SALVATION MESSAGE

Today I need to speak about something that it has been overlooked by many. I followed the teachings of my pastor and thought it was correct, until I heard just one simple word that changed my mind. I realized all these many years; I was trying to get someone in the Kingdom of Heaven by having the person simply agree to the message of the gospel. And that is, simply stated that collectively all of us have sinned, and that we   individually need to be repent of our sins and receive the free gift of salvation. We taught and believed that the penalty for our sin is death and His gift is eternal life (Romiyim/Romans 3:23; 6:23), and therefore we need a Savior. All of this is the truth. I learned and believed that our own death would not be able to save us. We needed someone who never sinned, to be our substitute.  Yehovah Himself had to come and redeem us. Yeshua, who is the only Ben/Son of Yehovah, is the only one who qualified to redeem mankind. He indeed came into this world, and taught us the way of salvation together with revealing the Father, our Creator to us. He taught us the ways of the Kingdom.

Yehoshua, indeed, came from heaven, and lived His life among us without sin. After He finished completing His mission received from the Father in Heaven, He allowed Himself to be falsely accused.  He was crucified in order to fulfill the Scriptures and become our Redeemer. Here are some of the Scriptures you may need to read in your Bible, if you are not familiar with them.

He prophesied His own death

Mattithyahu/Matthew 12:39-40; Mattithyahu/Matthew 26:2; 31:32)

Prophesies concerning His death and their fulfillment

Tehillim 40:6-8; Yeshayahu/Isaiah 53; Yochanan /John 19:5-37; Tehillim/Psalm 2:7 (Luqas/ Luke 1:26-38)  Tehillim/Psalm 16:9;  Acts 2:27;

He was pierced and crucified, and divided the garments

 Psalm 22:16-18;  Mattithyahu/Matthew 27:35; Luqas/Luke 23:33;  Yochanan/John 19:23-24

Betrayed by His friend  

Psalm 41:9 Mattithyahu/Matthew 26:47-50

He forgave those who crucified Him

Luqas/Luke 23:34

He made provision for His earthly mother

Yochanan/John 19:25-27

He finished His Mission of Redemption by saying: “It Is Finished!

Yochanan/John 19:30

He was pierced on His side and none of His bones were broken

Yochanan/John 19:31-37

He was buried and rose again

YeshaYahu/Isaiah 53:8-9; Tehillim/Psalm 16:9-11; Yochanan/John  19:38-41; 20:10

After He rose from the dead He appeared to Mary and the apostles

Luqas 24:36-46’ Yochanan /John 20:11-17; 20:19-29

He commissioned us to preach the gospel with sign following

Mattithyahu/Matthew 28:16-20; Marqos/Mark 16:15-18

After 40 days He was taken up to Heaven

Luqas/24:50-53/Ma’aseh/Acts 1:9-11

I only wrote some Scriptures, but you can find many more as you read the Word. However, these few verses will give you an idea of the finished work on the cross of our Messiah.

 He died and rose from the dead as the prophets said, and He Himself foretold. He indeed rose on the third day, and not on the second day as the church teaches. He did not die on a Friday, and rise on a Sunday.  

He fulfilled the Passover by becoming the perfect Lamb (Shemoth/Exodus 12:5-6/Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:4:5; Yochanan/John 1:29)  He died on the 14^th of first  biblical month, and on the third day He rose.  We believe He rose at the end of the Sabbath according to the calendar.

Because He rose, we will also rise from the dead. Because He lives, we will also live.

I needed to speak about His life first before I explain why the “sinner’s prayer” is not biblical.

Yeshua (Jesus) preached repentance “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”- Matt.4:17

 However there is more.

Let me share some verses of Scriptures, and we will notice that the sinner prayer was not even mentioned in the Scriptures! The apostles never had anyone repeat a prayer.

Yeshua commanded us to do the following:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe  will be condemned.”Marqos/Mark 16:16

Peter’s message on Pentecost (Ma’aseh/Acts 2:14-37) ends with instructing the listeners to do the following.

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach (the Messiah) for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Ruach HaQodesh (Holy Spirit).” Ma’aseh/Acts 2:38

Please note that the baptism is nothing new. Jews were instructed to deep in water on many occasions to purge their sins or sanctify themselves. 3000 souls were baptized  that day and were added to the kingdom of Yehovah. No one raised their hands and no one repeated a prayer. They believed the message of Yeshua’s death and resurrection for their salvation and they responded immediately. All they did was to believe and to obey laying down their lives as they were immersed in the water a type of being buried, followed by rising from the water to begin a new life in Messiah.  They committed their lives to serve their Savior and entered into Covenant with Yehovah through Yeshua.  This was the beginning of “The Way” as they were called, and or “The Nazarene” movement. When the Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost ended they returned to their own home land and spread the Good News of the Kingdom.

More evidence ….

Then Simon Himself  also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and the signs which were done.”Ma’aseh/Acts 8:13

 Now Philip was transported by the Spirit Yehovah and ministered to the eunuch.

And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart , you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Yeshua (Jesus) haMashiach (the Messiah) is the Son of Elohim (God).  So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” Ma’aseh 8:36-38

One again there was no sinner prayer.

The apostles Paul conversion.

And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Yeshua, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that  you  may receive your sight and be filled with the Ruach haQodesh. Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.” Ma’aseh 9:17-18

I am almost 100 %  sure that Shaul/Paul had repented for being murdering the Christians, and was now a believer in Yeshua. But there was no sinner prayer said  before the baptism.

Peter was sent by Yehovah to the house of Cornelius and gentile. There He preached the gospel and while he preached the Holy Spirit fell on all of them and spoke in other tongues. (Ma’aseh 34:46)

 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” Ma’aseh/Acts 10:47-48

Cornelius believed the gospel so much so that Yehovah sent His Spirit on him and his whole family as a sign that now even the unclean Gentiles were accepted when they believed in Him and Yeshua. Believing is priority. Believing and obeying the commandment of being baptized results in entering into the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the next few verses we hear the keeper of the prison saying,

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, “Believe on the Lord Yeshua haMashiach, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of Yehovah to Him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of eh night and washed their stripes. And Immediately he and all his family were baptized.”  Ma’aseh 16:31-33

Romans 6:3-4 speaks of Baptism.

Baptism is removing himself of the old life style of sin, letting of the world’s ways, and living a new life in the power of the Spirit of Yehovah.

Therefore, if anyone is in Mashiach (Messiah), he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”Qorin’tiyim 2/ 2 Corinthians 5:17

I am not saying that none of those who prayed the sinner prayer and got baptized months or even years later, are not saved, but I am saying that the pattern Yeshua has given us is immediate baptism. Immediately committing self to die to self and live according to the Rules of His Kingdom.

Amen.