Salvation is not about religion, it is about relationship

[alon]

This is a writeup on the Plan of Salvation I give out , pasted in the back of Bibles which I give freely. The Bibles are large print ESV, so all scriptural references will be from that translation. I will be posting over several weeks, as I am trying to write a guide to help those I give these Bibles to as part of their ministries. Some are Christian, and some Messianic, so I will have to be careful how i present it, but here goes:

1.1 “Salvation is not about religion, it is about relationship. You must recognize that your sins have separated you from a relationship with God:”

Isaiah 59:1-2 (ESV) Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
    or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
    between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
    so that he does not hear.

What is a relationship? The dictionary defines it as:
relationship- connection or association, esp by blood or marriage; kinship. A particular type of connection existing between people related to or having dealings with each other: has a close relationship with his siblings. A romantic involvement.

God instituted this type of relationship with ancient Israel when He said: “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Leviticus 26:12) This embodies what God wants in a relationship with us:
1. He desires that we accept Him as the only deity worthy of our worship and thanks. He will be our God!
2. He desires to associate, to walk with us, to have a relationship with those who receive Him as their God.

John describes the nature of our expected relationship with God:
- “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. … Beloved, we are  God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,    because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1a,2-3)
- For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled,  shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10)
 
This describes a familial relationship; He created us to have a Father-child relationship with Him. Almighty God wants an eternal relationship with us, His creation; His children: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

God our Savior desires all men to be saved: “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3b-4). He has made this relationship available to everyone: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) 

Note that repentance is key in forming this relationship between God and man. He wants that relationship, but prerequisite is our recognizing and acknowledging our sinful ways and turning from them. We must determine to seek Him, and then God will redeem us from our penalty of death, which we deserved.

After creating the animals “each according to its kind” (Genesis 1:24), God said, “‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:26-28).
theloveofgod.proboards.com/thread/5084/god-speaking
theloveofgod.proboards.com/thread/4549/genesis-1-26-28

This is truly astonishing: Human beings were created in the image of God Himself! Genesis 1:26a Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion.

John in his Gospel explained just how important we are to God: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:10-12).

We must keep in mind God's purpose for creating us. God designed human beings to reflect His very character—to be like Him: "When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. (Genesis 5:1b (ESV)

We are created in the likeness of God, and so are meant to reflect that likeness in our lives and actions. This is done by obedience to His commandments: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;” (Psalm 19:7-8).

Jesus the Christ, who was God in the flesh, came to earth to save mankind:
- John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
- John 14:9b Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the  Father, full of grace and truth.
- Colossians 1:15-16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in  heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created  through him and for him.
- John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have  eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved  through him.

The apostle John stated very clearly why God created man. This understanding was the basis for a proper relationship with God: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3).

So that’s “why,” and now we can understand the relationship God wants with us. Judaism had long seen God as “Abba, Father.” Clearly God Almighty wants a relationship based upon the family relationship He created. He is our Father and we are to be His children, following the example set by Yeshua and laid down in His Torah.

Our human family has become broken and dysfunctional because of sin and our rejection of God. Children do see their relationship with God modeled in that with their earthly fathers. Sadly, many parents have made it difficult for their children to obey God’s commandment to “honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). Children learn by example, and most of us have left a poor one concerning this familial relationship. This family paradigm is then transfered onto God.

Those with parents who set an example of love and respect for each other, who love their children unconditionally are the exception. However this is the type of relationship God wants with us. Those from broken homes or abusive relationships understandably struggle with the concept of a “loving father.” However as Paul said to the Messianic, believing community in Rome: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17).

No longer are we in bondage, slaves to sin or to sinful men who control our lives, keeping us in fear. Oh, some may yet exercise a degree of control over us. But we have the promise of a bright future with a loving Father in Heaven! We are children of the Most High God. This relationship that God wants with us is built on His love for us. That in turn inspires our love for Him. Consider these scriptures:
- “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
- But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8).
- “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but  delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32).
- “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
- “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 3:16).
- “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18).
- God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9).
- For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy  place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the  contrite. (Isaiah 57:15)
- To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help i  in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make  glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her  when morning dawns. … (Psalm 46:1-11)
- The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by  his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Our love for God is expressed by obeying His commandments just as His Son Yeshua/Jesus did:
- “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his  love.” (John 15:10).
- “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does  not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is  perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he  walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)

Deuteronomy 6:1-25 (ESV) “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ...

