YESHUA THE WAY
THE TRUTH THE LIFE!!!
The Unchanging Plan of Salvation: Yeshua (Jesus) the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Today, many people hold differing views on the plan of salvation. Some claim that a single act of belief is all that is required for eternal life. Others assert that repentance alone is sufficient. Still others point solely to John 3:16 as the complete plan. However, to truly grasp God’s plan, we must reject human conjecture and instead look at all Scripture in light of other Scripture.
The Lord’s plan is not a vague suggestion; it is a clear command given by the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost.
The Foundation: Acts 2:38
Peter, having been given the keys to the kingdom, laid out the steps to salvation:
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yeshua Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
This verse outlines a powerful, three-part process: repentance, water baptism in the name of Yeshua, and the receiving of the Holy Ghost.
But following these steps is not the end; it is the beginning. We must then commit to a lifetime of obedience:
Joh 8:31 Then said Yeshua to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Understanding the Key Steps
• Repentance means to turn from sin and sincerely seek God's forgiveness.
• Water Baptism is a full immersion in water, performed in the name of Yeshua, as a covenant act.
• Receiving the Holy Ghost is the baptism of the Spirit.
This process is not automatic. While a person may repent and be baptized in water, receiving the Holy Ghost may occur at a separate time. This is demonstrated by the believers in Samaria:
Act 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Yeshua.)
Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
As this passage shows, the Spirit was not immediately given, requiring the laying on of hands for the believers to receive the gift.
The Necessity of the Name
Does the name used during water baptism matter? The scriptures overwhelmingly confirm that it does.
In Ephesus, Paul encountered disciples who had only experienced John's baptism:
Act 19:2 He said unto them, have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Act 19:3 And he said unto them, unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Act 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Yeshua.
Act 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Yeshua.
Act 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied.
These disciples were required to be re-baptized into Yeshua's name. Throughout the Book of Acts, every baptism recorded is performed in the name of Yeshua. This application of the Lord’s saving name directly connects to this powerful statement:
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Who died on the cross? Yeshua. Who is coming for us? Yeshua. The only saving name must be applied to our lives. For us, this application is found in being baptized in His name and being filled with His Spirit.
Baptism: Burial and Resurrection
Water baptism is an essential act of faith that symbolizes our death to our old life and our resurrection to a new life with Christ. It is a burial with Him:
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.
If we are not buried with Him in baptism, how can we expect to rise with Him? Even Yeshua Himself was baptized, setting an example for us to follow.
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
While some point to the Great Commission—Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost—it is critical to see how the Apostles actually executed this command in the Book of Acts, which was by baptizing in the name of Yeshua. This is the one name that represents all three titles:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Scriptural Examples
• At the house of Cornelius, the Gentiles first received the Holy Spirit, but Peter still commanded them to be baptized in Yeshua's name (Acts 10).
• Even Paul, who believed on the road to Damascus, received his sight and then was immediately baptized: Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Salvation and Calling on the Name
Some have focused on Romans 10 as the core of salvation:
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 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 without a preacher?
The question then becomes, How do we call on His name for salvation? Acts 22 provides the answer, as Ananias instructs Paul (Saul) to act:
Act 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
It is through the act of baptism that we wash away our sins, thereby formally calling on the name of the Lord for salvation. This is why Peter affirms:
1Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Yeshua Christ:
This matter is one of life's most urgent concerns. Your salvation depends on a clear understanding and faithful obedience to the Word of God as revealed in the Scriptures.