Disciples Road Church
"Working Towards Discipleship"
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A Study Guide For
God's Plan of Salvation

hands ReachingThis is a study guide for the subject of God’s plan of salvation. The guide is very thorough, but it is not an attempt to answer every last question on every last subject. For that matter, even the scripture passages that are given are but a small portion of the many that could be listed. It is my hope that you will take the points one at a time, look up the passages in your Bible, and then give a heartfelt consideration to the plan and your response to it.

On another note, since the entire guide is based upon the Bible, I thought it would be helpful if I included my article “How We Know the Bible Is God’s Written Word.” After all, it won’t do anybody any real good to use this guide if the book it is based upon isn’t worthy of such confidence, honor, and attention. I trust, then, that the article will provide ample evidence for why we hold the Bible in such high esteem.

Russell Mckinney
Pastor, Disciples Road Church
Spruce Pine, NC
home phone: (828) 765-7740
home address: 536 English Road
Spruce Pine, NC 28777
email: russellmckinney@bellsouth.net

How We Know the Bible Is
God’s Written Word

Imagine the following conversation between the two of us:

  • BibleMe: “I have a book, and this book should be the rulebook and the guidebook for everyone on planet Earth.”
  • You: “What makes the book so special?”
  • Me: “The book is so special because on page 1048 it says ‘All of the words of this book are inspired by God.’”
  • You: “But if I reject the entire book as being God-inspired, won’t page 1048 be a part of what I’m rejecting?”
  • Me: “You can’t reject the book as being God-inspired.”
  • You: “Why not?”
  • Me: “Because on page 1048 the book says, ‘All of the words of this book are inspired by God.’”
  • You: “But don’t you understand? I’m not even giving the words of page 1048 credit for being inspired by God.”
  • Me: “You have to.”
  • You: “Why?”
  • Me: “Because on page 1048 the book says, ‘All of the words of this book are inspired by God.’”

The problem with my defense of the book’s authority is obvious, isn’t it? No book should be considered God-inspired and authoritative simply because it claims to be God-inspired and authoritative. This standard even applies to the Bible.

Yes, in 2 Timothy 3:16 the Bible says of itself: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.” The skeptic, however, would call that no more than the Bible bragging on itself. That’s why no verse from the Bible can conclusively be used to say that the Bible is inspired by God. If someone rejects the Bible as a whole, even a verse such as 2 Timothy 3:16 won’t impress them. Therefore, we must use evidence from outside the Bible to back up the Bible’s claim of divine inspiration. And the truth is, there are four pieces of such outside evidence.

The first piece of outside evidence is archaeological finds. In scores and scores of digs, archaeologists have unearthed evidence that verifies the Bible’s record of human history. In many instances these finds even went against the commonly held beliefs of the day. This much is clear: If the world of archaeology had ever brought forth undeniable evidence that the Bible’s record of history is wrong, the Bible would have been discredited long ago. But it hasn’t happened. In showdown after showdown, involving site after site, the Bible and archaeology have gone head to head, and the Bible is still standing.

The second piece of outside evidence is fulfilled prophecy. It’s one thing for a book to make predictions about the future. It’s quite another thing for all of those predictions to come to pass. Saying it simply, the Bible currently holds a perfect record in the fulfillment of its prophecies. As a matter of fact, the prophecies from the book of Daniel concerning the kingdoms of Babylon and Medo-Persia were fulfilled in such incredible detail that skeptics have argued that Daniel must have been written after all that history occurred. Daniel’s prophecies, however, are just some of the hundreds of Bible prophecies that history has authenticated. Of course, it’s true that there are many Bible prophecies that haven’t yet been fulfilled. But those prophecies all center around the so-called “end times,” which means that the times of their fulfillment haven’t come around yet. Based upon the Bible’s track record, though, the fulfillment of those prophecies will surely take place right on schedule.

The third piece of outside evidence is internal consistency. Frankly, logic would tell us that there should be errors and contradictions in the Bible. How can a book written over a period of 1,500 years by some forty different writers, many of whom did not have access to the others’ writings, be internally consistent? To further complicate the project, the writers also came from vastly different parts of life. Some were scholars, but some were fishermen. Some were kings, but some were peasants. Furthermore, the Bible’s books weren’t even written in the same language. 99.9% of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (with the remaining .1% being written in Aramaic), while 100% of the New Testament was written in Greek. Then, as if all of this didn’t hinder the project enough, the books of the Bible were written on three different continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe). Obviously, all of these problems are killers of internal consistency. Nevertheless, the words of the men who wrote the Bible all agree. The question is, how did those men pull that off if they didn’t do their writing under the inspiration of God?

