God’s Two Plans Of Salvation

by Micky Galloway

What is God’s plan to forgive one who is a sinner, one who has never obeyed the gospel? Jesus commanded the apostles, “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of (teach KJV) all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Certainly, if the gospel is to be taught, it must be heard. At the Mount of Transfiguration God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). In order for man to know what God wants him to do, he must first hear what He has to say. Faith in Christ is essential. Jesus said, “for except ye believe that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). Man cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). Repentance is essential. “The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance is a change of one’s mind that results in a change of action or life, all motivated by a sorrow that one’s sin is an offense to God (II Corinthians 7:10). The confession of one’s faith in Christ is essential. Jesus said, “Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). There is no better example of this confession than that of the eunuch when he said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). This was not a confession of sins, but a confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God! Baptism into Christ is also necessary. Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16 KJV). The very purpose of baptism is to wash away sin (Acts 22:16). Peter said that baptism is “unto (for KJV) the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). This baptism is a burial in water, not a pouring or sprinkling (cf. Romans 6:3-4). It is at this point that the blood of Christ washes away a man’s sins as we are “baptized into Christ” (Galatians 3:27). This is consistently illustrated in every example of conversion in the book of Acts.

What is God’s plan to forgive the Christian who sins? To ask this question acknowledges that it is possible for Christians to sin. A part of God’s plan to save involves faithfulness on our part. As a Christian, a member of the Lord’s church, one must remain faithful in worshiping God, purity of life, and working for the Lord. It is summed up in these words, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). One must be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58). But what must a Christian do when he sins? In Acts 8 we read of Simon the Sorcerer who had believed and had been baptized, and was saved from his past sins. “But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized …” (Acts 8:12-13). Afterwards he sinned, offering Peter and John money for the ability to impart the spiritual gifts. Peter’s exact words to him are, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee” (Acts 8: 22). When one sins after having become a child of God, he is still a child of God, but an erring child. It is a fact that children of God may sin! James writes, “My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shalt save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). John also writes, “If we say that have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8).

The erring child of God must repent. Repentance for the erring child of God means the same thing as it does for the one who desires to become a child of God. Repentance of sin is a change of mind toward sin, produced by godly sorrow, and that results in a reformation of life. Repentance is not simply regret, sorrow, prayer, fear, or “coming forward.” It is a change of mind; the decision to quit sin that results in a complete turning from evil. Jesus illustrated what repentance is. “But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, Son go to work today in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went” (Matthew 21:28-29). The rebellious son said, “I will not.” Later he repented and went. Repentance, then, is the decision, the determination, to quit sin and obey God. When a child of God, who is leading a life of sin, either by indifference and carelessness in respect to his duty to Christ and the church, or by a life of immorality and worldliness, comes to himself and repents, he quits the life of sin, turns from sin, and obeys God.

The erring child of God must also pray to God. Peter commanded Simon to “repent and pray” (Acts 8:22). To pray means to beseech, seek, ask, entreat; in the New Testament it means requests addressed by men to God. Prayer must be made to God for forgiveness by the erring child of God who repents. The one who has not obeyed the gospel was not told to “repent and pray” for forgiveness. He was told to “repent, and be baptized … unto the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Simon, who had been baptized was told to “repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.”

Why did Peter tell the people at Pentecost to “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38) and tell Simon at Samaria to “Repent … and pray the Lord?” Indeed, there are two laws of pardon; one to those who are not children of God and another to the erring child of God. Prayer is the right of the child of God, but he must pray in penitence, in faith, in harmony with the will of God, and in the name of Christ. “For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears unto their supplication: but the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil” (I Peter 3:12). “If we ask anything according to his will he heareth us” (I John 5:14). We must ask in faith through Christ. “And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 2:1).

The erring child of God must confess his sins. One cannot pray to God for forgiveness unless he admits to himself and acknowledges to God that he has sinned. James says, “Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). John says, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Hence, the second law of pardon includes repentance, confession of sins, and prayer. It does not include baptism, for baptism is a condition of forgiveness for those who are not children of God.

How broad must our confession be? A good rule to follow is that the confession of sin be as broad as the knowledge of the sin. Sometimes the knowledge and effect of our sins travels much faster and further than news of our repentance and confession. God always knows of our sins. “There is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). However, are there times when the confession of sin must be public? The story is told of a lady who traveled through a certain town dropping feathers as she went. She then returned trying to recover them. Many had been blown by the wind and were irretrievable. So it is with some of our sins. Our best efforts cannot undo all the harm that has been done. Simply put, sins that are public, or generally known, must be confessed publicly. Concerning private sin Jesus said, “And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matthew 18:15). On the other hand, Paul rebuked Peter (Cephas) for his hypocrisy before all (Galatians 2:14). “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face, because he stood condemned. For before that certain came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing them that were of the circumcision … But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Cephas before (them) all, If thou, being a Jew, livest as do the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, how compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” (Galatians 2:11-14). Could Peter’s confession have been less than “before (them) all” to be effective? When sin is public knowledge, should not the church also be informed of the repentance? The instruction is clearly stated, “Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). This is God’s plan of restoration. We have no more right to change it than to change the command of baptism for the remission of sins.

Any child of God who sins and refuses to comply with the second law of pardon, can no more expect remission of his sins than a sinner can expect remission of his sins when he rejects the commandments of Christ to believe in Him, to repent, to confess his faith in Jesus as the Christ, and to be baptized in His name.