The one key central message of the entire Bible is that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father and His dwelling place - heaven. There is no other way! As you will see in all of the Scripture verses listed below, Jesus Christ is God's only plan of salvation for the entire world.

The Bible specifically says, without any other possible interpretation, that there is only one God, one faith, one baptism and only one way to God the Father - and that is only through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Jesus says that He, and only He, is the way, the truth and the life leading to God the Father and that no one comes to the Father except through Him!

Many people, including some Christians, believe that God the Father "honors" all other religions as long as people try to live a good and godly life and try to stay out of trouble. When you see the Scripture verses I will list below, you will see that this is not the way God has everything set up. God will not honor any other religion and He makes it very clear that it is only through His Son and His death on the cross that will give people eternal salvation and thus eternal life with Him in heaven. The Bible says that we are appointed for the defense of the Gospel. It is our job, when called upon, to defend God and Jesus on the basics of salvation and what it is all about. Here are two verses specifically telling us this:

"... knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel." (Philippians 1:17)

"Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15)

Below are the main Scripture verses that deal with the basics of our salvation through Jesus Christ. These verses are the basic ammunition that you will need when witnessing to anyone. There are 6 Main Principles to the basic message of God's Salvation to the world. Here they are, along with all the Scripture verses to back them up.

1. Jesus Is The Only Way To God The Father And Heaven

As stated above, there is no other name under Heaven by which man can be saved other than through the name of Jesus Christ! God the Father will not honor any other name, religion or faith! Here are the verses. Please note the power on the first four verses mentioned. These first four verses capture and specifically tell us that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation.

"For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all." (1 Timothy 2:5)

"There is one body and one Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all." (Ephesians 4:4)

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and find pasture ... I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:9)

"I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (John 11:25)

"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12)

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." (John 6:51)

"... whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:15)

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36)

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24)

"He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)

"...and this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11)

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:14)

I do not see any other interpretation as to what those verses are trying to tell us other than Jesus is the only way to God the Father and heaven! I don't think that God the Father could have made it any more clear than by the way that He has all of the above Scripture verses worded!

Jesus Himself said in the New Testament that He did not come to bring peace - but division! What He meant by that was that He was drawing a battle line in the sand. You either believe in Him and everything that He stands for or you do not. There is no middle or neutral ground on this issue.

If you do not believe in Jesus and His message of eternal salvation through His death on the cross - then you will die in your sins and go straight to hell when you die! No if, ands or buts about it! The life that we are living down here on earth is serious business! The choices that we make in this life will determine our ultimate fate in the afterlife.

Choose Jesus, and you will become saved and born again, and you will then enter into the most incredible place imaginable when you die - heaven itself!! Choose anyone or anything else and you will cross over into the most horrible place imaginable - hell itself and eventually into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone after the Millennium takes place - where the Bible says that the smoke of your torment will ascend forever and ever!

2. God Desires All Men To Be Saved

God has given each man a free will to make his own choices in this life. The next set of verses show us that God does not want anyone to perish - but that He will not make or force anyone to except Him and His Son and what Jesus' death on the cross really means for all of us. Here are the verses:

"... God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4)

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:12)

3. We are Saved by Grace Through Faith - Not Works

Salvation is a free gift from God given to those all who will believe on Jesus and what His death on the cross really means.

These verses specifically tell us that good works will not get us into heaven. Works are needed after salvation. The Bible says faith without works is dead - but that is after you receive God's gift of eternal salvation. After you get saved, God has a purpose and a mission for your life and this is where you will go to "work" for God as to whatever your calling is going to be in Him. But to initially receive the gift of eternal salvation from God is simply done through faith and belief in accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Here are the verses:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8)

"... knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ ... for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2:16)

"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin ... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:20)

4. The Gift of Salvation Now Makes Us Righteous Before God The Father

Once you become saved and born again by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says that we are now made righteous before the eyes of God. The righteousness of Jesus is now imputed to us. That means that we are now free to approach God's throne at any time for prayer and communication and when we die - we will all go straight to heaven.

Even though we will continue to "screw up" and commit sin from time to time, God will always forgive us as long as we properly confess each sin when it does happen. We now do not have to try to be "sinless" or "perfect" because we will never achieve that anyway. Only God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are totally perfect in their actual natures and in all of Their ways. Humans and angels are not.

The Bible says that all men have and will continue to sin and thus fall short of the glory of God. That is why Jesus had to come and die for all of our sins - all past, present and future sins that will ever be committed.

As a result of what Jesus did that day for us on the cross, God now sees us as righteous and justified before His very eyes - now and for all eternity - even though we are all still sinners! Talk about an incredible pardon! Here are two powerful verses showing that we are now made righteous and justified before Almighty God Himself as a result of Jesus dying for all of our sins on the cross. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." (Romans 5:8)

5. How To Become Saved And Receive The Gift Of Eternal Salvation The Bible makes it very clear as to how to receive the Gift of Eternal Salvation from God the Father.

Admit that we are sinners. Be willing to confess our sins before God and be willing to repent and turn from those sins.

Be willing to accept the fact that Jesus Christ came to our earth in the flesh to die on the cross for all of our sins, that He rose from the dead on the third day and then be willing to formally accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior.

This acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior must be confessed out loud before God the Father. It does not have to be done in a church. This can happen to anyone at anytime at any place. It can be done in the privacy of one's own bedroom. Here are the verses showing all of the above.

"Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of God." (Acts 3:19)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Romans 10:9) Notice that the last verse says to confess with your mouth and with the mouth confession is made to receive salvation. That means just saying a good, basic salvation prayer out loud direct to God the Father from your heart. Below is a good, basic salvation prayer to give to someone who is not saved and wants to get saved. Some people call this a "sinners prayer." Others call it a salvation prayer. Either title will work.

Basic Salvation Prayer

Say the following prayer out loud, believe it from your heart and you will be saved.

Dear Father,

I now believe that Jesus Christ is your only begotten Son, that He came to our earth in the flesh and died on the cross to take away all of my sins and the sins of this world. I believe that He then rose from the dead on the third day to give us eternal life. Lord Jesus, I now confess to You all the wrongful and sinful things I have ever done in my life. I ask that you please forgive Me and wash away all of my sins by the blood that You have shed for Me on the cross. I am now ready to accept you as my personal Lord and Savior. I now ask that you come into my life and live with Me for eternity.

Father, Jesus - I now believe that I have been truly saved and born again.

Thank you Father.

Thank you Jesus.

6. Become a Fisherman for God

All of the above are what I call the basics to understanding what salvation through Jesus Christ is really all about. I'll be doing other articles on what it really means to be "born again" as this comes off the story of Adam and Eve. To lead someone to salvation is really a work of the Holy Spirit.

I will show you how God will set people up and why every Christian needs to be sensitive to letting God, through the Holy Spirit, direct you as to who we should witness to and exactly how to go about it. Now that your are saved, God wants you to become a fisherman for Him.

All of the above Scripture verses will give you some "live ammunition" to use when trying to get someone saved. The Holy Spirit will really move on someone if you stay with His leadings as to when to witness to someone and exactly how to present God's case when you are witnessing to that someone.

According to the Bible, the greatest thing we can accomplish in this life is to get another person saved and brought to the Lord - because with the gift of salvation comes the gift of eternal life in heaven with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, all of their angels and all of our loved ones who have passed away and are now living in heaven.

To bring a person into that reality after they die is the greatest thing you can do for another human being! It is the ultimate "superman scenario." You are literally saving their eternal life. I don't believe there is any other accomplishment that will bring about as much fulfillment as this one act will do.

I'll leave you with a few good verses from the Bible showing the importance that God places on being able to use each and every one of us to get other people saved.

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:18)

And He said to them "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19)

"As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (John 20:21)

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14)

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops." (Matthew 10:27)

"... to whom I now send you, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:17)

"Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2)

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things." (Romans 10:15)

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:11)

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." (2 Timothy 1:8)

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes ... " (Romans 1:16)

"For I seek your precepts. I will speak of your testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed." (Psalm 119:45)

"Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter." (Proverbs 24:11)

"We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us." (2 Corinthians 5:18)

"They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His kingdom." (Psalm 145:11)

"Men shall speak of the might of your awesome acts, and I will declare your greatness. They shall utter the memory of your great goodness." (Psalms 145:6)

I rest my case for Jesus.

Article written by Michael Bradley, author of over 100 articles which can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com For a clean and complete version of the above article, you can go here http://www.bible-knowledge.com/what-is-salvation.html Copyright ? 2005 by Michael Bradley