The Road To Salvation

The Road to Salvation

by Pastor James May

I know that for most of us this message is going to be so much repetition. But God has impressed upon me strongly that this is message He wants to give to you so I will do my best to obey the Lord and give this message to you.

Even though the majority of people who come to church have already walked this path and have come to the know Jesus Christ as their Savior, Lord and King, I believe that it will do us good to hear again what the Word of God says is the right path to obtaining salvation.

In our day, there are so many different opinions on what it takes to be saved. On one end of the spectrum we have those who are ultra liberal who believe that no matter how you live, or what you believe; when it’s all over, every man, woman and child will be saved because God is a God of love, mercy and grace and he will not punish anyone forever in a literal lake of fire.

On the other end, we have the ultra legalists whose opinion states that before we can be saved we must not only obey the Word of God but we must also take on the impossible burden of obeying all the laws of men that are put forth by evangelists, pastors, teachers and others who claim to have a special revelation from God concerning what it takes to be “holy”. Their “plan of salvation” would exclude everyone who does not adhere to their strict way of life.

Somewhere between these two vastly different opinions is the truth. It matters not what the opinion of man is concerning salvation. The only thing that matters is what is said in God’s Word. God established the plan of salvation; not man. Any attempt that we may make to alter God’s plan is nothing more than perversion, disobedience and sinful.

Let’s look at the ultra liberal opinion first. If their opinion was the truth, then why do we need a Savior at all? Why did Jesus come and die on the cross and then rise again from the dead? Why do we bother to come to church and hear the gospel preached? If all men are going to be saved in the end, no matter what we do, then what difference does it make what we believe or what we do?

This “plan of salvation” is no plan at all. It is simply a way to justify their total rejection of God and to justify their self-indulgence to live any way that they want to.

My Bible does not give me that plan of salvation at all. In fact, the Word of God states that we cannot live like the world, act like the world, or even desire to be a part of worldly pleasures and still make Heaven our home.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

1 John 2:15-16, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

Now we all know that we cannot claim to love the Lord and love the world at the same time. This world is an enemy of God. If we love the world then we are an enemy of God as well and I don’t believe anyone who remains in love with this world with all its rebellion and sin will ever enter Heaven’s gates.

Besides all of this there are some very specific scriptures that tell us just who will not inherit eternal life nor enter into Heaven. Here is the list:

Part of the list is found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."