The fourth piece of outside evidence is changed lives. The plain fact is that no other book ever written has impacted lives as powerfully as the Bible. People with Bibles in hand have crossed oceans to share the book with strangers. People have abandoned civilizations to live among backward tribes just so they could learn those tribes’ languages and translate the Bible into those languages. People have chosen to be executed rather than say that the common people didn’t need the Bible. People have gone to hotel rooms to commit suicide, only to read a Bible they found in a nightstand and leave that room with a whole new outlook on life. Truth be told, even the skeptic probably knows deep down that the Bible is somehow different than all other books.

Alright, now, once you have these four pieces of outside evidence to authenticate the Bible, you can go to the Bible and let the book speak for itself. And what you will find is that the Bible really does claim to be nothing less than the written word of God. It claims that God used human writers as vessels to write His own words. This claim is made in two distinct ways.
First, in many places the Bible says that it was written by men whose spoken words were the very words of God. Here are seven examples of this truth:

  1. In Exodus 4:12, Moses says that God said to him, “Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
  2. In 2 Samuel 23:2, David says, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.”
  3. In Isaiah 51:16, Isaiah says that God said to him, “I have put my words in your mouth.”
  4. In Jeremiah 1:9, Jeremiah says that God said to him, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”
  5. In Ezekiel 3:4, Ezekiel says that God said to him, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.”
  6. In 1 Corinthians 2:13, Paul says, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches.”
  7. In 2 Peter 1:21, Peter says “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Second, the claim is made in the hundreds of instances where the Bible says that the writer is simply penning down the words of God. One example of this is Exodus 24:4, which says, “And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord.” Another example is Jeremiah 30:2, which says, “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.’” Bible scholar James Brookes tells us that expressions such as “God said,” “The Lord spoke, saying,” “The Word of the Lord,” and “The Lord commanded” occur 680 times in Genesis through Exodus, 418 times in Joshua through Esther, and 1307 times in Isaiah through Malachi. This doesn’t even take into account Job through Song of Solomon or the entire New Testament.

And then there is also the aforementioned famous verse from 2 Timothy 3:16, which does say, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The words “All scripture” cover every single word of the Bible. You see, the Bible doesn’t just contain God-inspired words in a few places here and there. The truth goes deeper than that. All of the Bible’s words are God-inspired. Scholars calls this “plenary” (full, complete) inspiration.

So, to sum up, how do we know the Bible is God’s written word? We know it because of evidence from outside the Bible and from inside the Bible. The outside evidence allows us to trust what the Bible says about itself, and that trust leads us to the Bible’s own inner evidence. And, once we understand all of this evidence, we should realize that the Bible is the one book by which we should guide our lives. This is why we preach and teach the Bible. This is why we make so much of the Bible. This is why we continually open up the Bible to find God’s standards, commandments, and truths for living. You ask, “Why is the Bible so important?” It’s because, when everything is said and done, it really is God’s written word to mankind.

A Study Guide For
God's Plan Of Salvation

There is a God.
(Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1)

  1. Creation proves His existence: Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1-6; Genesis chapters 1 and 2
  2. Rain and fruitful harvests prove His existence: Acts 14:14-17; Matthew 5:43-45
  3. The conscience within each individual proves His existence: Romans 2:14-15
  4. The convicting of the Spirit of God proves His existence: Genesis 6:1-3; John 16:5-11

God is indescribably awesome.
(Job chapters 38-41; Isaiah 40:12-26)

  1. He is all-powerful: Genesis 18:14; Job 42:1-2; Nahum 1:3; Luke 1:37; Revelation 19:6
  2. He is all-present: Psalm 139:1-16; Jeremiah 23:24
  3. He is all-seeing: Job 34:21-22; Psalm 33:13-15; Proverbs 5:21; Hebrews 4:13
  4. He is all-knowing: Job 37:16; Psalm 147:4-5; Matthew 10:29-30; Romans 11:33
    • He knows our thoughts: Isaiah 66:18; Ezekiel 11:5; 1 Corinthians 3:20
    • He knows the secrets of our hearts: Psalm 44:21; Luke 16:15; Acts 1:24; Acts 15:8
    • He knows the future just as well as He knows the past: Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 46:10
  5. He is eternal: Isaiah 57:15; Habakkuk 1:12; Psalm 90:1-2; Psalm 92:8; Psalm 93:2
  6. He is unchanging: Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Isaiah 31:2
  7. He is love: 1 John 4:8

