We've presented a couple of lessons recently that have emphasized the truth that man is not saved by good morals alone (cf. the archived lessons from April 11 & 25, 2005). Today we'd like to consider another side of the subject. What is man saved by? Let us look at the topic of salvation from the widest possible view. There are many passages in the New Testament that address various components involved in man's salvation. I have selected nearly twenty passages that are fairly distinct in the thoughts they contain.

• Man is saved by hope. Romans 8:24 - "...we were saved in this hope..."
• Man is saved by grace. Ephesians 2:5,8 - "...by grace you have been saved..."
• Man is saved by faith. Acts 16:31 - "...believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..."
• Man is saved by mercy. Titus 3:5 - "...according to His mercy He saved us..."
• Man is saved by works. James 2:24 - "...a man is justified by works, and not by faith only."
• Man is saved by baptism. I Peter 3:21 - "There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism..."
• Man is saved by the word. James 1:21 - "...receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."
• Man is saved by knowledge of the truth. John 8:32 - "...you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (cf. I Tim. 2:4).
• Man is saved by loving the truth. II Thessalonians 2:10 - "...they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
• Man is saved by obedience. Hebrews 5:9 - "...He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him."
• Man is saved by the gospel. Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation..." (cf. I Cor. 15:1,2).
• Man is saved by confession of faith. Romans 10:9 - "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
• Man is saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Romans 10:13 - "For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
• Man is saved by enduring to the end. Matthew 10:22 - "...he who endures to the end will be saved."
• Man is saved by the name of Jesus. Acts 4:12 - "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
• Man is saved by the blood of Jesus. Romans 5:9 - "...having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (cf. Rev. 1:5).
• Man is saved by coming to God through Jesus. Hebrews 7:25 - "...He [i.e., Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him..."
• Man is saved by godly sorrow and repentance. II Corinthians 7:10 - "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation..."
• Man is saved by the longsuffering of the Lord. II Peter 3:15 - "...the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation..."

Who would have guessed that there are so many things involved in one's salvation? May we always be careful not to be guilty of believing what one passage says about salvation and ignoring the others! All Scripture must harmonize! Some people affirm that man can be saved by faith alone. They come to this conclusion because of the numerous passages in the New Testament that teach that one cannot be saved without faith (e.g., John 8:24). However, to say that one must have faith to be saved is a far cry from saying that faith alone saves! The Bible does not teach this (James 2:24). Of course, let me hasten to state that no one can be saved by baptism alone either. No one can be saved by any single item on this list. Each and every component is essential to man's salvation; we know this because the Bible declares such! May we all have open minds to see and embrace the marvelous plan of salvation that the Lord has revealed (cf. Luke 2:30).