Source: Dr David Cooper
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Every man ever born is only three steps from one of two eternal destinies for their soul!
(1) The Dreadful Dilemma
(2) The Deadly Deception
(3) The Dependable Deliverer
Read my testimony - My "Walk" Down the Romans Road which took me 39 years!
Follow-up - I frequently share the Gospel with people and begin by asking them where they would be tomorrow if they died tonight? A few say "I don't know," or "I'm not sure." Most however tell me that they think they will probably (emphasize "probably") be in Heaven. When I ask them why they believe this, the most common response is "I'm a good person most of the time." "I do more good deeds than bad." I explain that only One Person did a good work that would get us into Heaven and His Name is Jesus Christ. Then I explain the Gospel to them (if they will remain to listen, which some do not). The other answer I hear frequently is "Sure, I believe in Jesus, so I think I am okay." When I ask them if they have experienced a radical change in their life when they believed in Jesus, most do not understand what I am asking. They just assume that they have always believed in Jesus. They may have walked an aisle, made a "decision," prayed a prayer to receive Jesus into their heart, but there has been not significant change in their life. They don't have much interest in reading the Bible or talking about spiritual matters. It is particularly this last group that greatly concerns me. I am not their judge, but when I don't hear any 2Cor 5:17+ testimony that says "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new (kainos - brand new, never existed before) creature; the old things passed away; behold, new (kainos) things have come." Is Paul saying that this new creature in Christ is not sinless? Of course not! But he is saying that he or she will sin LESS! All genuine believers still sin, but that is not the habit of their lives. The new life is not about perfection, but it is about direction (and affection). And so for those who say they believe in Jesus (profess faith) but give no evidence of fruit (do not possess faith evidenced by fruit), there is a tragic possibility that they are deceived into thinking they have a "fire insurance policy," when in fact they do not! The call is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31+). The road to heaven is narrow and few are those who enter it. The road to Hell is broad (and "paved with good intentions") and many are those who enter it and the saddest group of all will be those who were self-deceived, thinking that they were "okay" with God. They will receive the shock of their life! To them Jesus sounds a strong, clear warning...
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ (PROFESSORS) will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does (present tense = as the habit of your life - POSSESSORS OF THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, WHO ENABLES "DOING") the will of My Father Who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many (NOT "FEW" BUT "MANY" - cf Mt 7:13-14+) will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never (GREEK = ABSOLUTE NEGATION) knew you (cf Ps 1:6+); DEPART (aorist imperative - Do it now! Do not delay!) FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE (present tense = as the habit of your life) LAWLESSNESS (= sin - cf 1Jn 3:4+).’ (Mt 7:21-23+)
| GOD'S WORD DESCRIBING OUR NEED FOR AND THE WAY OF SALVATION |
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BEFORE CHRIST Eph 2:1,2+ |
Ro 5:12NLT+ |
AFTER CHRIST |
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS arises partly from pride but mainly from ignorance of God's Law. It is because men know little or nothing concerning the terrible character of the divine Law, that they foolishly imagine themselves to be righteous. They are not aware of the deep spirituality, and the stern severity of the Law, or they would have other and wiser notions. Once let them know how strictly the Law deals with the thoughts, how it brings itself to bear upon every emotion of the inner man, and there is not one creature beneath God's heaven who would dare to think himself righteous in God's sight in virtue of his own deeds and thoughts. Only let the Law be revealed to a man; let him know how strict the Law is, and how infinitely just, and his self-righteousness will shrivel into nothing—it will become a filthy rag in his sight, whereas before he thought it to be a goodly garment. (From Secret Sins by C H Spurgeon)
You can have a personal relationship with Jesus.
| Ge 2:17 Jas 2:10+ Col 2:13+ Ro 3:11-18+ Gal 3:22NLT+ |
Not by Good Works Titus 3:3 4 5 6+ 2Ti 1:9NLT+ Ro 3:20+ Ro 3:28+ Ro 4:5+ |
For Good Works Eph 2:8, 9+ Eph 2:10+ Mt 5:16+ |
Every one of them has turned aside.
Together they have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good, not even one .