God is one God who has eternally existed in three persons.
(1 John 5:7)

  1. He is God the Father: 1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2 John 2:3
  2. He is God the Son, Jesus: John 1:1-3,14; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13
  3. He is God the Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3-4; Acts 13:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17
  4. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one: Matthew 28:19; James 2:19; Deuteronomy 6:4

God is perfectly holy.
(Isaiah 6:1-5; Revelation 4:8; Job 34:10; Psalm 145:17)

  1. His name is holy: Luke 1:49; Psalm 111:9; Psalm 99:3; Isaiah 57:15; Ezekiel 39:7
  2. His throne is holy: Psalm 47:8
  3. His works are holy: Psalm 145:17
  4. He speaks in holiness: Psalm 60:6; Psalm 108:7; Isaiah 45:19
  5. He cannot do wickedness: Job 34:10; Psalm 18:30; Psalm 92:15
  6. He cannot even be tempted to do evil: James 1:13

Every human being is a sinner.
(Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20)

  1. We are conceived with and born with the nature of sin: Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-3
  2. Our nature of sin comes from Adam: Genesis 3:1-24; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; Romans 5:12
  3. Our nature of sin compels us to commit acts of sin: Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:11-18
  4. To break just one of God’s laws is to stand guilty of breaking them all: James 2:10
  5. The person who claims to be without sin is a liar: 1 John 1:8,10

Adam’s sin brought death upon his race.
(Genesis 2:15-17)

  1. It brought spiritual death: Ephesians 2:1,5; Colossians 2:13; 1 Timothy 5:6
  2. It brought physical death: Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:27; Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

Our sin separates us from God.
(Isaiah 59:1-2; Psalm 5:4)

  1. It separates us from spiritual life: Ephesians 4:18
  2. It separates us from spiritual light: Ephesians 4:18; Romans 1:21; 1 Peter 2:9

God requires a blood sacrifice for sin.
(Hebrews 9:22; Leviticus 17:11)

  1. This can be seen in His killing of animals after Adam and Eve’s sin: Genesis 3:21
  2. This can be seen in His demanding of Old Testament sacrifices: Leviticus chapters 1-7
    • These Old Testament sacrifices covered (not cleansed) peoples’ sins: Hebrews 10:1-4

Jesus left Heaven and came to earth to be the cleansing sacrifice.
(John 1:29)

  1. He had to be sinless to qualify as the sacrifice: Leviticus 22:20; 1 Corinthians 5:7
  2. He was conceived and born to a virgin: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38
  3. The virgin birth allowed Him to bypass humanity’s nature of sin: Hebrews 4:14-15
  4. Without this nature of sin, He lived without sin: 1 Peter 2:21-22; 2 Corinthians 5:21
  5. He was human: John 1:1,14; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5
  6. He was divine: Colossians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Hebrews 1:1-3

Jesus died for the world’s sins.
(1 John 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Isaiah 53:4-6)

  1. He died according to the divine plan: Acts 2:23; Luke 22:22; 1 Peter 1:18-20
  2. He predicted His death: Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22-23; Matthew 20:17-19
  3. He died by way of crucifixion: John 19:17-19; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Peter 2:24
  4. He died because He allowed Himself to die: John 10:17-18; Luke 23:44-46
  5. The Romans made sure of His death: John 19:31-34

Three days after His burial, Jesus arose from the dead.
(John 20:1-31)

