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THE GREATEST PLAN

By George W. Sinquefield

(John 3:16 KJV)  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

        There is so much confusion about how a person is saved, how he is made right with God. Just ask people who are lost and listen to the answers they give.

        There is no need for the confusion, the misunderstanding for Jesus makes it very plain. He told Nicodemus that the human side of the new birth is to believe in Him.

        Salvation is by simple faith. Jesus saves when we believe in Him. Faith and believe mean the same thing.

(Eph 2:8 KJV)  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

(Eph 2:9 KJV)  "Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Believe -- Notice in this 3rd Chapter of John Verses 14-15, 18, and 36.

(John 3:14 KJV)  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:"

(John 3:15 KJV)  "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

(John 3:18 KJV)  "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

(John 3:36 KJV)  "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

I. What Does It Mean To Believe?

      Someone wrote, "Sunday after Sunday in both Catholic and Protestant places of worship thousands of people keep chanting the words, "I believe" who no more really know what it is to believe to the saving of their souls than a worm knows what it is to fly. They could not give any coherent account either of what they believe or why they believe it. Yet these people pass as Christians and actually think within themselves that they are Christians.

        Their so-called believing is simply the unreasoning assumption of certain truths which they vaguely take for granted, and in which they have been brought up from their infancy. It is not really Christian faith at all, but a dreamy credulity which neither saves the soul nor vitally effects the character."

        In the Gospel of John, we are told 99 times that we are saved by believing in Jesus. Now this believing is not mere mental assent. It is not just believing certain truths about Jesus.

    One can believe:

1. Jesus is God's Son,
2. That He was born of a virgin,
3. That He lived a sinless life,
4. That He performed many miracles,
5. He died on the cross for man's redemption,
6. That He was buried,
7. That He overcame death and the grave,
8. That He ascended back to the Father,
9. That He is seated at the Father's right hand making intercession for His people,
10. That He is coming again to receive His people.

        J. Sidlow Baxter says, "Many persons will tell us that they believe in Jesus and yet they obviously do not trust Him, obey Him, love Him, serve Him, or in any way relate their life to Him.

        It is a kind of believing merely with the upper part of the mind which leaves the heart itself undisturbed. If it were a real believing it would stir the heart and move the will and change the life."

        Believing about Jesus won't save. The main issue is whether or not you believe that His death paid for all your sin and that by believing in Him you can have forgiveness and eternal life.

        To believe refers to an act and an attitude of the heart which moves the will and affects the whole man.

        Dr. Torrey puts it thus: "To believe on a man means to put confidence in him or what he claims to be. To believe on a physician means to put confidence in him as a physician resulting in your placing your care in his hands. To believe in a teacher is to put your confidence in him as a teacher, and accept what he teaches. To believe in a banker means to put your confidence in him as a banker and put your money in his bank. And to believe on the Lord Jesus means to put your confidence in Him as what He claims to be. It is to put confidence in Him as your Sin Bearer; as your Deliverer for the power of sin; as your divinely infallible Teacher; as your Master who has a right to the entire control of your life; as your Guide, whom you will follow wherever He leads; and as your Divine Lord. The moment you thus put your confidence in Jesus Christ, that moment you are saved."

        It is trusting Him to save you. Let me illustrate it this way. A person is drowning and you throw him a life raft. He grabs it and puts himself on it. He trusts it to save him from death.

        The lost are sinking in sin and death. "The wages of sin is death." Jesus is the life raft for those who are lost and sinking in sin. To be saved is to cast yourself upon Him and trust Him to save you from death.

        Dr. James Denny emphasizes that it is not just the life of Jesus which saves us nor even His death on Calvary but Jesus Himself through His atoning death and resurrection." Jesus says, "Believe on Me." We call this kind of believing trusting.

        The way to be saved is to believe on Jesus. Other words are used interchangeably with believe.

1. Receive -- (John 1:12 KJV)  "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
2. Call -- (Rom 10:13 KJV)  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
3. Confess -- (Rom 10:9 KJV)  "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." (Rom 10:10 KJV)  "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
4. Ask -- (John 4:10 KJV)  "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
5. Come and Take -- (Rev 22:17 KJV)  "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

        Time and again Jesus refers to Himself as:

1. The Bread of life

(John 6:32 KJV)  "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven."

(John 6:33 KJV)  "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

(John 6:34 KJV)  "Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread."

(John 6:35 KJV)  "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
 

2. The Door of Life

(John 10:7 KJV)  "Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep."

(John 10:8 KJV)  "All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."

(John 10:9 KJV)  "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

(John 10:10 KJV)  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
 

3. The Way of Life

(John 14:5 KJV)  "Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?"

