We are on a journey to our final destination in eternity. Many are trying to take the “shortest route” to heaven when they, like this Nevada couple, do not realize that it is not the “safe route.”

As we make this journey and punch in our desired destination to heaven, please allow me to share with you G.od’s  P.lan of S.alvation, which is not the “shortest route” but the “safest route”:

Faith:

The Hebrew writer states, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is essential in obtaining the salvation that God offers through His Son, Jesus Christ, who said, “unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). The Son of God left the glory of heaven and came to this earth and lived as a man. He was rejected by His own people and put to death on the cross. Three days later He rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 people. This is what the apostle Paul says is the good news. “Now I would remind you brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). To reach our final destination we must have faith in this gospel! However, our directions do not end here. This is where many choose to take the “shortest route” to heaven and sadly, it will not lead them to their desired destination. God still has more directions for us.

Repentance:

Repentance is defined as “to change one’s mind.” When we choose to make heaven our destination we turn around and go in a new direction. We change from evil to righteousness. John the Baptist preached repentance: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:1-2). Jesus preached repentance: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17). The apostle Peter preached repentance: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:39). It is clear from the Scriptures that we are commanded to repent. Sin has separated us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and G.od’s P.lan of S.alvation requires that we repent.

The next direction is:

Confession:

Confession is a necessary direction to reach our final destination. Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).  If we do not confess Him before men He will deny us before God. Paul tells us that, “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). We confess with our mouth something that we believe. This direction is one that is often misunderstood. Some churches teach that the sinner must confess all of their intimate sins to a priest. This is not the confession we read  about in the New Testament. Some churches tell the sinner to confess, “I accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.” That is not found in the Bible. What then is the confession that is made unto salvation? Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The Ethiopian eunuch confessed before his baptism: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). This great confession affirms that the person referred to as Jesus in the Scriptures, who was born in Bethlehem and later died on the cross of Calvary is the only hope for sinful man. Confession by itself does not cause us to reach our destination. There is still one more direction that we must pay attention to.

Baptism:

Three times in the book of Acts the question or its equivalent is asked, “What must I do to be saved?” On the day of Pentecost during Peter’s sermon the people asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). On the road to Damascus, Paul asked, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10). Then, the jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).  The answer in every case involved baptism. Peter told the people to be baptized for the remission of sins and about 3,000 people were baptized (Acts 2:38,41). Saul was commanded to “rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). The jailer and his family were baptized at once after Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to them (Acts 16:31-33). Baptism is a burial in water. Paul said we have been “buried with Him in baptism” (Colossians 2:12). Sprinkling or pouring water over someone’s head is not the baptism that is found in the Bible.  Baptism is clearly taught in the New Testament that it is essential to reaching our final destination. Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Baptism is an essential direction in G.od’s P.lan of S.alvation.

G.od’s P.lan of S.alvation includes:

• Faith in Jesus Christ
• Repenting of sins
• Confessing Christ with the mouth
• Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of sins

Leaving any of these directions out will result in a very dangerous turn away from the final destination of heaven.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Rom. 11:33, NASB)

Throughout history, mankind has tried to second-guess God. God told the generations after the flood to “be fruitful and multiply;
populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it”  (Gen 9:7b, NASB). Mankind second-guessed God when they built the tower of Babel, lest they be scattered (Gen. 11:4). Korah and his followers second-guessed God’s decision to appoint Moses (and Aaron) as the leader of the people (Num. 16). Aaron and Miriam second-guessed God’s decision to make Moses the leader of the people (Num. 12). Saul second-guessed God’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15).

All of these people second-guessed God’s judgment, and all were punished. The generations after the flood were indeed scattered, and their languages confused. Korah and his followers faced death. Miriam was stricken with leprosy. Saul’s line was cut off from the throne of Israel.

People still try to second-guess God. The thousands of religious groups present in the world today are a testament to that. Men have decided that God really didn’t know what He was talking about and so have chosen to ignore the clear teaching of His word. Observe Paul’s statement:  ”Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” Paul made a declaration here of God’s great wisdom. He called this wisdom “unsearchable.” It is not in man to be able to completely discern God’s wisdom. Sometimes the way God has chosen will not make sense, but we can always trust God to guide us in the right way. Let us not second-guess the Almighty, lest we suffer the same fate as those of the Old Testament.

It didn’t make sense for Noah to build a boat for a flood when it had never rained. It didn’t make sense for Joshua to lead the people in marching around Jericho in order to make the walls of the city collapse. It didn’t make sense for Gideon to lead his 300 men against the 100,000+ of the Midianites. It didn’t make sense for Namaan to dip in the Jordan River seven times to be healed of leprosy. Yet they did, and in doing so were victorious. Noah was spared in the flood, Joshua was victorious at Jericho, Gideon overcame the Midianites and Namaan was cleansed. You too can be victorious simply by following God’s word.