[alon]

1.2 Salvation itself is pretty simple. You renounce all other gods, all religious affiliations that have a hold on your life, and make a covenant with the God of Israel to worship and obey Him, and Him alone. This was best exemplified by Ruth when she agreed to go to Israel with Naomi:

Ruth 1:15-17a (ESV)  And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”  But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.”

1 Chron 16:25; PS 96:4-5; Is 6:1-4; 2 Sam 22:4 (from physical danger)

In ancient societies gods were connected to a particular land:

Daniel 10:13 (ESV)  The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me [Gabriel, ed.] twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the [rulers] of Persia,
 
If in a land, you served the god(s) of that land. So moving to another region was not usually as simple as giving a change of address. Even if you did not believe in or worship their gods, neither did you disrespect them. Not if you wanted to live.

To change faith and serve another god was akin to treason. You left your old life completely, took on new customs and belonged to another people in another place. Think of Ruth’s words in light of this. Now project it onto what a believer must do when accepting Yeshua (Jesus). We leave our past life and begin a new life in Yeshua. Salvation was the same then as now, except they looked forward in faith to a Messiah, the anointed one of God. We look back in faith, recognizing Yeshua is that Messiah, and He is Eternal God.

“Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods”- to reenter that society and accept the protection of her family, she would have had to resume worship of their local deities.

“Your people shall be my people, and your God my God”- her people, their customs, religious rites and festivals, and everything that made them a separate people is what she is accepting. She is turning her back on her old, pagan life. Ruth loved her mother-in-law, but she also had to love the God of her people, otherwise she could not have made this commitment to transition.

“Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried”- she was all in, a total commitment.

Ruth had been married to Naomi’s son, who had died, so she knew what she was agreeing to in making the God of Israel her God. However apparently she had not fully accepted the Hebrew God yet. She almost certainly believed He existed, however this is the point where she makes a total commitment to El Elohe Yisroel, the God of Israel. This is when she becomes an adopted heiress to the promises; this is when she was “saved.”


Many today believe in God. But they do not follow Him as He said to do. They hold onto many of their old ways. They are not “all in.” I do not pretend to know where the line is that demarcates anyone’s salvation. But I will say if we are not “all in,” we are flirting with Hell-fire.

Paul spoke of what being “all in” means:

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your your rational service. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Note the sequence Paul presents here:
1. We “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”- in other words, we are “all in.”
2. We become “holy and acceptable to God,”- holy in Hebrew is kadosh, in Greek hagios; both mean consecrated, set apart to God.
3. We understand this as “our rational service” to God
4. We are no longer “conformed to this age”- we do not fit in with the time in which we are living; no longer seek after the things we once did.
5. We become “transformed by the renewal of our mind”- we have a new mind in Yeshua/Jesus, guided by His Spirit and not our own lusts.
6. And lastly, “by testing you may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God”- the only way to learn the will of a perfect God is to allow Him control of our thoughts and emotions; our very lives.

And that is how it works; what it means to be “all in.” Another way of saying this is we must repent:

Isaiah 40:3 (ESV) A voice of one crying; “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Matthew 3:1-3 (ESV) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

The term translated “prepare” in Hebrew is pânâh, meaing to turn aside, or turn back. In Geek it is hetoimazō, to prepare make ready. John the Baptist told us how we make ready the path for our Lord to come to us when he said “repent”- Greek metanoeō; to think differently; to turn away from our old self so that God may create in us a new person; one set apart for His service.

We cast off all the gods of our present life, all the things of this world that occupy our minds and control our thoughts. We turn away from sin and back to God, promising to trust and obey Him in all things and giving to Him all our loyalty and worship. We are “all in” with the God of Israel. That is the essence of salvation.

[alon]

2.0 But let’s go through and take some principles of salvation from scripture:

2.1 Understand that you are a sinner:
Romans 3:23 (ESV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1 John 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
1 John 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Hosea 5:15 I will return again to my place,
    until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
    and in their distress earnestly seek me.
Isaiah 3:9 For the look on their faces bears witness against them;
    they proclaim their sin like Sodom;
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    For they have brought evil on themselves.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Pretty straightforward. Everyone has sinned; no exceptions. And sin has a price.

2.2 Good deeds cannot redeem you:
Isaiah 64:6a&b (ESV)  We have all become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified [counted righteous] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Isaiah 57:12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
    but they will not profit you.

