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.
Ask a Follow-up Question
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.
The principles of Divine healing
51-0923 §20
...is some sort of a (You know?) hocus pocus over people and put some kind of a spell on them that they get well, or something like that, or a hypnotism. That's an error. The Bible teaches divine healing for this present day, and divine healing all down through the age. Now, God always had a provided way for the people to be healed. He give it in the days of the--Israel's journey; He had the brass serpent. After the going away of the brass serpent, when people make an idol out of it, then the prophet broke up the ser...
I am the Resurrection and the Life
52-0810A §15
...e Lord, and I love to worship Him anywhere when we have fellowship around the Word of the Lord. Now, a few little texts that usually I use out like this. Home I go into the Bible, teaching the Old Testament and New, and so forth, not in [unclear words] Greek and Hebrew, because I don't know it. It's just the way I see it here, and the way the Holy Spirit will reveal to me.
You must be born again
61-1231M §35
Now, to begin with, to base back, the reason we have to be born again is because the Bible teaches us that we were all born in sin, shaped in iniquity, and come to this world speaking lies. Then that shows us that our nature, to begin with, is sinful to start with. We're no good, to begin with. So we cannot claim anything by our shrewdness, our sincerity, or how great we are, or how little we are, or whatever more. We are altogether wrong to begin with, and there is nothing at all that we can do about it. You canno...
Israel and the Church: Israel in Egypt
53-0325 §5
Many calls have been coming in: pray for the sick, and so forth. But I've kind of kept away from it. I'm trying to keep my mind strictly on Bible teachings. And now I don't know what our Lord will do. We're waiting the call for overseas ... to go overseas. I thought this was a wonderful time. Maybe from then... Maybe Brother Neville will feel better by that time, and can pick up from right there, maybe, and go on in this revival. I'd like to see it go on through Easter. And I'd like to have a great big baptism here...
Palmerworm, locust, cankerworm and caterpillar
53-0612 §8
...of course, that's right. It's all by faith." "But" I said, "Brother Osborn, you're a promising little man. And I see that you're ... I believe you're a good level Scripture teacher." I said, "Let me ask you something. If you want to be a success in life, don't claim nothing you haven't got. It'll be showed anyhow after while that you're falsely," see. I said, "Just be honest before God and go on out." I said, "You know... You believe the Bible teaches divine healing?" He said, "Yes, Brother Branham." I said, "Teach...