What is the Greatest Question ever asked? - Page 2
God does not now require the same things demanded of men back in the time of patriarchs or under the law of Moses. It will help us to know that the law ended at the cross of Christ (Col. 2:14), and thus the new covenant, or New Testament, has come into effect (Heb. 10:9). What does God require of men, now, under the will of the Christ?
At the end of our Lord's ministry, he told his disciples: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15, 16). As they were sent out to do this work, Jesus promised to be with them unto the end of the world (Matt. 28:20).
This commission comes at the end of the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and the next Bible book, known as "The Acts of the Apostles," begins exactly where the gospel records ends. Acts is the record of the apostles carrying out the instructions the Lord gave whereby the whole world might be saved. In the book of Acts, we have eight accounts of conversion: (1) Jews on Pentecost day, Acts 2:14-42); (2) the people of Samaria, Acts 8:5-13; (3) the eunuch from Ethiopia, Acts 8:26-39; (4) Saul of Tarsus, Acts 9:3-18; (5) the household of Cornelius, Acts 10:34-48; (6) Lydia's household , Acts 16:13-15; (7) the jailer's household, Acts 16:25-34; and (8), the Corinthians, Acts 18:8.
Eight different instances, and while every step in the plan of salvation is not detailed in each case, the eight records teach one plan: obedience to the gospel of Christ, showing one plan whereby man can be saved.
Obedience to the gospel. Men are lost when not obedient to the gospel (Rom 10:1, 16), and God has declared his coming vengeance upon all those who refuse to obey his gospel (2 Thess. 1:8). It is vitally important that we know the terms of salvation.
The Plan of Salvation
The terms of pardon are set forth in the New Testament, and are called "the plan of salvation." It is not man's plan. Remember, these are God's terms. Let's look at God's terms.
(1) Faith is essential. That faith is more than just a mental exercise. Man must believe in God (Heb 11:6), and in Christ (John 8:24), and the faith must be such that man moves further in obeying the
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