The “polluted garment” is a menstrual rag. The translators were being sensitive here, but the Hebrew writers were very down to earth individuals, as was their audience. And this word picture ties to the blood in which is the life force (Lev 17:11), as well as the purity laws. Menstrual blood is “tamei,” translated “unclean” in English Bibles; an unfortunate translation as the word carries more the idea of “ritual unavailability.” Women were not “unclean” undergoing a natural God ordained process that they cannot help. But since menstrual blood represents the death of an egg, a Hebrew woman would be tamei, as would anything or anyone she touched. This is why menstruating women were separated. This tamei state could make its way by contact back to the Temple. There were other considerations, but this is the primary one, as if enough “uncleanness” were accumulated in the Temple God’s presence could not abide there. So the picture here is that our righteous deeds, all the good we do is like death; tamei, separating us from God rather than bringing us to Him. Good deeds without the proper heart condition and relationship with God are worse than useless; they are “unclean,” and actually keep us from Him. For since we think we are “good,” why would we bother thinking about the things of God?

As we saw in Ephesians 2:8-9, salvation is by grace through faith, and no other way. And it has always been thus. Had there not been grace, and had Adam not returned to trusting God, this all would have ended after the fall. Had David not repented when confronted with his sin with Bathsheba and had there not been grace, he could not have been called a man after God’s own heart, and the Messiah could not have come through the Davidic line. We all sin, but for true repentance there is grace; and that is the only way. After this obedience and good works come because we love God and have experienced His saving grace. But that grace never comes by obedience or good works.

2.3 The relationship to menstrual blood further points to the fact innocent blood must be shed as the price of redemption for our sins. The punishment for sins is eternal death:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Isaiah 13:11 I will punish the world for its evil,
    and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
    and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
James 1:15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Romans 1:32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
But as it says, you can also have the gift of eternal life:
Psalm 145:20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.
Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Our “wages,” or payment for unforgiven sin is death. It is what we’ve earned by our works. However forgiveness is free for the asking. This must be taken in context with all scripture however, and as always with God we must ask with the right heart motivation. Repent. Turn back to God, and the penalty of death will be removed. The price was paid by God Himself as Yeshua HaMoshiach, Jesus the Messiah- the anointed one of God; as we will now see:

2.4 Jesus suffered and died for our sins, but rose the 3rd day:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV) 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
Jonah 1:17 And the Lord [had] appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Esther 4:16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
Exodus 12:5-6 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
Luke 24:7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

Jonah was prophetic, his being in the fish for three days looking forward to Jesus three days in the tomb. We are not told, but it is likely Jonah died in the belly of that fish. Regardless, it is known he was entombed for three days, then was resurrected to bring the word of salvation to one of the cruelest, most vile and dangerous people of the ancient world. And that is saying a lot! Yeshua- the very word means “salvation.” He willingly died for our sins on a cruel Roman cross, was entombed for three days, and rose to bring salvation to any who would accept it.

“As of first importance”- this is most important, that we accept that Jesus is the Christ, Messiah and God Himself. That He paid the price for our sins with His own blood; that He died and was buried, but rose on the third day as foretold in prophecy, and that He lives now to make intercession for us: Hebrews 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

[alon]

2.5 You must repent of your sins:
Acts 3:19 (ESV) Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
- Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
    but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn   from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
- Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
- Luke 5:31-32 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
- Romans 2:5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

Repent- of your sins, yes, but also of your sinful ways. Turn back- from what? And more important, to what? Turn back from anything that would separate us from God, which is another way to define sin. Repentance is more than just being sorry and turning away from sin. Those are important, but the reason we do these things is so that our relationship with God can be repaired. The Hebrew word for both “return” and “turn back” are the same, “lachtzor.” We need to return to that state Adam enjoyed before the fall when he walked with God in the Garden.

Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
Sin is sin, whether we know of it or not. God does not punish us for what we do not know; He is gracious and may overlook unintentional sin. However when we do know, even if we just learned of it, He commands us to repent of those sins we committed unintentionally and to turn/return to Him.

