“Salvation: The Roman Road or the Jerusalem Road” Excerpt from impact-ministry/acts2 The following is how most people are taught to use the Roman Road Plan of Salvation: They will tell a person it is very easy to be saved (which is a true statement). Then, they will walk them through the following steps: Step 1. Theyll tell the person to realize they are a sinner. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) ... which is very true. Step 2. Then, theyll tell them to realize that a price must be paid for their sin. ...and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) ... still, all very true. Step 3. Next, theyll tell them to realize that a price had to paid for their sin AND that the price has already been paid by Jesus Christ! For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) ... again, all very true. Step 4. Then, theyll tell the person to ask Jesus to come into their heart and save their soul, and to accept His sacrifice as the punishment for their sin. 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. (Romans 10:9) ... heres where the trip down I-55 South (so to speak) beings. Step 5. At this point, theyll ask the person if they would like to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior right then. If so, they will ask the person to repeat after them the words of one of the versions of the The Sinners Prayer. And, they are saved at that very moment! Right then and there. POOF! Just like that! Here’s one of the versions of The Sinners Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I know that without you I will spend eternity in Hell when I die. But, you said that you would save me if I would call upon You! Please cleanse me of all my sins Lord, and come into my heart. I thank you for saving me, help me now to live a life thats pleasing to You! I pray this in Your Name, Amen. In addition, the person will probably be told that it is not the accuracy of every word that they’ve just said thats important, ... but rather, it is the sincerity of their heart that really matters! And, after a person has gone through the steps of accepting Christ as their personal savior, praying the sinner’s prayer or walking down the aisle, shaking a preachers hand and making a public profession of faith, the Roman Road minister or lay worker will usually conclude by welcoming that person into the Family of God. And, depending upon the situation, will either announce to the congregation, and ask for a motion and a second for them to be accepted into that particular Roman Road Church ... OR, if not in a church setting, will give them some literature and encourage them to get connected to a church in their area ... which of course uses the Roman Road Plan of Salvation. Water baptism is very seldom if ever mentioned up front. If it is, it is presented like optional equipment on a car, which is not actually necessary for salvation. You can take it or leave it. And, depending upon the denomination, a person can be immersed or sprinkled in the titles of Father, Son and Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit). At any rate, the Roman Road Plan of Salvation does not mention repentance, water baptism or being born again of water and of the Spirit ... being endued with power from on high ... the BIBLE WAY. So, this gets me to what I want to get across to the multitudes who are in the valley of decision and those who are on ... or have traveled down ... the Roman Road with the hope that I can encourage them to get on the Jerusalem Road, instead ... REGARDLESS of the denomination they consider themselves to be because it is NOT going to matter what the name on the sign out front is when that long awaited trumpet sounds! In addition to being some essential things missing in the Roman Road Plan of Salvation, it’s easy believeism is popular and widely held ... and more often than not consists of faith without works, which according to the Book of James is dead. It is by grace we are saved and not of works lest any man should boast. But, true faith will produce works just as surely as a living plant ... or vine ... or tree ... will produce fruit. I realize that there are multitudes traveling down the Roman Road, which is why the Lord put it upon my heart years ago to put bill boards up along the way to commend them on their desire to serve the Lord, and to let them know that they need to get on the Jerusalem Road to actually make it to Heaven. And, while the Roman Road can certainly be a starting place, it, alone, will not take you all the way to Heaven. There is more to it than that. Also, I want it clearly understood that people who are bound (spiritually speaking) and I once was, need a life transformation ... not just a reformation. They need deliverance ... not just a few words spoken to them in an attempt to pacify their guilty conscience or ease their troubled mind. As Ive already stated, I am NOT against someone reciting the words to one of the various versions of The Sinners Prayer ... and Im NOT against someone accepting the Lord as their personal Savior ... and Im NOT even against someone walking down the aisle in front of a congregation of people and making a public profession of faith. All of these rituals can starting places for anyone who desires to turn their life around, and develop a right relationship with God. But, theres a lot more to it than that. None of these rituals, alone, can transform, or deliver, a person who is bound. Also, none of these rituals actually confirm that the person has fulfilled any of the very basic requirements of repentance and being born again of water AND of the Spirit, as unequivocally established by our Lord. ***The Jerusalem Road Plan of Salvation*** Peter, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, on the Day of Pentecost, answered a very important question... Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, WHAT SHALL WE DO? [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. A gift is not something earned. But, Peter didn’t stop there. In the very next verse (verse 39) he said, For the promise is to you, your children, to those that are afar off, even as many as the Lord OUR GOD shall call. So, my question for those who say this is not for us today, or those who oppose the Apostles’ One God Monotheistic Doctrine, is this: Has God stopped calling? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Remember, Peter had been given the keys of the Kingdom by Jesus prior to this. Now, to confirm the fact that Acts 2:38 is the Jerusalem Road Plan of Salvation, please carefully and prayerfully consider and evaluate this presentation of the Jerusalem Road Plan of Salvation ... Step 1. Repentance of sins Jesus said in Luke 13:3 ... except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. And He COMMANDED in Luke 24:47 that REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS should be preached in HIS NAME among ALL nations, BEGINNING at Jerusalem. What is repentance? It is coming to God as you are ... but NOT staying as you are. Repentance is being so sorrowful and grieved for your sins and transgressions that it initiates a change in your direction ... in your thoughts, your attitude and your actions ... OR doing an about face ... or a 180 as some people call it. Turning away from the things that the Word of God and the Spirit of God admonishes us to abstain from, NOT continuing to wallow in it or to just sweep it under the rug. Once a person understands who Jesus really is, Repentance is the first step in their approach to God. Unfortunately, many people are never told anything whatsoever about the importance of repentance or what it means to truly repent. Step 2. Water Baptism in the precious name of Jesus .. The name which Jesus alluded to in Matthew 28:19 is JESUS. And, those who had ears to hear did hear. The name of Jesus is to be applied in water baptism, as documented in Acts 2:37-41; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 10:44-48; and Acts 19:1-6, and is for the remission of sins. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:1-8 that unless a person is born again of water AND of the Spirit, they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. And, He said in Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. The Greek word that was translated into English as baptize means to fully wet, immerse, submerge, plunge into, dip or bury. Whereas repentance symbolizes the death of Christ, water baptism symbolizes His burial ... which is a complete entombment not just sprinkling a little dirt on a corpse. Repentance and Baptism in the precious name of Jesus for the remissions of sins and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is what God inspired Peter to say in Acts 2:38, in response to those who asked him what they must do. Water cant wash away sins, but invoking the name of Jesus in faith at water baptism sure can .. and does. We are admonished in the Bible that whatsoever we do in word AND deed, we are to do all of in the NAME of Jesus. And, that includes water baptism ... something that many people dont even believe is important in regard to salvation. However, our Lord ... God Incarnate .. (God manifest in the flesh (according to 1 Timothy 3:16) traveled about 60 miles either on foot or by animal to be baptized. And, He had no sins to repent of, but said it was to fulfill all righteousness. He is the example which we are to pattern ourselves after. **IF** it was THAT important to Him, it should certainly be important to you and me. And, let me insert something here, the thief on the cross is used as a example by many who don’t believe baptism is important. But, the thief died in the period of time of the Old Testament Law, and BEFORE the birth of the New Testament Church on the Day of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2. The man in the middle was our example for today ... NOT the thief on the cross. By the way, there is no contradiction in the Apostles carrying out Jesus Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 by invoking the NAME of Jesus in water baptism instead of invoking the titles of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. They understood what Jesus meant and who Jesus really is. However, that is a complete Bible Study in and of itself ... which is covered on my on line Bible Study. Step 3. Receiving the Holy Spirit (the Bible way) Many professing Christians are told they have been born again ... endued with power from on high ... at the very moment they believe or get baptized in water. But, did you know there are documented accounts in the Bible where people received the Holy Ghost AFTER they believed and both BEFORE and AFTER they were baptized??? So, believing and baptism doesnt mean a person has automatically been born again ... the Bible way. However, Im not aware of anyone being born again ... the Bible way ... prior to repentance since the birth of the New Testament Church in Acts Chapter 2. In Acts Chapter 8, Simon the sorcerer believed and had even been baptized. And, when he saw the demonstration of the Power of the Holy Ghost, he offered them money so he would be able to impart this power to others, too. But, Peter rebuked him and told him to repent because his heart was not right with God. Also, Jesus told Nicodemus this in John Chapter 3 ... Verse 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Verse 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Verse 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. According to Jesus, Himself, although you cannot see the wind, or know where it came from or where it is going, there is a sound heard when it is present, likewise, there is a sound heard when everyone is born of the Spirit. So, my question to those who oppose the Apostles’ One God Monotheistic Doctrine is this: What is the sound to which Jesus referred? Multitudes are being told today that they’ve been born again, and endued with power from on high, the moment they were saved by grace through faith ... when they believed, OR got baptized in water OR accepted Jesus as their personal savior. But, that doesnt harmonize with the PREPONDERANCE of Scriptural evidence found written VERBATIM on the pages of Gods Holy Word. While you can see the works of the wind or where the wind has been, you cannot see the wind. But, Jesus said, thou hearest the sound thereof. The sound of the wind is the evidence or witness of the winds presence. At any rate, Jesus used the sound of the wind as an analogy to describe EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit. This study can be read in its entirety at impact-ministry/acts2
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 18:18:12 +0000
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