The New Testament Teaching Concerning
THE WAY OF SALVATION
Have you ever heard Christians speak of the “plan of salvation” and wondered what they meant by such an expression? The expression is often used to refer to the normative process revealed in the New Testament by which a person initially becomes a Christian. While the phrase “plan of salvation” is not entirely misleading, it has been a bit overused. After all, the exact expression is nowhere found in the New Testament.
Instead of the “plan of salvation,” we read of the “narrow…way” (Matt 7:14); “the way of God in truth” (Mk 12:14); “I am the way, the truth & the life” (Jn 14:6); “the way of salvation (Acts 16:17); “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26); “there arose a great commotion about the Way” (Acts 19:23); “according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers (Acts 24:14); “a more excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31); “a new and living way” (Heb 10:20); “the way of truth” (2 Pet 2:2); “the right way” (2 Pet 2:15).
The expressions used in the New Testament to speak of Christianity—“the way,” “the new & living way,” “the way of salvation,” or “the way of truth”—show that Christianity is more than just a “plan.” It is a life, a living way or a journey. It is a pilgrimage that does not end simply because we have taken the initial steps necessary to “obey the gospel” (2 Thes 1:8), which is also known as the “good news” of the kingdom of God. Once we have begun, we must then continue in “the way of holiness” (Isa. 35:8), continuing to travel the narrow path of Christ, without turning aside from it, to the right or to the left.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn 14:6). To be “in the way” is to be in Christ & to remain “in the way” is to remain “in Christ,” which we must do if we expect to enter God’s final eternal kingdom.
The apostle Paul said, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1). Again he said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17). In order for a person to be saved, they must be in Christ Jesus, “who is our life” (Col 3:4), where they then become “a new creation.” Speaking of Jesus, the apostle Peter said: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is “good news” that God has made a way for us to have hope beyond the grave! There is hope in Christ, but outside of him there is no protection. It is imperative, therefore, that we learn how to get “into” Christ Jesus.
1. We must believe in Jesus Christ (that he is Messiah & Son of God). There are 40 some passages in the New Testament that speak of belief, faith or trust in Christ as a requirement for salvation, and if we really trust him, then we will obey him. Scriptures showing the necessity of believing/trusting Jesus include: John 3:16-21; Mk 16:16; Acts 16:31; Rom 5:1; Gal 3:26. Jesus said to those who opposed him: “if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Jn 8:24). He also told them: “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come” (Jn 8:21). Jesus cannot save people who will not trust him. People who rely upon their own strength, rather than the saving power of Christ, are beyond the reach of Christ’s help.
2. The New Testament clearly teaches that a person must repent of every sin. We see this in passages such as: Lk 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; 17:30. Repentance means a turning away from sin and a turning to God. See also: Matt 21:28-29; 12:41; John 3:10. Jesus came to save people “from their sins” (Matt 1:21), not “in their sins.” Jesus cannot save us from our sins if we will not let go of them. He told a woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more” (Jn 8:11), not to go and sin some more (cf. Jn 5:14).
3. It is necessary to confess the name of Christ. We see this in passages such as: Matt 10:32-33; Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26; Acts 8:37; Rom 10:9. We must confess the name of Jesus with our mouth when we come to him, and we must continue to confess him in our lives & deeds as long as we live in the world. If we are ashamed of him now, he will be ashamed of us in the day of final reckoning.
4. Baptism puts a person “into Christ.” In the New Testament, a person who has believed in Christ, repented of their sin & confessed the name of Christ is a suitable candidate for water baptism. If such a person desires to submit their life to the will of Christ, they should do so by receiving water baptism for the forgiveness/remission of sins. Upon being “baptized into Christ” they come into initial spiritual contact with the cleansing blood of Christ & come into “union” & “fellowship” with Christ. See: Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38 (cf. Matt 26:28); Acts 22:16; Rom 6:3-4; Gal 3:27; 1 Pet 3:21.
We can never earn salvation, but we can exercise our free will & humbly comply with the commands set forth in the New Testament to bring our lives into harmony with the life of Christ—“who is our life.” When we obey the gospel call in this Biblical manner, we are placed into the spiritual body of Christ. We are cleansed & made free from all past sins. We have stepped onto the narrow way and God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). The kingdom is an already/not yet kingdom. We enter it here in a real sense, but we are not home yet. The kingdom has not yet come in its fullness. There’s more kingdom to come!
So these acts of faith or steps of obedience only put us “into Christ,” or into “the way.” Once we are “in the way” we must then continue “in the way”—if we want to have a realistic expectation of being at peace with God at the final judgment (Col 1:23; Acts 14:22; Jn 15:4-6; Matt 10:22; Rev 2:10, etc.). In order to receive the ongoing cleansing that is available to Christians, we must continue to strive to enter God’s eternal kingdom (Lk 13:24). Because “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 cleanses us from all sin….If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:7, 9). We must follow Christ’s example and His teachings as best as we are able to do so until the day we die or until He returns (Prov 24:16). If we do this, God will help us. He will impart his enabling grace & his Holy Spirit to us.
But all who harden themselves in disbelief & disobedience, refusing to submit—humbly and completely—to the will of Christ are in active rebellion to him. And even Christ—with all of his mercy & power—cannot save those who are in rebellion to him. As Jesus said, they must “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17).
originally written by L. R. Wilson; revised by Bob McCollough
Questions about the contents of this tract? Contact us at:
eurekachurchofchrist.com or [email protected]