Only God can cause this type of rebirth or regeneration in us. This concept of rebirth first appears in the TNK. The word παλιγγενεσια only occurs in the Septuagint in Job 14:14- ὑπομενω ἑως ἀν παλιν γενωμαι “I would wait until my [release or renewal] should come.” In Hebrew that is חֲלִיפָה chălı̂yphâh, change or course. The idea here is one of a change in heart and mind resulting in a renewal of our spiritual condition. A type of rebirth, which already existed in Hebraic theology. The word is first addressed to all God’s covenant people. Part of that covenant is the requirement they serve the Lord with all their heart and soul:
- Deuteronomy 11:13 “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,”
- Joshua 22:5 “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

As Israel became unfaithful, apostate, their hearts hardened, their prophets increasingly stressed an inner change that had to occur among the whole people, and also in the heart of individuals. They as humans were of themselves unable to bring this about:
- Genesis 6:5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
- Job 11:12, 14:4,15:16 But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey's colt is born a man! … Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.; … how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!
But what we as human beings cannot do in ourselves, God is able to do:
- Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right [steadfast] spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Since only God can accomplish this in your life, the next two steps are crucial: accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then follow Him in obedience.

2.6 Ask Jesus to come into your life as Savior:
John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except  through me.
- Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “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.
- Isaiah 43:11 I, I am the Lord,
    and besides me there is no savior.2 Kings 13:5;
- Hosea 13:4b you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.
Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.  This Jesus [Yeshua] is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The only way to be saved is to accept Yeshua as Messiah, savior, and God.

2.7 Be obedient to His commandments:
John 14:15 (ESV) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
- Deuteronomy 11:13 “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,”
The Lord then promises blessings.
- Jeremiah 26:13 Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you.
- 1 Samuel 15:22b And Samuel said, Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
- Romans 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
- 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
- Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
-- work- κατεργάζομαι katergazomai; denotes intense engagement …
--- … in the process of our own renewal. It is a partnership with the Ruach, God’s Spirit
It’s about relationship

Love is a relationship issue. We show our love for God by doing as He says. His instructions are given us in scripture to guide us in our walk with Him:
- 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for  training in righteousness,
He tells us what sin is so that we can avoid it, but once told we are responsible for our actions.

2.8 God is faithful to save those who come to Him:
Joel 2:32a And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
- Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
- Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
- Hebrews 7:25 Consequently, he [Yeshua] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
- 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
- 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God is faithful to save when we call out to Him. His faithfulness “endures to all generations.” (Psalm 119:90). “And 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.” (Heb 11:6). The terms “faith” and “believe” are conjugated forms of the same Greek word, “pistis,” usuallymore accurately translated as “trust.” We must place our trust in God, and He is then faithful to save (deliver, Heb “malat”) us from the second death. More than that, He is able to save us physically in our present circumstances. If you read on in the passage in Joel, you will see this is one of the scriptures about the Hebrew meaning of saved as physical salvation, with the shadow of spiritual salvation also; as it says there will be a remnant among the survivors in the “great and awesome day of the Lord” as He judges the world.

[alon]

3.1 True trust and faith will encourage you in obedience to God’s
word:
Isaiah 30:15a&b (ESV) For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
This scripture implies faith, a trust in the God of Israel to care for you, protect and shield you. It is this that allows us to rest quietly in His grace. It mentions returning, which is repentance. This involves our walk with God, which includes obedience. Thus we come back to the relationship our God wants with us.
-- Genesis 12:4-9 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,  Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.  Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.  From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.  And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
--- Note Avram was 75 yrs old when he left everything to journey from the wealth and comfort of Mesopotamia to the Negev of Israel.
-----The biblical Negev was a mountain pass from Be’er Sheva east to the wilderness and the Dead Sea.
---- It was the southernmost region in ancient Israel where even the most meager existence could be wrested from the land.
Luke 22:42,43-44 [Yeshua] saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” …  And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
hematidrosis- sweating blood from the skin; can look like blood, bloody sweat, or sweat with droplets of blood in it
tears of blood are called hemolacria
-- John 12:47-50 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.  For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Faith, trust, and obedience to God are the keystones to living holy lives, lives set apart to God in a fallen world. God desires us to draw close to Him, to listen only to Him. As we learn to tune out the noise and distractions of the world, we get a sense of the presence of God’s Spirit. This, along with reading and understanding scripture will guide us in our walk with the Almighty.

3.2 So, if you ask Jesus to be Lord of your life, and believe He being God was crucified to atone for your sins, and He rose alive on the third day, you will be saved. A simple, heartfelt prayer is all it takes:
- admit you are a sinner
- ask forgiveness and turn from sin, to a holy God (repentance)
- accept Jesus as your personal savior
- ask Him to come into your life
- be willing to obey, trusting Him as Lord of your life
- ask for guidance of His Holy Spirit that you may be set apart to Him
- follow Him in baptism- an outward sign of an inward condition.
Just pray in your own words. The above list is a guideline only, not a rote prayer. Think of it more as a checklist so that you nail down the important points we’ve covered in our look at biblical principles of salvation. Really all it takes is to accept Yeshua [Jesus] as your savior, acknowledge that He died to atone for your sins, and turn your life over to Him in obedience. Done from the heart, that’s all it takes. But it is still important to realize, and beneficial to verbalize those principles, because regardless those are what you are agreeing to.



