate that many churches today have slipped into fleshly gratification of
music and dancing. During the ministry of the word and prayer the members are dull and sleepy. They become fully awake and active when music and dancing resumes. The preachers are being tempted to introduce music and dancing regularly and to prolong this period during worship service to keep the worshippers awake.
This is seen as dance worship and they feel that God is greatly glorified by it. Unknown to them, this is Satan's subtil device to steal away the word of God and prayer from the church and deny sinners and believers concentration on the word of God and prayer by which they can be saved, sanctified and empowered. Christian music and worship must be pure and holy and be devoid of worldliness.
James 1:21 "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine."
Music and dancing, not the word of God and prayer, is now the instrument many churches are using to preserve their youths. This is building the youths upon a sandy foundation. Neither such churches nor their youths have a future. Matthew 7:27 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
God bless the holy church that builds her youths upon the word of God and prayer. This is building the youths on a sound foundation. Such churches and their youths have a glorious future. Luke 6:48 "He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock."
