The text of the Bible clearly outlines a plan of salvation which God has created for us. Some might ask why we would need such salvation, and the Bible covers that as well. All persons have sinned, young and old. As the Bible states, we have all come short of the glory of God. Simply put, we are born sinners. If you don't believe that, then ask yourself these questions:

1) Why is it natural for us to lie when we get in trouble?
2) Why is our first instinct usually to do wrong - to lie, cheat, or steal?
3) Why must we constantly struggle with ourselves to do right?

Once we acknowledge our nature, the important question becomes "What can I do about it?"

In the days of the Old Testament, sin was cleansed by ritual sacrifice. You would choose the best of your herds or crops and sacrifice it to the Lord on an altar. However, this was only a temporary fix. You would have to continuously make sacrifices for your sins. However, God ended this practice with a single, final sacrifice -- that of himself. He fashioned a body for himself, lived among us for thirty years as a perfect, sinless example, and then allowed us to torture him and painfully kill him. However, it didn't stop there. In fact, the most important part was yet to come. Three days after his physical death, Jesus was resurrected. It is through this resurrection and victory over death that mankind can be saved. Because of his death and resurrection here on Earth, we have the opportunity to have eternal life in Heaven - a life without death.

Now, some say that God's plan of salvation is open to interpretation. In fact, the reason there are so many denominations in the Christian church is because each denomination interprets it differently. There's no reason for disagreement, however - the Bible puts it into one tidy little paragraph for us:

Acts 2:37 - 39
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38. Then Peter said unto them, 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.

39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

So, here's the plan outline:

  1. Repent
  2. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
  3. Ye shall recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost
Now, you wouldn't think there'd be much left to argue about, but this is one of the hottest debates within the Christian church. Most of the contention is over minor details, but two things stand out as major debates -- how a baptism should be handled, and the nature or evidence of the Holy Ghost. I'll briefly cover both issues below:

1) Baptism - the majority of denominations in the world today baptize people "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost". They do this in accordance with Matthew 28:19, in which Jesus told his disciples to baptize this way. However, there are some denominations which believe that we should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, which is the given name of God. As we read throughout the New Testament, we find that not one single person was baptized "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost", but that every reference to baptism thereafter is in the name of Jesus Christ. The reasoning behind this is that Jesus never referred to himself by name, but by his titles (i.e. - Son of Man). Therefore, these denominations believe that Jesus was telling us to baptize in His name, the name of God given unto men (Jesus Christ).

2) Holy Ghost - the second point of contention is the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the evidence of that indwelling. Jesus stated in John 3:5 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Therefore, we know that a person must be born again of the Spirit before they can enter Heaven. Many denominations believe that after repentance and baptism, a person is changed of themselves and automatically have God's spirit within them - the spirit of Christianity. However, in the Bible, every time a person was filled with the Holy Ghost, there were outward signs of this, the foremost being the speaking of tongues (another language). Also, Paul spoke of the Holy Ghost as something that must be continually renewed and experienced.

All of this and more can be proven through Scripture, but it has caused inumerable splits within the Church. For scriptures regarding either topic, please see my Scriptures page. If you would like more information as to my beliefs and their basis, please feel free to contact me.