Plan of Salvation

Jesus Saves Sinners

The plan of salvation is about what God has done to provide eternal life for all who will seek it. The plan is simply this: Jesus saves sinners! That is the essence of God’s great work of saving those who are lost. He Himself is the answer to a question asked long ago: “What Must I Do to Be Saved?” (Acts 16:30-31). It is the most important question anyone can ever ask, because it has to do with a person’s eternal destiny. Your destiny and mine.
Some years ago, I heard a simple explanation of the plan of salvation that makes use of the old Bad-News-Good-News formula. Here it is, slightly abridged and adapted. I trust it will be of help to you.

The Bible contains both bad news and good news. The bad news is something about us. The good news is something about God.

The Bad News

Each of us is a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Good as we are, we have all come short of God’s standard of perfection. And the bad news gets even worse.

More Bad News

The penalty for sin is death. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” By sinning, we have earned death. That means we deserve to die and be separated forever from a holy God. But now, the good news.

The Good News

Here is God’s plan of salvation in 3 words: Jesus saves sinners. Christ died in our place. Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ took the penalty we deserve for sin, and died in our place. Three days later, He came back to life, to prove sin and death had been conquered. And just as the bad news got worse, the good news gets even better.

More Good News

We can be saved forever, through faith in Christ. In response to the question posed above, the answer was given, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Our salvation depends not on how we feel, or on any good works we do, but on what Christ has already done for us. The Apostle Paul wrote to a group of Christians at Ephesus and said, “For by grace [God’s undeserved favour] you have been saved through faith, and that [that salvation is] not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What does it mean to BELIEVE ON the Lord Jesus Christ, or to put our FAITH in Him? It means we trust in what He has done to save us. It means we depend on Him alone for forgiveness and for eternal life.

That is a basic look at God’s plan of salvation. Is there anything keeping you from trusting in Christ?

If you have never done so before, you can pray right now and tell God you are trusting in His Son. Just remember, it isn’t a prayer that saves us. It is the work of Christ upon the cross. Prayer is simply how we tell God we are putting our trust in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Is that what you want to do?

A Prayer That You Could Offer

“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner. I know my sin deserves to be punished. But I believe Jesus saves sinners. I believe that Christ died for me and rose from the grave. I trust Jesus Christ alone as my Saviour. Thank you for the forgiveness and everlasting life I now have as Your free gift to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

For Your Further Thought:

Some suggest there are many ways to be saved. But the Bible presents the one and only plan of salvation. It is through the Bible, the Word of God, that we learn what Christ has done for us and come to believe on Him (Romans 10:17).

The Bible describes the non-Christian as being spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, 5). What is required is a new spiritual birth (John 3:3). This is a work of God, not a matter of human effort. It is received through personal faith in Christ (John 1:11-13).

John 3:16 tells us “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

In John 5:24, Jesus explains, “He who hears my word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

And we are assured in Hebrews 7:25 that Christ “is able to saved to the uttermost [completely and forever] those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

HaveHave you discovered God’s plan of salvation? Do you believe what the Bible tells us about Christ and His work on the cross for you? Have you trusted in Him alone for your eternal salvation? Click here to check out another article Assurance of Salvation.

This website will also other material that can be of help to you. May the Lord continue to direct you into the fullness of His blessing. To learn more about God’s wonderful plan of salvation, see Charles Ryrie’s book “So Great Salvation”.