What Does the Bible Teach About Salvation?
1) Direct Answer
Salvation is the new birth. The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that faith answers God’s call by repentance, water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is only one way to be saved, and that is through Jesus Christ and His finished work.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Our need: All have sinned (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). Without shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22).
- God’s provision: God was manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). He purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He who knew no sin was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- The call: Repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish” (John 3:16). Confess and believe unto salvation (Romans 10:9–10).
- The Bible pattern: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). In Acts, believers were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16; 10:48; 19:5).
- Identification with Christ: We are baptized into Jesus Christ, into His death; buried with Him by baptism; raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3–4; Colossians 2:12).
- The new birth: “Ye must be born again” (John 3:3–7). “Born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5). “Not by works… but by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Romans 8:9).
- Assurance and fruit: By grace are ye saved through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8–9). He that hears, believes, and has passed from death unto life (John 5:24). Those who receive His Spirit are led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17), walking in holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and love, keeping His Word (John 14:23; 1 John 2:3–5).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- You see, the Gospel is Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation follows that pattern in the believer:
- Repentance is your death to sin.
- Water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ is your burial with Him.
- Receiving the Holy Spirit is His resurrection life in you.
- It’s not earned by works, church membership, or creeds. It is God’s grace received by faith, proven by a changed life—the life of Christ expressed in you.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, the Scripture gives one Name for salvation: “There is none other name under heaven… whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Turn to Him, obey His Word, and He will fill you with His Spirit. That’s the Bible way.
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Questions and Answers, The Law having a shadow
54-0516 §47
...thing correctly. Brotherly love: continue, let it keep in the church like that. Now, do you think we ought to dismiss church now, or shall we just have just a little bit of Bible teaching? How many think we ought to go on into Bible teaching? And now, for just a half hour, Brother Neville, you watch your watch, and give me a half hour, if you will. Shall we bow our heads.
Questions and Answers, The Law having a shadow
54-0516 §6
And let this church hear this: pastor, and all, regardless, if those people who left this church..."They went out from us because they wasn't of us," said the Bible. See. That's right. And we went to them with brotherly and godly love, one after another, trying to reconcile them to the church. They wouldn't listen. We taken groups and went with them, they wouldn't listen. Then we told it to the church. And the Bible said, "Let them be as a heathen and a publican." That's right. They cannot come back in the church w...
I will restore
57-0309B §37
Another thing that they had in that day, was absolutely astounded a Bible teaching. [Break in tape.] That was one of the things they had which the palmerworm and the caterpillar... And did you notice, it's the same insect all the way down. Now, this old devil cankerworm has come in, and he crawls in the skin too, you know, cankers you up. Once they ever find a little thing and when he does, it don't make any difference what somebody else tries to say, he'll just hold to that, and he'll isolate his little group into...
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 2
57-0922 §34
But, now, I do believe that the Bible teaches of a literal burning hell. The Bible teaches that, that the sins and wickedness will be punished, forever and forever. That's not eternity, now. That's maybe for ten billion years. It may be for a hundred billion years, but sometimes it has to have an end. For everything that had a beginning, has an end. It's those things which has not a beginning, it has no end. You remember that lesson now? How we went back and found out that everything that had a beginning was perver...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §104
...again. That's right. Yes, sir. QUESTION: "Why baptize in the name of Jesus Christ, Brother Branham? Why do you do that instead of the "Father, Son, Holy Ghost?" Because the Bible teaches that. That clear? QUESTION: "Why do you wash feet, Brother Branham?" Because, the Bible teaches that, I believe in the full Gospel. All right, now: "What is the false baptism that you spoke of?" That's it. That's exactly it. Nowhere... Read back in the Testament and find where one person...