Concerning obedience, it is important to note the commandments, instructions, and lessons we are to be obedient to are found in Torah; the first five books of the Bible. We can use Yeshua and His shaliachim (apostles) as examples, however when the New Testament was being written, the only “Law” they had was Torah. The rest of the Old Testament expanded on this “Law,” and Yeshua and the New Testament explained it better. However an ongoing study of Torah is the only way we can learn how God meant us to walk with Himself:
In every Jewish and Messianic synagogue or congregation each Shabbat the parashah, or Torah portion is read. This is ordered so that the entire Torah will be read through and studied. It is through this kind of teaching and study that we learn slowly, a bit at a time to walk before God as He desires us to do.

3.3 Even Jesus, who had no sin was baptized, a statement of obedience and His heart condition:
Mark 1:9-11(ESV) In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
-- Rav Shaul here tells us that the Hebrews who followed the pillar of smoke and fire through the Red Sea underwent tevilah, a type or picture of a ritual immersion; baptism.
- Exodus 2:3a,c,5-6,10 When she could hide him [Yeshua] no longer, she took for him a basket … She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. …  Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.  When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews' children.” When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
-- This too was a type of baptism for the future leader of the Hebrew people
- Jonah 2:5a,6b The waters closed in over me … yet you brought up my life from the pit, …
-- Another type of tevilah, or baptism
- Leviticus 22:6-7 the person [priest] who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has [wash his flesh] in water.  When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because they are his food.
-- To “wash his flesh in water” describes tevilah, ritual immersion
- Acts 19:4-5 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
- Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
-- To be baptized “into” the Christ, the Anointed One of God is symbolic of entering our whole life into His service in loving obedience.

Baptism comes from God’s commandment to the Hebrew people to do tevilah, ritual immersion. Rabbis of old were absolutely in accord in saying whenever Torah commands us to “wash” (“rachatz”) in order to remove impurity, nothing but full-body immersion is intended.

Maimonides later in his opening to the laws of mikva’ot [the pool of water meeting the requirements for tevilah] attributes this understanding to an oral tradition [explanation of Torah commands] dating back to Sinai and possibly before:
-- Every place that the Torah speaks of washing of flesh and laundering of clothing [to purify] from the impurities—nothing other than immersion of the entire body in a mikveh [is meant]. And that which is said of a man with a discharge: “… without having rinsed his hands in water” (Lev. 15:11)—that is to say that he must immerse his entire body. And the same is true for all other impure people, that if one immersed his entire body aside from the tip of his small finger—he remains impure. And although all of these things are [known only] from tradition (mipi hashmuah, literally, “from an oral transmission”), it is nevertheless said [in the written Torah]: “… it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean” (Lev. 11:32)—a basic principle applying to all that are impure that they should be put into water. (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Mikva’ot 1:2)

Consider when Yeshua was baptized. He came all the way from the lush Galil [Galilee] in the north of Israel where there ere many pools meeting the requirements of the mikva’ot, to the desert region of Qumran in the south to be baptized. He likely went through the Rift Valley on the east side of the Yarden (Jordan; the easiest route). John’s ministry was in this southern desert region. Scripture says after His baptism Yeshua went immediately into the wilderness to be tested. The wilderness is the dry, rugged, very steep area east and south of Jerusalem as it drops into the Rift. So Yeshua would have went into the water from the east and come out the west side. From there is a main route up into the mountainous country around Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) going up through the wilderness. Yericho [Jericho] is at the base of this route. This was the exact same route taken by the Hebrews when they entered the land. It’s near where the waters backed up so the Hebrews could pass through the Yarden (Jordan). This was significant as it was a type of baptism for the new nation. Tevilah, baptism is interwoven throughout Jewish history, even to this day. And it is woven into the fabric of the life of a believer also. Wen you enter the baptismal waters, you walk where Yeshua walked, no matter where you are. You enter into the promise of an inheritance with Him. Not just “in,” but “into.” Your whole being is involved, not just your physical presence there. And you conquer the first stronghold, your own Yericho, and God begins to bring down the walls of the strongholds in your life as you follow Him in obedience.