Chapter 4
IV. See The Answer for Salvation.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
(Romans 10:9,10)
A. We must come to God in repentance.
1. Luke 13:3 says that all people will perish, unless they ____________.
To “repent,” means “to perceive afterwards,” or“to change your mind”. You change your mind about sin
(that it is not worth the cost, nor is it really satisfying).
You change your mind about God (that He is not just a
swear word, but a loving God that gave His Son
to die in your place to pay for your sin debt).
2. Godly ____________ for sin, according to II Corinthians 7:10, produces repentance.
3. According to that verse, the sorrow of the world (unsaved people) produces __________.
Note: All people, at one time or another, feel guilty or bad when they have done something wrong. At that point, the sorrow of the world leads a person to depression, and possibly even to suicide.
But godly sorrow at that point, will lead a person to God - where true forgiveness can be obtained.
4. Acts 26:20 shows us that true repentance causes us to ________ to God.
Illustration: Suppose that you are out driving, and develop trouble with your car. If you just sit there doing nothing, your car will not get fixed, and your trouble will not go away. You will just get more and more discouraged.
The only other choice that you have is to get help from someone who is qualified to fix the problem. That will get your car running, and that will make you happy.
Even so, just sitting and feeling bad about your sin will never help you. You will only get more and more depressed. What you must do is go to the only one who can fix your sin problem — God.
Note: For fear of scaring people away with preaching on repentance, churches are now advertising, “Come as you are!” “Casual, accepting atmosphere!” Please notice the previous verses that we have covered here. If there is no repentance, then there is no salvation. A person coming to God with all of his/her sin, and no desire or intention of turning from it, is not truly repentant.
Repentance is not cleaning up yourself (that is self-reformation, and is doomed to fail).
Repentance is the desire to have God cleanse you from all of your sin,
and give you a new life in Christ Jesus.
B. We must come to God in faith.
1. Hebrews 11:6 says that a person who comes to God must ______________ that He is; that is, that He exists.
2. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the ________________ of things which cannot be seen.
3. Romans 10:17 reveals that the only place to get faith is from the ________ of God, which is the Bible.
Note: Faith is not a blind leap in the dark. It is an intelligent step based on the facts of the Bible. You will notice from Hebrews 11:1, that faith has substance and evidence. These words can only be used of something which is real.
Illustration: The United States did not send men to the moon without first thoroughly researching the matter. It was not a blast out into the darkness of space, somehow hoping that the rocket would arrive at the right place to meet the moon. By careful calculations and much study, they determined that it was possible to safely land men on the moon.
It is foolish for people to just “hope” that somehow they will go to heaven.
No one will ever reach heaven by “accident”. It can only be reached through
hearing, believing, and obeying what the Bible says to do to get saved.
4. Romans 10:9,10 says that if you confess with your __________ the Lord Jesus, and if you believe in your __________ that He did indeed rise from the dead, then you shall be saved.
It takes more than believing that He will save you— you must actually receive what He offers.
Illustration: Suppose that I offered you a million dollar check, and the bank confirmed to you that I actually had that much money. My offer would do you no good unless you accepted it.
Even so, many people realize that they are sinners. They also believe that Jesus did actually die on the cross, and that He rose again from the dead. They even know, down in their hearts, that they should get saved. But as long as they put it off, they will never be saved.
It is one thing to be offered something, and it is quite another thing to actually reach out and accept it.
5. Romans 6:23 tells us that eternal life is the ________ of God through Jesus Christ.
6. Ephesians 2:8,9 shows us that salvation is the ________ of God, and not of any works that we do.
Question: Have you turned to God from your sin, and have you asked the Lord Jesus Christ to save you? q YES q NOIllustration: If you have to pay one penny for an item, then it is not a gift, but a purchase. If you have to work one minute for something, it is not a gift, but part of your wages.
In the verses above, salvation is said to be a gift. That means that you do not have to pay one penny for it, nor do you have to work one minute for it — because Jesus paid it all. What you must do is reach out and accept what God is freely offering to you.
REVIEW:
1. Unless all people ____________, they will perish.
2. Godly ____________ for sin produces repentance.
3. What are the two words that describe faith, proving that it is not just a blind leap in the dark? ________________ __________________
4. The only place to get faith is from the __________.
5. To get saved, a person must do more than believe in God, he must actually ______________ what God is offering.
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Final Test Liberty Bible Course Directory