SPELLING EDITED E-5. WHAT IS THE SINNERS PRAYER? Can a person be saved by simply praying a PRAYER? YES! Absolutely! Whosoever BELIEVES in Jesus can be saved by praying a SIMPLE prayer with a repentant heart truly desiring God to help them be a better person. Let me begin this study in God's word by saying that the “Sinners’ Prayer” is sometimes called the “Romans’ Road”, which will be the main topic in this study in Gods word. The Romans’ Road prayer is called a “Sinners’ Prayer” because it is a prayer that people pray WHILE they are YET sinners in order to get saved. It is also called the “Romans’ Road Sinners’ Prayer” because the verses of Scripture that are used to LEAD a sinner to salvation are found in the Book of Romans in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. So then, what is the TRUE sound Biblical meaning of what some Christians call the “Roman’s Road Sinners’ Prayer”. The Book of Romans teaches us the answers to five basic questions concerning what it truly means to be SAVED. Here are those five questions. #1. Do all people need to be saved? #2. Why do all people need to be saved? #3. Who is the one who saves us? #4. How are we saved? #5. What does being saved truly mean? Again, it is called the Romans’ ROAD because the WAY or the ROAD unto salvation is all found in the Book of Romans. Christians were once called the WAY when the church first began because the believers in Jesus followed the teachings of Jesus and the Book of Romans shows us the WAY to find salvation in Jesus. For you see, Jesus is the WAY the truth, and the life and no person can come to God except THROUGH Jesus, the Son of God. In other words, no one can be saved by their OWN good works because that is NOT the WAY that Almighty God CHOSE to save His lost children who NEED to be saved from sin. And that ROAD or WAY unto salvation is found in the Book of Romans. For example, the answer to question number one, “Do people need to be saved” is found in Romans 3:9-12, and verses 19-28. So let us begin reading the WAY unto salvation covering these five steps to take in order to be forgiven of all your sins and to be saved in Jesus Christ without relying on or trusting in your OWN works of righteousness to save yourself. #1. Do people need to be saved? Romans 3:9-12. “What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are ALL under sin; (This means that God has CONCLUDED both, his chosen people, the Jews, AND every single Gentile person to ALL be UNDER SIN. And thus, ALL people NEED to be saved from being under the guilt of sin) 10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11. There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. (And WHILE we who have been saved by praying the “Sinner’s Prayer” were once sinners before we were saved did not seek after God. To say this another way, while we were yet sinners, we did not truly seek after God until after we were SAVED. We may have even been raised in church to be good people but simply doing good works is NOT what initially saves us. But rather, we must be saved first in order to be set free from sin and empowered by God with His Holy Spirit dwelling in us in order to be able to overcome sin in our lives. And the Holy Spirit will only dwell in a NEW vessel. Therefore, a person must be forgiven of all their past sins to be born-again before God can give us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. So, in truth, what we sought was to be free of the condemnation and guilt of our past sins. We were not truly seeking God to be righteous, holy, and pure before Him. That true desire came after we were saved) 12. They (Speaking of ALL people including the Jewish people and Gentile people raised in a church but are not yet truly saved) are all gone out of the WAY, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one.” What Paul is teaching us here is that just because the Jews are God’s chosen people does NOT mean that they are “AUTOMATICALLY” saved. And just because a person was raised in a church or was raised in a good faithful Christian home does NOT mean that they are “AUTOMATICALLY” saved. And that includes people of different religions of the world as well, no matter how good a person might be. For you see, God has CONCLUDED all people to be UNDER SIN because ALL people have SINNED at some time in their life. And thus, all people NEED to be saved. So ONE meaning of being saved means to be FORGIVEN of your PAST sins so that you can be placed BACK into a right relationship with your creator. For you see, every person ever born was born as an innocent child of Almighty God, but as we grew and matured we ALL went astray and became the children of the world. And no matter how hard we tried to obey our conscience we all still disobeyed what we knew deep inside of us was the RIGHT thing to do and we