(Psalm 53:3+, cp Gal 6:7+, Gal 6:8+)
How Do You Get to Heaven? This question will bring a variety of answers. A confusion of views is evident in the following sampling of opinions gathered for the Radio Bible Class program ‘Sounds of the Times’:
- “God wouldn’t send you to hell.” (New York)
- “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.” (Boston)
- “You have to believe in God.” (Miami)
- “There is nothing I can do about it.” (New York)
- “I don’t dare say that I know I’m going.” (Los Angeles)
- “Keep the Ten Commandments.” (San Francisco)
- “How I live my life...being kind to other people.” (Boston)
- “Jesus gave His life for my salvation.” (Los Angeles)
- “I couldn’t care less.” (Boston)
- “Be a good person.” (Gainesville)
- “I feel I’d go to hell.” (San Francisco)
The Thief on the Cross - Dwight L Moody: "The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation, and yet Christ offered him the gift of God; and he took it. Christ threw him a passport, and took him into Paradise.
BOTH WERE WRONG - A businessman well known for his ruthlessness once announced to writer Mark Twain, "Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top." "I have a better idea," replied Twain. "You could stay in Boston and keep them."
A survey by the Barna Research Group suggests widespread confusion about the gospel - even among churchgoers who feel responsible to spread the gospel. Almost half of the respondents (46%) say they have a personal responsibility to explain their beliefs to others. Most of those “evangelizers” (81%) believe that the Bible is accurate in all its teachings and that Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected (94%). But 48% of the evangelizers also believe that “if people are generally good, or do enough good things for others...they will earn places in heaven.” “There is plenty of reason for churches to worry if nearly one-half of their people who believe in evangelism also believe in salvation by works,” says George Barna, president of the Barna Research Group. “The central message of Protestantism is in salvation by faith alone in Christ, yet (many) Protestant evangelizers seem to be preaching a different message.” Respondents from “mainline” Protestant churches tended to believe in salvation by works more frequently than those from “evangelical” churches. Yet pastors from mainline churches seemed more confident in their members’ ability to evangelize. Almost half (46%) of mainline pastors believe their congregations are qualified to present the gospel, while only one-fourth (24%) of Baptist pastors do.
In a 1992 survey ~1/3 of born-again Christians (and 54% of all respondents including so called "born again") stated that all good people will go to heaven whether they have embraced Jesus Christ or not. (They need to read Ro 3:19,20 & then Ro 3:21-4:25) Furthermore almost 25% of "born again" respondents said that while Jesus was on earth He sinned like other men!
G.K. Chesterton has said, “Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”
A simple acrostic of FAITH:
F ~ FACTS. Faith is not based on a blind leap into the unknown and unknowable, as many liberal and neoorthodox theologians would have us believe. It is based on the facts of God's redeeming work through His Son Jesus Christ.
A ~ AGREEMENT. It is one thing to know the truth of the gospel; it is quite another to agree with it. The believing heart affirms the truth it receives from God's Word.
I ~ INTERNALIZATION = the inner desire of a believer to accept and apply the truth of the gospel to his own life. Internalization also involves the genuine desire to obey Christ as Lord. (John 8:31).
T ~ TRUST. In some ways and in some contexts, trust is a synonym for faith. But trust also carries the idea of having UNRESERVED CONFIDENCE in God to keep His promises to never forsake us as His children and to provide all our needs.
H ~ HOPE. Every believer is saved in the HOPE of going to live eternally with God in heaven, although he has never seen heaven or seen the Lord in whom he believes. The vast majority of those who have trusted in Christ over the centuries have never seen Him. Even those who saw Him after the resurrection and witnessed His ascent to heaven had only the HOPE, and not yet the reality, of their joining Him one day in heaven. Until he meets the Lord through death or by rapture, every believer must live in HOPE of that which he has not yet fully received
| BEFORE CHRIST Eph 2:5+ Eph 4:18NLT+ Job 25:4NLT Ps 53:1, 2, 3+ Gal 3:22NLT+ |
Jn 14:6 Jn 8:24 Jn 3:16, 17, 18+ Acts 16:31+ Eph 3:12NLT+ |
AFTER CHRIST 2 Cor 5:17+ 2 Pe 1:4+ |
All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6+, cp John 1:29+, Isa 53:5, 1Pe 2:24, 25+)
Then he (Abram) believed in the LORD and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6+, cp Gal 3:8, 16+, Acts 16:31+)
HERE IS THE GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS) GOD GIVES SINFUL MEN TO BELIEVE IN SO THAT THEY MIGHT LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER...
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins (2 Co 5:21+) according to the Scriptures (even in the OT, cp Gal 3:8+), and that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day (Ro 6:4+) according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve (Acts 1:3+). (1 Cor 15:3-5+)
Jesus declared...
"I said therefore to you,
that you shall die in your sins;
for unless you believe that I am He,
you shall die in your sins."
(John 8:24)
Jesus declared...
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel."
(Mark 1:15+)
Jesus declared...
"I tell you, no, but unless you repent,
you will all likewise perish."
(Luke 13:3+)
Jesus warned...
"And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
and do not do what I say?
(Luke 6:46+)
Jesus declared...
"For whoever wishes to save his life
shall lose it;
but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's
shall save it.
(Mark 8:35)
Jesus declared...
"Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many,
I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."
(Luke 13:24+)
Jesus declared...
"Enter by the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide, and the way is broad
that leads to destruction (apoleia),
and many are those who enter by it.
For the gate is small, and the way is narrow
that leads to life,
and few are those who find it."
(Matthew 7:13, 14+)
Jesus declared...
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
(John 14:6)Believe
(Command = Do it now! Don't delay!see need for Holy Spirit to obey)
in the Lord Jesus,
and you shall be saved...
(Acts 16:31+)
- Jesus Christ died for us, in our place, as our Substitutionary Sacrificial "Lamb" (the One to Whom all the Old Testament sacrifices had been pointing, cp Jn 1:29+, 1 Co 5:7 and Ex 12:5, 6, 13, 7, 21, 1Pe 1:18, 19+).
- He truly died and was buried (Jn 19:30).
- He was truly resurrected from the dead (Jn 11:25, 26, Ps 16:10+, Acts 2:31NLT+, Acts 17:32+, Acts 24:15+, Acts 26:23+, Ro 1:4NLT+, 1 Co 15:21NLT, 1 Pe 1:3+, Rev 20:6+).
- He truly appeared alive after His rising from the dead (Acts 1:3+, Mk 16:14NLT.
- He truly ascended (Acts 1:9+). He will surely return again (Acts 1:11+, Jn 14:3, Rev 1:7, 8-+, Rev 19:11+, Rev 19:16+, Mt 24:30+, Mt 25:31, 1Th 1:10+).
- He must be received by grace through faith and not by our works of "righteousness" lest anyone boast (Ep 2:8, 9+).
Dear reader, would you today ponder the reality of a Christ-less eternity and "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31+) and you will become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17+) with a new hope of eternal life with Christ (Jn 14:3, 1 Thes 4:17+, Rev 22:3, 4, 5+). Even in the Old Testament the call of the Messiah, Christ Jesus, has always been...
Turn (Command to "look" Isa 45:22KJV) to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other. (Isa 45:22)
- This is the passage the Holy Spirit used to lead the "prince of preachers", Charles Haddon Spurgeon, to salvation in Christ Jesus - read Spurgeon's Personal Testimony)
Then he (Abram = Abraham) believed in the LORD and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (cp Ge 15:6NLT+, cp Gal 3:8+, Gal 3:16+, Ro 4:2 3+, Ro 4:4 5+)
- Note: Salvation in the Old Testament is the same way as in the New Testament - by grace through faith - and not based on works of self righteousness or keeping the Law or performing the sacrifices! (cp Ro 3:25+, Heb 9:15+)
- See my Personal Testimony to God's amazing grace to save a wretch like me.
Please take a moment and watch and listen to the vocal version of Rescue The Perishing based in part on Fanny Crosby's famous hymn (Hint: Select Full Screen view for maximum impact). Beloved I will be amazed if you can watch and listen to this youtube video of Fanny Crosby's classic hymn without weeping.
May our hearts break for what breaks our Father's heart and may His Spirit so fill us that His Good News "becomes like a burning fire" (Jer 20:9, 23:29) in our bosom and we cannot hold it in for the sake of Jesus Who is Mighty To Save. (Hillsong version) Amen
Rescue the Perishing
-- Fanny Crosby
VocaL by Billy & Cindy Foote
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.
Refrain
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.
Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.
Refrain
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Refrain
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
Refrain
RELATED RESOURCES:
- Josh McDowell's classic "More than a Carpenter" - good book to suggest to your skeptical friends!
- How a Jewish man Michael Goldstone met Messiah - site has multiple similar video testimonies
- Heaven: Where It Is, Its Inhabitants & How To Get There - classic by Dwight L Moody
- Personal Relationship with God
- How Can I Share My Faith Without An Argument?
- How Can I Know There Is A God?
- Can I Really Trust The Bible?
- Questions Skeptics Ask About The God Of The Old Testament
- Questions Skeptics Ask About Messianic Prophecy
- How Can I Know There Is A God?
- Do I Have The Right Kind Of Faith?
- Does God Grade On A Curve? Passing Life’s Final Exam
- Safe & Secure - The Permanence Of Salvation
- Accepted By God: Our Justification Through Christ
- God’s Choice Or Ours? Predestination & Election
- What About Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel?
- What Is A Personal Relationship With God? Conditions for knowing God
- Why Does It Make Sense To Believe In Christ?
- What If It’s True? Examining Four Important Spiritual Questions
- Why We Believe - Evidences for Christian Faith
- The Forgiveness Of God - The depth of God's mercy
- The Way to God & How to Find It
- See 100's of other booklets that relate to salvation and the Christian walk
A Powerful Message (TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF THE SO-CALLED "ROMANS ROAD")
The gospel of Christ … is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. —Romans 1:16
Bible teacher Lehman Strauss was brought to Christ through the power of the Word when he was young. At his girlfriend’s suggestion, he read Romans 3:23, 5:8, and Romans 10:13. As he did, he was convicted of his sin. He wept and believed. When his son Richard was 7 years old, he asked his father how to be saved. Lehman used the same verses that his girlfriend (who was now his wife) had used years earlier. His son believed too, and eventually became a pastor. God’s Word has tremendous power! The first recorded time God spoke, He created light (Gen. 1:3). He spoke a promise to Abraham (17:15-19) and enabled his 90-year-old wife Sarah to bear a child (21:1-2). God still speaks with power today, and all who hear and believe the gospel are saved (Rom. 1:16).
Yes, the message of Christ and His saving work on the cross can change the direction of a person’s life. It has the power to reach the heart of that person you love and have prayed for many times.
So don’t give up in your witness. Be consistent in your daily walk. Keep praying and sharing the gospel with others. It’s a powerful message!
Play and listen to the powerful hymn by Phillip Bliss....
Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.
Refrain
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
Christ, the blessèd One, gives to all wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life;
All so freely given, wooing us to Heaven.
Refrain
Sweetly echo the Gospel call, wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify us forever.
Refrain
Our words have power to influence; God’s words have power to save.
| THE ROMANS ROAD to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
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| Romans 1:18-3:20 | Romans 3:21-5:21 | Romans 6:1-8:39 | Romans 9:1-11:36 | Romans 12:1-16:27 |
| SIN | SALVATION | SANCTIFICATION | SOVEREIGNTY | SERVICE |
| NEED FOR SALVATION |
WAY OF SALVATION |
LIFE OF SALVATION |
SCOPE OF SALVATION |
SERVICE OF SALVATION |
| God's Holiness In Condemning Sin |
God's Grace In Justifying Sinners |
God's Power In Sanctifying Believers |
God's Sovereignty In Saving Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory The Object of Service |
| Deadliness of Sin |
Design of Grace |
Demonstration of Salvation | ||
| Power Given | Promises Fulfilled | Paths Pursued | ||
| Righteousness Needed |
Righteousness Credited |
Righteousness Demonstrated |
Righteousness Restored to Israel |
Righteousness Applied |
| God's Righteousness IN LAW |
God's Righteousness IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness OBEYED |
God's Righteousness IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness DISPLAYED |
| Slaves to Sin | Slaves to God | Slaves Serving God | ||
| Doctrine | Duty | |||
| Life by Faith | Service by Faith | |||
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Modified from Irving L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's Survey of the NT" |
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