  1. He had promised to resurrect: Matthew 12:40; 16:21; 17:9,22-23; 20:18-19; 26:30-32
  2. He arose in a glorified body: 1 Corinthians 15:20-24,35-49; Acts 3:13; John 20:11-31
  3. God the Father did the resurrecting: Ephesians 1:15-23; Acts 2:22-24; Galatians 1:1
  4. The resurrection proved the Son’s sacrifice was accepted by the Father: Isaiah 53:10-11
  5. The evidences for Christ’s resurrection were undeniable: Acts 1:1-3; Acts 4:33
    • The tomb’s seal was broken: Matthew 27:66, 2:1-2; Daniel 6:16-17
    • The stone was rolled away from the front of the tomb: Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-7
    • His body was not found in the tomb: Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1-8
    • His grave clothes were still in the tomb: Luke 24:12; John 20:3-8
    • Angels served as witnesses that He had arisen: Matthew 28:1-7; John 20:11-13
    • The Roman guards were bribed to say His body had been stolen: Matthew 28:11-15
    • He was seen, in His resurrected body, by hundreds of people: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
    • His followers flatly refused to deny His resurrection: Acts 4:1-22; Acts 5:17-42

Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven.
(Acts 1:1-11)

  1. In Heaven, He took His seat at the right hand of God the Father: Mark 16:19
  2. The Father then made Him head of all things: Ephesians 1:15-23; Philippians 2:5-11

We must now make the choice to believe in Jesus as Savior.
(John 3:16)

The following are the Bible’s many different ways of explaining what it is to believe in Jesus. These are not separate decisions or different “stages” of belief. Instead, each of them is one more way of describing what authentic belief in Jesus is. The point is, when a person places the right kind of belief in Jesus, he or she will automatically be doing all of these things. Salvation is a moment-in-time experience, not a process.

  1. To believe in Jesus is to come to Him: Matthew 11:28-30; John 5:39-40; John 6:35-37
    • Coming to Him involves repentance (turning from your sins): Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15
  2. To believe in Jesus is to receive Him: John 1:12; Colossians 2:6
  3. To believe in Jesus is to open the door to Him: Revelation 3:20
  4. To believe in Jesus is to put your faith in Him: Romans 3:21-31; Colossians 1:3-5
  5. To believe in Jesus is to trust in Him: Ephesians 1:11-14; 1 Timothy 4:10
  6. To believe in Jesus is to call upon Him: Romans 10:9-13

At the moment of belief, the believer gains great blessings.
(Ephesians 1:3)

  1. The believer becomes a new creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17
  2. The believer becomes a recipient of God’s mercy: Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:4-6
  3. The believer becomes a recipient of God’s grace (undeserved favor): Titus 3:3-7
  4. The believer is forgiven of all sins (past, present, and future): Colossians 2:13
  5. The believer is redeemed (bought back): Romans 3:24; Titus 2:13-14; Galatians 3:13
  6. The believer is justified (declared righteous): Acts 13:39; Romans 3:28; Romans 5:1
  7. The believer is sanctified (set apart): 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Jude 1:1; Hebrews 10:14
  8. The believer becomes “in” Jesus: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 16:3-10
  9. The believer comes to God the Father: John 14:6
  10. The believer is “saved”: Matthew 18:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Timothy 1:8-9
  11. The believer becomes a “Christian”: Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16
  12. The believer will miss the horrors of Hell and the Lake of Fire: Hebrews 2:3
    • When an unbeliever dies, his or her soul immediately goes to that place called Hell: Luke 16:19-31 (the rich man was an unbeliever); Revelation 6:8
    • According to Bible prophecy, there will come a future day when each of the souls in Hell will be called forth from Hell, reunited with its resurrected (but not glorified) body, and cast into the Lake of Fire: Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 5:29-30
    • God created the Lake of Fire to be the eternal abode of Satan and the other fallen angels, but all unbelievers will end up there as well: Matthew 25:41,46
    • God doesn’t want you to go to Hell and the Lake of Fire: 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 2 Peter 3:9

Human works play no part in salvation.
(Romans 3:28; 2 Timothy 1:8-9)

  1. Even our so-called “good” works carry the taint of sin: Isaiah 64:6
  2. To be saved by works, you would have to keep God’s laws perfectly: Galatians 3:10-13
  3. Your law-keeping would have to extend inwardly: Matthew 5:21-48; Mark 7:20-23
  4. If we could “work out” our salvation, we might brag about it: Ephesians 2:8-9
  5. Even Abraham and David were saved by faith (belief), not works: Romans 4:1-8

At the moment of salvation, God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside the Christian’s body.
(Romans 5:5; Romans 8:5-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 5:5)

  1. He creates the “born again” experience in the person: John 3:1-8; 1 John 5:1
    • This experience is also referred to as “Spirit baptism”: John 1:33; 1 Corinthians 12:13
    • This experience is also referred to as “regeneration”: Titus 3:5
  2. This experience makes the individual a “child of God”: John 1:11-13; Galatians 3:26
  3. This experience brings spiritual life to the person: 1 John 5:10-13; Romans 6:23
  4. This experience brings spiritual light to the person: 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 2:8
  5. This experience makes the Christian’s body a temple: 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16

God the Holy Spirit has a vast ministry within the Christian.
(1 John 3:24)

  1. He sets the person free from the bondage of sin: Romans 8:1-2; Romans 6:17-23
  2. He anoints the person: 1 John 2:20,27; 2 Corinthians 1:21
  3. He sanctifies the person: 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 15:16
  4. He seals the person: 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:12-13; Ephesians 4:30
  5. He empowers the person: 1 Corinthians 2:4
  6. He brings the nature of God into the person: 2 Peter 1:1-4; Ephesians 4:17-24
  7. He causes the person to think like Jesus: 1 Corinthians 2:16
  8. He bears witness with the person’s own spirit: Romans 8:16
  9. He teaches the person: John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13
  10. He guides the person: John 16:13
  11. He gives the person spiritual discernment: 1 John 4:1-6
  12. He makes intercession for the person: Romans 8:26-27
  13. He promotes the fruit of the Spirit in the person’s life: Galatians 5:22-23
  14. He enables the person to understand spiritual matters: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
  15. He gifts the person with at least one spiritual gift: 1 Peter 4:10
    • A spiritual gift is a special ability to be used in service to Christ: 1 Corinthians 12:1,7
    • There are many spiritual gifts: Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:1

The indwelling Holy Spirit desires control of the Christian.
(Galatians 5:25)

  1. The Bible describes this control as “the filling of the Spirit”: Ephesians 5:18
  2. This controlling of the Spirit will affect the Christian’s decisions: Acts 16:6-7
  3. This controlling of the Spirit will affect the Christian’s praying: Jude verse 20
  4. This controlling is hindered by one’s quenching (not doing what the Spirit says to do) of the Spirit: 1 Thessalonians 5:19
  5. This controlling is hindered by one’s grieving (doing what the Spirit says not to do) of the Spirit: Ephesians 4:30

God has acts of service that He wants the Christian to do.
(Philippians 2:13)

It must be understood that none of these acts produces salvation. They are, instead, acts that flow out of salvation. A person doesn’t do these things to get saved; he or she does them as evidence of salvation.

  1. The Christian should submit to water baptism: Acts 8:12; Acts 16:14-15; Acts 18:8
    • The Biblical method of baptism is full immersion: Acts 8:35-39; Matthew 3:13-17; John 3:23
  2. The Christian should study the Bible: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12
  3. The Christian should pray often: Matthew 6:5-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:17
  4. The Christian should attend church: Hebrews 10:25; 1 Timothy 3:14-15
  5. The Christian should tell others about Jesus: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8
  6. The Christian should give monetarily to support God’s work: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
  7. The Christian should use his spiritual gift (gifts) in service to Christ: Romans 12:6-8
  8. The Christian should use his talents and abilities in service to Christ: Romans 12:1-4
  9. The Christian should live a life of personal holiness: 1 Peter 1:13-16; Romans 6:12-16
  10. The Christian should be a Christian example wherever he is: 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
    • This includes the home: Ephesians 5:22-33; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21
    • This includes the workplace: Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25
  11. The Christian should do the specific tasks God has in mind for him: Ephesians 2:10
  12. The Christian should live out God’s will for his life: Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 40:8

The Christian can never lose his salvation.
(Ecclesiastes 3:14)

Here are 25 Bible reasons that prove the Christian cannot lose his salvation:

  1. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee of a heavenly inheritance: Ephesians 1:14
  2. The Holy Spirit seals the Christian for the day of redemption: Ephesians 4:30
  3. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would abide with the Christian forever: John 14:16
  4. God promises to never again impute (charge) any sin to the Christian: Romans 4:5-8
  5. No one can bring a charge against the Christian (one of the elect): Romans 8:31-34
  6. The Christian is predestined to be conformed to Christ’s image: Romans 8:28-30
  7. Jesus makes intercession for the Christian: Hebrews 7:24-25; Luke 22:31-32
  8. Jesus will confirm the Christian until the end: 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
  9. Jesus’ confirming ensures that the Christian will remain blameless: 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
  10. God will keep the Christian from falling and present him as faultless: Jude verse 24
  11. Nothing can separate the Christian from the love of God in Christ: Romans 8:35-39
  12. No one (even the Christian) can snatch the Christian from God’s hand: John 10:27-30
  13. God adopts the Christian, which makes the Christian His child: Romans 8:15-17
  14. God will complete the good work He has begun in the Christian: Philippians 1:3-6
  15. God will keep the Christian’s salvation till the Christian is with Him: 2 Timothy 1:12
  16. The Christian’s heavenly inheritance is safely reserved: 1 Peter 1:3-5
  17. The Christian is kept by the power of God, not by his own power: 1 Peter 1:5
  18. Jesus couldn’t promise “eternal” life if that life could possibly be lost: John 10:27-28
  19. Jesus couldn’t promise the Christian will “never perish” if he could: John 10:27-28
  20. The Christian is preserved in Jesus: Jude verse 1
  21. Since salvation isn’t gained by works, it can’t be lost by works: Galatians 3:1-3
  22. Lot, an Old Testament believer, is an example of “once saved-always saved.”
    • He was a saved believer: 2 Peter 2:7-8
    • He committed gross sins: Genesis 19:1-38
    • Nevertheless, God still described him as “righteous”: 2 Peter 2:7-8
  23. Peter, a New Testament believer, is an example of “once saved-always saved.”
    • He was a saved believer: Matthew 16:13-17
    • He publicly denied Jesus three times: Matthew 26:31-35; Matthew 26:69-75
    • Nevertheless, he didn’t lose his salvation: Luke 21:31-32; John 21:1-19
  24. Thomas, a New Testament believer, is an example of “once saved-always saved.”
    • He was a saved believer: John 11:1-16
    • He openly doubted Jesus’ resurrection: John 20:19-28
    • Nevertheless, he didn’t lose his salvation: John 20:29
  25. John, a New Testament believer, is an example of “once saved-always saved.”
    • He was a saved believer: John 1:29
    • He doubted if Jesus was truly the Messiah: Matthew 11:2-6
    • Nevertheless, he didn’t lose his salvation: Matthew 11:7-19

The Christian can look to the future with tremendous hope.
(1 Corinthians 15:19)

  1. If the Christian dies, his soul goes to heaven: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:21-23
    • Heaven is that indescribably awesome place where God dwells: Revelation 4:1-11
  2. The Christian might live to see the Rapture (a prophetic event): 1 Corinthians 15:51-55
    • The Rapture is that moment in time when Jesus will step down from Heaven, into earth’s sky, and snatch His people away from earth: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
  3. At the Rapture, the Christian’s body will undergo glorification: 1 Corinthians 15:20-50
    • If the Christian has died, the body will be resurrected-glorified: 1 Thessalonians 4:16
    • If the Christian is alive, the body will not need to be resurrected: 1 Thessalonians 4:17
  4. Following the Rapture, the Christian will take his turn standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ: Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10
    • This Judgment Seat is not about winning or losing salvation: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15
    • This Judgment Seat is about the Christian being rewarded for the worthy things he has done in living for Jesus: Revelation 22:12; 1 Corinthians 3:8
  5. The Rapture will allow the Christian to escape the terrible seven-year tribulation period this world is prophesied to go through: Luke 21:34-36; Revelation 3:10
    • All Christians will be safe in Heaven during this time: 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
    • The tribulation period will be a gruesome time for the world: Revelation chapters 6-18
  6. The Christian will return with Jesus when He comes back to this earth at the end of the tribulation period. This return will coincide with the battle of Armageddon that will close the tribulation period: Revelation 16:16; Revelation 19:1-21
  7. Following the battle of Armageddon, the Christian will reign with Jesus during His 1,000-year reign upon this earth: Revelation 20:1-4; Revelation 5:9-10
  8. When Christ’s 1,000-year reign is finished, the Christian will get to eternally enjoy the New Heaven, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem: Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

This ends this study guide for the plan of salvation. Now it is up to you to respond, in one way or the other, to the plan. You will either place your belief in Jesus as Savior or you will reject Him as your Savior. My heart’s desire is that you will choose wisely.

Pastor Russell Mckinney

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Disciples Road Church
536 English Road
Spruce Pine, NC 28777

Phone: (828) 765-7740
E-Mail: russellmckinney@bellsouth.net