The Plan Of Salvation Simplified (A Tract)

MAN MUST BE BORN AGAIN

     A person must first be born of the flesh which brings him into the world.  Second, he is to be born of  the Spirit.  This spiritual birth brings him into the Christian realm which is the kingdom of God.  When a sinner is born of the Spirit, he is delivered from his sins.  He becomes convicted and sorry for his sins and he confesses and repents.  The Spirit comes and delivers him of the burden, he believes, and by faith he is saved.  He has then been born again and joy comes into his heart.  Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  John 3:6.  This was hard for Nicodemus to understand but Jesus declared that he must have this experience to be a child of God:  "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."  John 3:7.

     Jesus explained the new birth by comparing the Spirit with the wind.  "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."  John 3:8.  The Spirit is like the wind, the wind blows and it can be felt and the manifestation of it can be seen but no man can tell where it came from or where it went.  The Spirit comes and delivers a man from his sins and he feels the effects of it with joy when he is delivered.

BAPTISM WITH WATER

     The step which is to follow the spiritual birth is the baptism with water.  To be baptized is to be buried--completely covered in water.  This should be done in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost as instructed by Jesus in MatthewC 28:19:  "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."  Since Jesus is our example in the plan of salvation, it is necessary for us to be baptized to complete the plan of salvation made for us.  John the Baptist did not feel that Jesus needed to be baptized in water and he forbade Him.  "And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now:  for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.  Then he suffered him."  Matthew 3:15.  After John was convinced that Jesus was laying out the principles of salvation for us to follow, he baptized Him.  We are not saved by water baptism, but it is the answer of a good conscience toward God.  If we fail to walk in the light of this, we are no longer justified in the sight of God.

THE SECOND DEFINITE WORK OF GRACE

     This born-again Christian must be definitely sanctified, which is a second work of grace.  It is wrought in the heart of the person by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The Adamic sin is destroyed which is called the seed of sins.  It is the one sin that a man is born into the world with that causes him to be a sinner.  A sinner is one who sins, and when he is born again, the sins he has committed are forgiven.  The second definite work of grace which is wrought in the heart of a man by the blood of Jesus Christ kills the one sin, the seed that his sins came from.  This experience definitely sanctifies him and brings him back into the holy state out of the first man, Adam.  To prove that it is a second definite work of grace, let us read Hebrews 13:12:  "Wherefore Jesus also [in addition to], that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate."  It is an evident fact that Jesus died and shed His blood not only to save men but to sanctify them--kill the Adamic sin.

     The writer of Hebrews stated in the thirteenth verse of the same chapter that all Christians should go forth unto Him for the experience of sanctification by the blood:  "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."  Jesus went through the act of this experience in order to lay down an example to his followers.  He did not need to be sanctified because He was holy.  Notice his prayer to his Father in John 17:16-20:  "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;"  This shows that Jesus expects his followers to be sanctified, not only in the New Testament age, but he prayed for everyone that would believe on him to have this glorious experience.

     Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, gave a good example of this second definite work of grace:  "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Chrsit were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his resurrection:  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."  Romans 6:3-6.  This proves that it is by a spiritual death of the old man, Adam, that man is cleansed from the one sin.  It is a type of being baptized into Jesus Christ with the baptism of death of the Adamic nature.  This is brought about through the blood of Jesus Christ and is the second definite work of grace.

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST

     The two experiences already mentioned bring a person into a holy state and prepare him for the filling of the Holy Spirit which is the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He is ready for the filling of the Spirit as John the Baptist explained in Matthew 3:11, 12:  "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:  but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:  he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:  Whoso fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  These two verses verify the fact that Jesus was to come and clean up the vessel, sanctify it and get it ready to receive the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost.  Jesus said that He would go back to heaven and send it to His followers:  "But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.  Nevertheless I tell you the truth:  It is expedient for you that I go away:  for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."  John 16:6, 7.  "But when the Comforter will is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."  John 15:26.

     All sanctified, holy people may have the baptism of the Holy Ghost by asking the Father to give it to them and by receiving it as the one hundred and twenty did on the day of Pentecost:  "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."  Acts 2:4.

     The evidence of this experience is speaking in other tongues.  The Spirit takes hold of a man and uses his vocal organs and he speaks in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance.

     While the Apostle Peter was preaching to Cornelius and his fold, the Holy Ghost fell on all these that heard the Word:  "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God..." Acts 10:44-46.

     While the Apostle Paul was visiting in Ephesus, a group there received the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.  This group of people were already good Christians and Paul asked them a question:  "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost."  Acts 19:2.  In the sixth verse of this same chapter, Paul laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.

     The writer of the Acts of the Apostles [Luke] wrote about Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost.  People questioned who would receive this experience and Peter said, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."  Acts 2:39.

     The scirptures that have been used in this leaflet are enough to cause people to want to accept the plan of salvation if they are open-hearted and desire to obey the words of the Lord and to follow in His footsteps.