sinned against God. And the only way to get back to doing things God’s way is for Almighty God to save us His WAY. So now let us read Romans 3:19-28, which teaches us some more as to WHY all people, who are yet sinners having never prayed a sinner’s prayer, need to be saved. Romans 3:19-28. “Now we know that what things so ever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20. Therefore, BY the DEEDS of the LAW there shall NO flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (In other words, we are NOT saved BY the WORKS of the LAW of God lest any man should BOAST. For you see, having an attitude that you are BETTER than others is boasting in YOURSELF and in your OWN good works. But when we truly trust in God’s WAY to be made RIGHTEOUS in Jesus Christ, then there is NO boasting in ourselves. Please understand that Paul is talking about the Law of Moses, which is the Law of God. For you see, the Jewish people placed their FAITH in their keeping ALL of the Law of Moses in their own strength to save them. But the Law of Moses was only TEMPORARY until Jesus came and died on the cross for the sins of the entire world. In other words, the Law of Moses was the TEMPORARY way that God kept His chosen people safe from His enemy Satan, the Devil, while the children of Israel were under the Old Covenant UNTIL the Messiah came. And after the cross and resurrection God’s Messiah who we know to be Jesus made a NEW COVENANT with the Jewish people first and then extended His New Covenant to the Gentiles saying to ALL of us that JUST doing good works alone is not what God REQUIRES to be saved. God chose that His salvation will be in His Son Jesus before God ever created Adam and Eve. And thus, the name of Jesus is the ONLY name given by God among men whereby we MUST be saved. So if a person wants eternal life then they MUST do things God’s WAY. The Old Covenant is no longer accepted by God) 21. But NOW the righteousness OF God WITHOUT the law is manifested, (Or clearly revealed to us) being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (Or NOW we are required by God to enter into His New Covenant BY FAITH in His Son, Jesus Christ. This means that salvation in His Son Jesus is God’s GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS to us who BELIEVE IN His Son Jesus as our righteousness WITHOUT any WORKS of the Law of Moses contained in ordinances. We must have FAITH in the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF God first in order to be saved from all of our past sins. And this is so that God can endue us with the POWER of His Holy Spirit to overcome sin. Only then can we truly do good works by obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit that comes to dwell is us the very moment we first believe. In other words, our FAITH IN Jesus is the END of the law FOR righteousness) 22. Even the righteousness OF God which is by FAITH in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that BELIEVE: for there is no difference: 23. For ALL have SINNED, and come short of the glory of God; (And thus, it is because we ALL have SINNED at some point in our life as to WHY we NEED to be SAVED by FAITH IN Jesus for God’s righteousness wherein there is NO BOASTING. And it is ONLY after we BELIEVE IN Jesus Christ as our Savior that we are) 24. BEING justified freely by His grace THROUGH the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Salvation under the New Covenant is by God's GRACE through FAITH in Jesus Christ and in his RIGHTEOUSNESS and NOT of WORKS of the Law of Moses contained in ordinances. This is HOW God REDEEMS us under the New Covenant. We must be in His Son Jesus in order to be set free from the bondage of sin. And since the WAGE of sin which is death, then the only way to not be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, is to remain in Jesus and obey his words written in the New Testament. Plain and simple, the only way to the Father is through faith in Jesus) 25. Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are PAST, through the forbearance of God; (Here we see, that all of our PAST sins must be forgiven FIRST before we can be saved first by God THROUGH our FAITH in the righteousness of Jesus to ENTER INTO the New Covenant with God. And AFTER we enter into God’s New Covenant to REST in the righteousness of Jesus, then we are continuing to be BEING justified freely from any and all sins that we commit AFTER we are INITIALLY saved by FAITH without any works. In other words, if we sin after we are initially saved and we repent and confess our sin then God is always faithful to forgive us of all our sins and CLEANSE us once again from ALL our unrighteousness. So then, that ONE answer to question number one in the “Romans’ Road Sinners’ Prayer” is NOT the WHOLE road or the complete WAY that leads to eternal life in the world to come. That is just the FIRST STEP to BEING saved. We still have FOUR more questions to follow and obey that are all answered in the Book of Romans concerning how to be saved and how to REMAIN saved in order to receive eternal life in the world to come) 26. To declare, I say, at this time, His righteousness: (Speaking of Almighty God the Father’s GIFT of righteousness IN His Son, Jesus) that He might be just, and the justifier of those who believes IN Jesus. 27. Where is BOASTING then? It is excluded. By what LAW? Of works? (In other words, are you BETTER than other Christians by your keeping of the works of the Law of Moses contained in ordinances so that you Jewish Christians or Judaizing Christians, who are wrong in your keeping of the Law of Moses contained in ordinances, can BOAST claiming that you are BETTER than your Gentile brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ?) Nay: but by the law of FAITH. (There is NO BOASTING) 28. Therefore, we CONCLUDE that a man is justified by FAITH (In Jesus as our righteous) without the deeds (Or the WORKS) of the law.” Now the answer to question number one on the “Romans’ Road” that leads UNTO Salvation and the praying of the “Sinner’s Prayer” has not only shown us that ALL people NEED to be saved because all people have SINNED and are UNDER the GUILT of sin. But we also see PART of the answers to questions number two, three, and four as to WHY we all need to be saved, WHO it is that actually saves us, and HOW we are initially saved by FAITH in Jesus Christ without ANY of the works of the Law of Moses. This brings us to question number two in the “Romans’ Road Sinners’ Prayer” which will give us more details concerning WHY all people NEED to be saved. #2. Why do all people need to be saved? The answer to question number two as to WHY all people NEED to be saved in found in Romans 6:23. Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In other words, God has CONCLUDED all people to be UNDER SIN which means that God has concluded that all people are under the PENALTY for sin which is DEATH. And more precisely, the SECOND DEATH on the final Day of Judgment where all of the unsaved sinners will be judged UNWORTHY to receive eternal life and they will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed both body and soul. But BEFORE God ever SET both LIFE and DEATH before mankind to CHOOSE whatever they choose for themselves, God already had His plan of salvation set in motion to save WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in His Son, Jesus, shall be saved. So God’s greatest desire for ALL people is for them to CHOOSE LIFE so that they will LIVE forever. For you see, God takes no pleasure in the DEATH of the sinners to be destroyed in the lake of fire. In fact, the lake of fire was prepared ONLY for the Devil and his angels that rebelled against God before God ever created Adam and Eve. But that is another study that you can read after your are saved. Please read the studies under the heading >>>WHY ARE WE HERE?-IS GOD AT WAR?<<< But for now, let us continue this study in God’s word on how to be saved AND how to receive the gift of eternal life in the world to come. The “Romans’ Road” goes on to teach why DEATH became the WAGE or the PRICE for SIN. Please read Romans 5:12. “Wherefore, as by one man sin ENTER into the world, and death by sin; and so DEATH passed upon all men, FOR (Or BECAUSE) that ALL have SINNED:” It is NOT because all people have supposedly inherited the guilt of sin from the original sin of Adam. But rather, it was the PENALTY of DEATH that was passed upon all men BECAUSE all of us have SINNED at some point in our life. And the PRICE for even just ONE tiny little sin such as a so-called tiny white lie is DEATH. And every person has no doubt told a LIE at least one time in their life, but WHY such a harsh punishment for even just one tiny sin? The answer can be found in WHY did God create humans a little lower than the angels in the first place. God created man as inferior beings to the angels so that God could JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels worthy of DEATH in the lake of fire. And thus, death needed to be the SAME penalty for mankind so that God could judge righteously by our LIVES walking in His RIGHTEOUSNESS to obey His commandments THROUGH the power of His Holy Spirit dwelling in us leading us to obey the TWO commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament of the Bible. So then, even before God made that DECREE to Adam that the day he ate of the FORBIDDEN tree in the Garden of Eden that Adam would DIE for his DISOBEDIENCE, God already had a plan of salvation set in motion to save the ALL of WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in His Son Jesus as their Lord and Savior. So God DESIRES for ALL men to be saved, not willing the ANY should perish, but that ALL people come to the knowledge of the truth. God desires us all to CHOOSE LIFE so that we may live. God sent Jesus into the world to SAVE sinners from DEATH to become His new creation of RIGHTEOUS people having no more wars and violence which are the works of the Devil. Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil so that we could live in peace without any sickness, disease, hunger or DEATH in the worlds or ages to come. So if you want to live in a world WITHOUT sorrow, pain, suffering, hunger, war, violence or crime, to live in peace with all mankind for all eternity then you must be saved God’s WAY and not man’s way following religious traditions. This brings us to question number three on the “Romans’ Road unto praying the Sinners’ Prayer” made UNTO salvation. #3. Who is the one who saves us? Again, we already saw a glimpse in question number one that Almighty God Himself is actually the one who saves us by grace THROUGH FAITH in His Son Jesus as the PROPITIATION for our sins. So the one who saves is Almighty God the Father Himself who raised up His Savior from among the people to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of the world. And we have already seen how Romans chapter 3 certainly shows us WHO is the one who saves us but not the WHY Almighty God the Father saves us through His anointed human Son, Jesus. So let us read Romans 5:8 where we learn from the “Romans’ Road” that leads us to the WAY in which we can be saved as to WHY God even wants to save us. Please read Romans 5:8. “But God commends His LOVE toward us, in that, WHILE we were YET sinners, Christ died for us.” In other words, WHILE we were YET sinners, God SO LOVED us that he sent His only begotten human Son whom He anointed to obey all of His will even to die on the cross for our sins. And God did that, so that, He could reconcile those of us who believe in Jesus back to Himself. You see, we were all BORN innocent before God as His children and then we ALL went ASTRAY to become the children of the WORLD to serve SIN. And NOW God is calling people everywhere to REPENT and come back to be His children again and be set free from the bondage of sin as well in order to be set free from the PENALTY for sin, which is the second death in the lake of fire to be eternally destroyed both body and soul. For you see, WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in Jesus, to endure unto the end to REMAIN in Jesus, shall NOT PERISH. But rather, whosoever REMAINS faithful IN Jesus by overcoming sin unto the end of their mortal life or until Jesus returns shall receive the gift of eternal life in the world to come. And thus, it was God Himself who CHOSE to save us through His WAY. And thus, salvation is made POSSIBLE for all people because Almighty God the Father LOVED us FIRST, even while we were yet sinners. And this brings us to the answer to question number 4 in the “Romans’ Road” that is the WAY that leads sinners to pray the “Sinners’ Prayer” to be saved concerning HOW we are saved. #4. How are we saved? The answer as to HOW to be saved BEGINS by praying what Christians call the “Sinners’ Prayer”. The “Sinners’ Prayer” simply means that a sinner CONFESSES to God and to others what they have come to BELIEVE in their HEART after hearing the word of Almighty God concerning the gospel message of salvation IN Jesus Christ. In other words, a sinner comes to understand the truth that they NEED to be saved, WHY they need to be saved, and WHO is the one who saves them. And then the sinner CONFESSES with their MOUTH what they have come to sincerely BELIEVE in their HEART by their HEARING the gospel of Jesus Christ concerning WHY, WHO, and HOW they can be saved. And another way to say “CONFESS with your MOUTH” is to say that the sinner “PRAYED what they believed in the HEART” to God in order to be saved, as in, to be FORGIVEN of ALL their PAST sins in order to ENTER INTO the New Covenant with Almighty God. The new covenant is basically a CONTRACT that a sinner makes with God where God with NEVER break His contract with us, but we can break his contract by our DISOBEDIENCE. And if we REMAIN in disobedience then it is our OWN fault for God to judge us unworthy to receive eternal life in the world to come. And that is why God is always FAITHFUL and just to FORGIVE us of all our sins or of all our disobedience and cleanse us from ALL of our unrighteous when we repent and CONFESS our sins. Please read Romans 10:4-17. “For Christ is the END of the law for RIGHTEOUSNESS to EVERYONE that BELIEVES. 5. For Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which does those things shall live by them. (In other words, if one chooses to remain under the Law of Moses to be justified, then they are choosing to NOT trust in Jesus FOR their righteousness. Thus, they have NO sacrifice for their sins because the Old Covenant is longer accepted by God) 6. But the righteousness which is of FAITH speaks on this wise, Say not in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8. But what say it? (Or what says the word of Almighty God under the New Covenant) The word is nigh you, even in your MOUTH, and in your HEART: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9. That if you shall CONFESS with your MOUTH the Lord Jesus, (Or IF you believe in the HEART and CONFESS to Almighty God that Jesus IS Lord) and shall BELIEVE in your heart that God has RAISED him from the dead, you shall be SAVED. 10. For (Or BECAUSE) with the HEART man BELIEVES unto RIGHTEOUSNESS; and with the MOUTH CONFESSION is made unto salvation. (Or praying the “Sinners’ Prayer” that you believe that Jesus is the Lord is made UNTO salvation) 11. For the Scripture says, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. (Or whosoever who is not ashamed of praying the “Sinners’ Prayer” to CONFESS to God and others that you believe that Jesus is your Lord shall be saved) 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that CALL upon him. 13. For WHOSOEVER shall CALL upon the NAME of the Lord shall be saved. 14. HOW then shall they CALL on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they BELIEVE in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they HEAR (About salvation IN Jesus) without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (And every true born again Christian is commissioned by Almighty God to have the AUTHORITY to preach the gospel to everyone in the NAME of Jesus) As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. (Because all have not HEARD the gospel to believe that gospel in the HEART) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? 17. So then, faith COMES by hearing, (Which means that faith comes by hearing even FALSE teaching) and HEARING (Or TRUE understanding come ONLY) by the word of God.” So what happens after you are initially saved by being forgiven of all your past sins to enter into God’s New Covenant? You must realize and understand that praying the “Sinners’ Prayer” is just the BEGINNING of being saved and that we MUST endure unto the END to receive eternal life in the world to come. And that brings us to the answer to question number five on the “Romans’ Road” UNTO salvation teaching us that we must CONTINUE to WALK unto the END in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. #5. What does being saved truly mean? Being truly saved means that AFTER a sinner prays the “Sinners’ Prayer” from their HEART with all sincerity and godly sorrow of their past sins to KNOW that they ARE saved. And thus, if they were to die right after praying the “Sinners Prayer” such as a death bed confession repenting of their past sins, then they will receive eternal life at the coming of Jesus. But what about those who do not die right after they are saved? Can they lose their salvation? YES! Christians can CHOOSE to disobey God and turn back to living in a lifestyle of sin. And that is why Paul WARNS Christians in the Book of Romans to NOT walk after our flesh because those who do shall DIE. So while our INITIALLY being saved is WITHOUT any works, the remainder of our WALK WITH Almighty God is CONDITIONAL. Please read Romans 6:11-23. “Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be DEAD indeed unto sin, but ALIVE unto God THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord. 12. Let NOT sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13. Neither yield you your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are ALIVE from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14. For sin shall NOT have DOMINION over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. (The FLESH is WEAK and being under the law means a person is WITHOUT God DWELLING IN them. And being under GRACE means that God has given us POWER to BECOME the sons of God. So being under GRACE means we have been given POWER to overcome sin THROUGH the Holy Spirit dwelling in us AFTER we prayed the “Sinners’ Prayer” from our HEART) 15. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16. Know you not, that to whom YOU YIELD yourselves servants to OBEY, his servants you ARE to whom you OBEY; whether of sin unto DEATH, or of OBEDIENCE unto righteousness? 17. But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (Speaking of praying the “Sinners’ Prayer” from your HEART) 18. Being then made free from sin, you BECAME the SERVANTS of righteousness. (If we SAY or CONFESS that we love Jesus then we will OBEY the teachings of Jesus under the New Covenant written in the New Testament of the Bible.) 19. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (In other words, your FLESH is WEAK but NOW you have God’s HELP dwelling in you to give you strength to overcome sin and not give into what tempts you to disobey the commandments of Jesus under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. God wants us to have FAITH to believe His word that sin has no more DOMINION over us and that we can do all thing THROUGH Christ or through the anointing of the Holy Spirit to walk in love and NOT sin against God or our fellow man) 20. For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21. What fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is DEATH. 22. But NOW (Speaking of AFTER you prayed the “Sinners’ Prayer” to be initially saved) being made free from sin, and BECOME servants to God, you have your FRUIT UNTO holiness, and the END everlasting life. (You shall know them BY their fruit. Do they bear the fruit of darkness or do they bear the fruit of the Spirit?) 23. FOR (Or BECAUSE) the wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.” Please do NOT misunderstand what THROUGH Jesus Christ means in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. The Bible teaches us that we are NOT to sin, but rather, we are to allow GRACE to reign in us the same way that we once allowed SIN to reign over us while we were yet sinners. Romans 5:21. “That as sin has reigned unto death, (Meaning that if a person CONTINUES to live in a lifestyle of sin after they confess the “Sinners’ Prayer”, then they will receive the WAGE of sin which is the second death in the lake of fire unless they REPENT and confess their sins. The word “REIGN” means to rule over you or to RULE in your life. So let NOT sin have dominion over you any longer) even so might grace reign through righteousness UNTO eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Now, some Christians argue that a true born-again Christian can NEVER LOSE their salvation because a child of God cannot be unborn. In other words, they argue that ONCE a child ALWAYS a child. But that is NOT what the Bible ITSELF teaches us. Please read Romans 8:14.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Now, there is a huge difference in being led by the Holy Spirit to OBEY the leading of the Holy Spirit from DISOBEYING the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are led by the Spirit to NOT sin and by our OBEYING the leading of the Holy Spirit to not sin leads to eternal life. But DISOBEYING the leading of the Holy Spirit leads to DEATH in the lake of fire. So let us read Romans 8:14 again in its CONTEXT.
Please read Romans 8:13-23.
“For if you live AFTER the flesh, you shall DIE: but if you THROUGH the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall LIVE. (So then, we as true born-again Christians have been given the POWER through the Holy Spirit to OBEY the commandments of God under the New Covenant written in the New Testament, which are not grievous or hard to bear. In other words, we must be ACCOUNTED WORTHY in order to BECOME the ETERNAL sons of God at the RESURRECTION to be given eternal life to be like Jesus, for we shall see him as he is, according to 1 John 3:1) 14. For as many as are LED by the Spirit of God, THEY are the sons of God. (And ALL people will NOT be saved to have the Holy Spirit dwell in them. Please read the study “ARE ALL PEOPLE THE CHILDREN OF GOD?”) 15. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have RECEIVED the Spirit of ADOPTION, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, THAT we may be also glorified together. (In other words, Jesus SUFFERED temptations to sin in all points like we are tempted but yet he overcame those temptations and did NOT sin. This verse of Scripture clearly teaches us that our RECEIVING eternal life in the world to come is CONDITIONAL. And the condition is our OBEYING the leading of the Holy Spirit THAT we may also be GLORIFIED with Jesus at his coming) 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (In other words, we have been given the PROMISE of eternal life IF we are found to be good and FAITHFUL servants at the coming of Jesus or when we die, which ever comes first) 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature WAITS for the MANIFESTATION of the sons of God. 20. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope, (In other words, according to Galatians 3:22 and Romans 11:32, God CONCLUDED all people to be under sin so THAT God can show us His mercy and grace to become His workmanship to save us through FAITH in His Messiah, Jesus, unto GOOD WORKS. So God LEADS us by His Spirit to do good works of righteousness. And disobeying the leading of the Holy Spirit is SIN. And IF we sin then we must repent and CONFESS our sins in order to be forgiven and cleansed of all our unrighteousness once again. So if we have the HOPE of becoming the eternal sons of God we will purify ourselves to REMAIN pure even as Jesus is PURE, according to 1 John 3:2,3) 21. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption (Speaking of our physical bodies being CHANGED to become glorified IMMORTAL bodies at the coming of Jesus) into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until NOW. (Speaking of the time that a person BELIEVES in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The WHOLE creation is speaking of every creature of God including animals and plants that are suffering pain because of Satan PERVERTING God's creation with weeds, predator animals, violence, crime, war, hunger, and sickness. So yes, the whole world is suffering at the hands of Satan until NOW. But DOMINION over the oppression of Satan is only for those who BELIEVE in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and who KNOW their AUTHROITY in the NAME of Jesus, the new name given to Jesus after the cross that is above every other name) 23. And not only they, (Speaking of the unsaved) but ourselves also, which HAVE the firstfruits (Or the earnest or the down payment) of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, WAITING for the ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
The word “NOW” is speaking of what God has PROVIDED for all of mankind. But it is only AFTER a person truly BELIEVES in the true gospel of Jesus Christ that we have peace KNOWING that God truly loves us and has ADOPTED us to become the children of God. We are GIVEN the GIFT of eternal life the very moment we first BELIEVE but the gift of eternal life is given as a PROMISE that we will receive eternal life in the world to come if so be that we SUFFER with Jesus to overcome the world, according to Romans 8:17 which we just read. Now if you have never prayed a prayer for God to forgive you of your sins and you BELIEVE that the Bible ITSELF teaches us that you can BELIEVE in your HEART and CONFESS with your MOUTH that God RAISED Jesus from the DEAD, then you SHALL be saved. So again, if you have not ever confessed this kind of prayer from your HEART then I implore you to pray the following prayer or the following CONFESSIONS of FAITH. Now that you have come to the knowledge of the truth you must now ACT upon this truth that you have received into your heart. The Bible says that the word is nigh you, even in your mouth, that is, the word of FAITH. So all that is left for you to do to be saved is to CONFESS the word of God that is in your HEART. Question: Do you believe in your heart that there is only ONE TRUE God, the creator of all things? Then confess it! Confession: God, I believe that you are the only true and wise God and that you created all things. Question: Do you know in your heart that you are a sinner and that you need a Savior? Then confess it! Confession: God, I now know that I am a sinner and have fallen short of your glory. I want to change my life to do your will. Question: Do you believe in your heart that God sent His only begotten SON, Jesus, to lay down his life as a ransom for many, which includes you. And do you believe that the price that Jesus paid was the total price needed for your redemption back to Almighty God? Then confess it. Confession: Almighty God, I truly believe in my heart that you have sent your only SON, Jesus, to pay the whole price of redeeming me from my sin. I believe that your SON, Jesus, freely laid down his own life on the cross to be my ransom and save me. Question: Do you believe in your heart that Almighty God the Father has raised His Son, Jesus, from the dead so that those who believe in Jesus as His SON should also be raised to eternal life? Then confess it! Confession: And I believe in you God and that you have raised Your Son Jesus from the dead, and that one day you shall also raise me from the dead by your Holy Spirit, and crown me with eternal life. Question: Do you believe in your heart that you are now saved according to the word of God alone, and NOT by what you see, feel, or what man says? Then confess it! Confession: Heavenly Father, I believe with all my heart that I am now saved according to Your word. I will not be moved from this assurance of my salvation that You have forgiven me of ALL my past sins and You Father have brought me into a right relationship with You by cleansing me of all my sins. I will not be moved by what I see or feel. Your word says that I am saved, therefore, I AM saved. So I thank You, Heavenly Father, in the name of Your Son Jesus whom You sent to die for my sins. Help me now to live my life according to Your way of righteousness. Now that you have completed step number five of CONFESSING your faith there are still things you must do in order to remain saved to receive the END of your salvation, which is eternal life in the world to come. So when I say the END of your salvation this means that a believer must REMAIN steadfast in their faith UNTIL they actually RECEIVE what they are believing to receive FROM God. And right now you are BELIEVING to receive eternal life in the world to come. So then, one of the first things a believer should be seeking to receive from God is the ASSURANCE and PEACE of KNOWING without a doubt that God has heard their prayer and they know that they know that they know that they ARE saved. Remember that ONE of the meanings of the word “SAVED” means that you are brought back into right relationship with Almighty God by the CONFESSION of your FAITH. Also, remember that the word “confession” means to say the same thing continually or consistently. That means when doubt and unbelief try to creep in and steal your faith, then no matter how you feel you must continue to CONFESS the word of FAITH that is in your heart when you first believed. God is not a man that he should lie and his WORD is TRUTH. Please know and understand that the enemy of your soul may try to steal your faith by speaking to your mind saying something like, “You know you just got a little emotional yesterday when you prayed that “Sinner’s prayer.” You don’t really believe that stuff, do you? I mean, here it has only been one day and you are right back at doing what you used to do. Nothing has changed. Maybe God did not hear you. It could be that you are not good enough yet to be saved. Take a look around. All these so-called Christians that told you all this junk in the first place are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. Do they look saved to you? It could be that just maybe you are not saved at all?” Satan may bring question after question to bombard your MIND, but you must continually and consistently maintain the SAME positive confession of your faith unto the END if you are to receive your salvation. The Bible calls this RESISTING the devil and assures us that if we resist these thoughts of doubt, fear, and unbelief unto the end, then the devil will, without fail, flee from us and these thoughts of doubt fear and unbelief will leave us. And this applies to ALL areas of salvation that you are standing or holding FAST in FAITH believing to receive from God which has not yet been manifested in your life. I explain what I mean by this more in-depth in the study called “WHAT DOES BEING SAVED TRULY MEAN?” For you see, some Christians have not come to the knowledge of the truth that HEALING is also a part of what it means to be SAVED. The English word “SAVED” comes for the Greek word “SOZO” which means saved, as in, being HEALED, being rescued, being protected, being delivered, and being BROUGHT into RIGHT RELATIONSHIP. And some Christians have never been taught that healing has already been provided for them in the atonement by the stripes that Jesus bore right before he died on the cross for their sins. All that some Christians have ever been taught is that saved means to be forgiven of all their sins. But this is not the WHOLE truth of the WHOLE word of God. So the sound Biblical meaning of being SAVED is ACTIVELY BELIEVING in the PRESENT tense, as in, CONTINUALLY believing we are saved that also includes we ARE HEALED the moment we first believe but we do not actually receive healing until it is MANIFESTED or OBTAINED. And the same is true with eternal life. We ARE BELIEVING that we have eternal life abiding in us right now but we do not actually RECEIVE eternal life until Jesus returns. In other words, you have been BROUGHT into a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Almighty God by your confession of FAITH and now you are on the ROAD to or UNTO eternal life in the WAY of SALVATION that will one day LEAD you to obtain ETERNAL LIFE in the world to COME, if so be, that you REMAIN in the WAY of salvation or on the ROAD of receiving the END salvation, which is eternal life in the world to come. Jesus is the author of your faith and Jesus is the FINISHER of your faith as well, if so be that you CONTINUE to believe and OBEY what the Holy Spirit shows you in the word of Almighty God to do. So then, if DOUBT and UNBELIEF come your way, then you must RESIST the lies of the Devil. Quench those fiery darts of the wicked one by holding up your shield of faith by continually confessing God’s word. If for any reason that you are not sure HOW to be saved or to know if you are TRULY saved then please read all of the studies under the heading >>>WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?<<< And if you have any questions concerning if a Christians can lose their salvation, the please read all of the studies under the heading >>>CAN WE LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?<<< Thanks for reading and may God bless you as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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