(John 14:6 KJV)  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

        Jesus spake of "much faith," "little faith," "great faith," and "no faith." He never said that the smallest amount of faith was inadequate to save the soul. But it must be faith in Jesus and Jesus alone.

        Again J. Sidlow Baxter has said, "A little faith in Christ is worth far more than a great faith in any other. We must never make a Christ out of our faith, and look upon faith as being in itself the source of our salvation. True faith does not think about itself. Its eye is on Christ alone."

II.    Why Does God Use Faith As The Way Of Salvation?

        I suggest four reasons.

      1.    We are accustomed to living by faith.

      Our national and social life is run on faith. When I give a check to pay a bill, the one who accepts the check puts faith in me and in the bank. We drive our cars 60 or 70 miles an hour. We put faith

a.    In the car. We believe it is safe to drive,
b.    We put faith in others -- those meeting us with just a very short distance between us. We believe they will stay on their side of the road.

        Now that is exactly what faith in Christ is. He has promised to save us, to deliver us from sin and hell. We believe on Him. We commit the keeping of our soul to Him. We trust Him to do what He promised and He never fails.

(Mat 7:13 KJV)  "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:"

(Mat 7:14 KJV)  "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

      Now this great host, the many who traveled the broad way to hell and destruction lived their lives by faith. But they went to hell because they failed to put faith, the kind of faith they had lived by, in Jesus as Savior.

        The same is true of the goats (the lost) as told us in Matthew 25:31-46.

(Mat 25:31 KJV)  "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:"

(Mat 25:32 KJV)  "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:"

(Mat 25:33 KJV)  "And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."

(Mat 25:34 KJV)  "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"

(Mat 25:35 KJV)  "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:"

(Mat 25:36 KJV)  "Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

(Mat 25:37 KJV)  "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?"

(Mat 25:38 KJV)  "When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?"

(Mat 25:39 KJV)  "Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?"

(Mat 25:40 KJV)  "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

(Mat 25:41 KJV)  "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"

(Mat 25:42 KJV)  "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:"

(Mat 25:43 KJV)  "I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not."

(Mat 25:44 KJV)  "Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?"

(Mat 25:45 KJV)  "Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

(Mat 25:46 KJV)  "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

      2.    Salvation by faith puts salvation within the reach of everyone.
 

        If God had said we must have a large sum of money, superior intelligence, own lots of property, have the gift to sing, to  play a musical instrument, be a great speaker, etc., many would be left out.

        But God so loved the world -- and He made salvation available to anyone who wants it.

        In his book, "God So Loved" J. Sidlow Baxter said, "There is nothing complicated in that faith which God has appointed as the way of salvation. That is why the New Testament represents it as something within the reach of the lowest and feeblest sinner, and within the comprehension of the most ignorant and uneducated."

        Another said, "For the plan of salvation is the wonder of all ages. It is so deep and so marvelous that this world's greatest minds have never been able to think through it, yet so simple that the smallest child understanding right from wrong can accept it and be saved."

        One of the greatest wonders of this verse (John 3:16) is the fact that the only condition God imposes or requires from those who would escape the consequences of their sin, is simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, "Whosoever believeth in Him."

        3.    Salvation by faith gives God all the glory.

        Salvation is God's work from beginning to end.

(Eph 2:8 KJV)  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

(Eph 2:9 KJV)  "Not of works, lest any man should boast."

        What is the "gift of God" as pointed out in these verses? It is the faith by which we receive salvation. In Romans 6:23 we read,

(Rom 6:23 KJV)  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

      In this verse salvation is God's gift but in Ephesians 2:8-9 the faith with which we receive salvation is the gift of God.

        Those in Heaven praise Him for the salvation which He and He alone provided.

(Rev 5:9 KJV)  "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;"

(Rev 5:10 KJV)  "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

      4.    Salvation by faith puts all the responsibility for being lost on man.

      John Oxenham said, "Every man decideth the way his soul shall go".  The New Testament declares this all the way through.

        A man is rescued from drowning and artificial respiration has been started. Someone asked, "What is wrong with him?" "He can't breathe" one answers. "Why, isn't there plenty of air?" "Yes," we answer, plenty of air but unless he can be induced to draw upon it to fill his lungs with it, his life will be gone. Salvation, like the air is universal but unless man receives it, accepts it, eternal death will result.

        Jesus left the following when He went back to Heaven:

1. His purse to Judas
2. His body to Joseph of Arimathaea
3. His mother to John, the beloved disciple
4. His clothes to the Roman soldiers who crucified Him
5. His supper to His followers
6. His peace to His inner circle of disciples
7. His teachings to His servants
8. His Gospel to the world
9. His salvation to the lost world
10. His promise, "Whosoever believeth in Me hath life eternal"

        You choose whether or not you want salvation. I trust you'll choose to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior.