Christianity 101 Unit 3

By Jason Evans

Finally, the third book of the Christianity 101 series! After books one and two you have heard the bad news. Hell is real, and we are all going there. BUT, there is also GOOD NEWS! The Gospel (good news) is that we can be saved from Hell.

So in this third book of the series we explain how Jesus will save us, and what our role is in the whole thing. Some of the questions answered include:

What has Jesus done to save us?
Is the plan of salvation different now than it was in the Old Testament?
Do we have a part to play in our salvation?
What does it mean to have faith?
What is real repentance?
When do we actually get “saved?”
What does it mean to be born again?
Why do I still sin?
Can you lose salvation?
What is the unforgivable sin?
Is there a purpose for baptism?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365815324

Jason Evans

Attorney and writer. The twilightkeeper at The Clarity of Night.

Book preview

Christianity 101 Unit 3

Christianity 101 Unit 3: Repentance and Salvation

Christianity 101 Unit 3:

Repentance and Salvation

By: Jason Evans

On The Line Ministries

This book is the third in a series of basic Christian training as seen @ www.onthelineministries.com. If you would like copies of this book or other books from On The Line Ministries please visit the website and view the book and video shop.

2017

This Christianity 101 course will take you through each of the basic doctrines of the Bible as listed in the book of Hebrews 6:1-3.

Copyright © 2017 by Jason Evans

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2017

ISBN 978-1-365-81529-4

Unless otherwise noted , all Scripture is taken from the King James Version, (KJV) Copyright © 1995-2017, The Zondervan Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Also used: New International Version, (NIV) Copyright © 1995-2017, The Zondervan Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

On The Line Ministries

P.O. Box 52317

Riverside, CA. 92517

www.onthelineministries.com

Contents

Preface1

Introduction5

Unit 3:1 The Plan of Salvation7

Unit 3:2 How to Be Saved: Our Part17

Unit 3:3 What Is Faith27

Unit 3:4 What Does Repent Mean37

Unit 3:4a What Does Being Saved Mean47

Unit 3:4b What Is a Born Again Christian57

Unit 3:4c Why Do I Still Sin If I Am Saved67

Unit 3:4d Can You Lose Your Salvation81

Unit 3:4e How to Come Back to God after Falling Away93

Unit 3:4f What Is the Unforgivable Sin109

Unit 3:5 Confession of Faith121

Unit 3:6 Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation131

Unit 3:6a The Baptism of the Holy Spirit143

Unit 3:7 How To Endure Unto The End157

Final Thoughts165

Preface

Christians should be able to teach what they believe. But there are too many of us that still get confused about basic doctrines in the Bible. Different views on faith, salvation, Bible authority, spiritual gifts, end times, and so on divide us into denominations.  The only way to make sure you believe the truth is to examine your foundational beliefs. That is what this course is all about! We are going to examine our faith from the ground up.

But, you may be asking yourself, Why should I reexamine my beliefs? I know I am right!  I want you to picture a house, ... but not just any house. Think of a house of cards. It’s weak, shaking, and the slightest breeze can turn it into a game of 52 card pick-up real fast. Now I want you to imagine a slightly different house. This one has stone bricks instead of cards, ... all except for the middle row. That part still has those other flimsy cards. This is what our beliefs are like when we don't have a solid understanding of the Bible.  Will either of these houses stand strong against the hurricanes and floods? It isn’t hard to see why the first house would fall. It's just paper cards. But even the good, strong bricks of the second house will crumble as the middle row gives out.

How many of our beliefs are solid, and how many are only as good as those cards? Did you know there are more beliefs out there about God and the Bible than you could hope to know about? It is very hard to find a single person who holds all of the same beliefs that you do. There always seems to be something different.  So is it possible that you and I may BOTH have a few cards in our house, and not even know it? What if some of those pretty stones we have are actually fake? What if they are only cards printed to look like stones? How can we know the truth from a lie? And, even more important, ... how can we make sure our house is solid, in every area? 

Fight for Truth but Be Willing to Yield

I believe that when you know the truth you do not have to act like you could be wrong. Statements like, This is just what I believe the Bible says. does not sound like they come from someone with a solid belief system. Everyone should be fully persuaded that what they believe is true, even if it isn’t.  We need to hold onto the truth and speak what we believe is the truth. We need to hold onto it so tightly that it becomes a part of who we are. BUT, we should not hold onto truth at the expense of truth. In other words, we should be willing to hold onto what we believe UNTIL we find out it isn’t true. 

This book is not here to make you doubt what you believe. It is, however, here to test your beliefs. If this frightens you then I encourage you to examine yourself now. You need to see why testing your beliefs would make you afraid. Is it because you are afraid you may be deceived? If so then you most certainly need to test your beliefs, because you obviously don’t feel confident in them.  As we go through these foundational doctrines of Christianity we will, no doubt, hit some nerves. Take some time to examine the things said, though. Don’t just dismiss anything out of hand. If you get upset with what I say just close your eyes, take 10 deep breaths, and try to understand why I said it. My desire is to build you up in the faith, not tear you down. Sometimes we listen to someone, or read something, only until we hear something that we don't already believe, or agree with. At that point, we tend to shut our ears. But what if you read a little further and find out that you were actually the one who was wrong? It's a good thing you didn't just put the book down and call it trash, isn't it?

When we do stop listening we are doing what the Bible said people would do in these last days. This is what the Bible calls, having itching ears.  We truly want to listen, but only as long as it validates what we already believe to be true. So we only listen to certain teachers and dismiss others out of hand. Again, the Bible says this is part of having itching ears.  But if you want to be someone different than the masses then you will need to endure sound doctrine. What does that mean? It means you listen long enough to test both the beliefs that you already had as well as what you are hearing.  We are all subject to being wrong. So it is very important that we be willing to listen and challenge our beliefs. This is how we endure sound doctrine. This is how we make sure our faith stands on solid, Biblical truth.

Introduction

In our last book Christianity 101 Unit 2: Sin and Eternal Judgment we talked about the wrath of God that is against all unrighteousness. We explained death and hell. Finally, at the end of everything, death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. That includes all of the wicked. They will be in eternal torment.

It isn’t a pretty picture, but it is the truth. What makes it even worse is that we know ALL of us are sinners. We have all broken the law. That makes all of us unrighteous and wicked. So we are ALL on our way to hell.

If this were the end of the story there would be no such thing as the gospel. The word gospel means good news. The good news is that this isn’t the end of the story! The good news is that even though we are all guilty, God has made a way to escape going to hell. We can be saved from His wrath.

2 Timothy 1:10

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

This book will explain the plan of salvation.

Unit 3:1 The Plan of Salvation

In our last book we talked about hell. We know that we’re all destined to go there. But, wouldn’t it be great if there was a way we could escape?! What is the plan of salvation for us?

The Bible says that hell is a place of eternal torment. There is no escape. So the only way to be saved from this place is to never go there! But, since hell is punishment for the wicked, and we are all sinners, we have no hope of avoiding this place when we die. At least, not based on our own abilities to be righteous.

Isaiah 64:6

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Matthew 19:25-26

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Jesus tells us that it is impossible for men to be saved unless God is the one who saves them. This is because the righteousness of man is not even close to the righteousness of God. All of the good that we do is like filthy rags. It isn’t enough because the wage (or the reward) for even one sin is