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Note: The following tract by Fred Allman, "The Old Prophet", is reprinted here as a public service, and does not imply that the Hope United Methodist Church endorses any of the opinions expressed.

HOW MEN AND WOMEN ARE SAVED FROM SIN AND DEATH (3 Steps)

By "The Old Prophet"

Dear needy sinner, whoever you are and whatever Christian claims you make for yourself, this little booklet applies to you. If you are unwilling to heed and apply this truth to your life you are a walking dead man, or woman.

How does the Eternal God go about transforming a lost sinner into a child of God with the potential for eternal life? The following pages will spell out how it is done in three steps.

STEP NO.1 - YOU MUST COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT SIN IS, AND THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ARE A LOST SINNER.

STEP NO.2 - YOU MUST GET RIGHT WITH GOD AND BEGIN THAT JOURNEY TO ETERNAL LIFE.

STEP. NO.3 - THEN YOU MUST WALK WITH GOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, NO FOOLING AROUND.

Now to Step No. 1. Step No. 1 has two parts, understanding the nature of sin and recognizing that you are a lost sinner under the death penalty.

The first part - understanding what sin is. Many people have no true understanding of this subject, but it is really simple. 1 John 3: 4 tells us that sin is the transgressing of Gods moral law. The Old Testament word for sin means "to miss the mark" like an archer shooting at a target and missing the bull's eye. In other words falling short of God's moral law. The natural man is under the death penalty because he cannot bring his life into harmony with this moral law.

When the rich young ruler asked Jesus how he could gain eternal life, Jesus directed him to the moral law. He told him he would have to refrain from adultery, lying, stealing, murder, etc. See Matthew 9:16-191

In other words, sin is the moral condition of the natural man that disqualifies him for eternal life. It is a universal condition that we are all born with. Romans Chapter 3, verses 10 & 23 says it perfectly. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." and "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

So what this means is that we are born into this world with a terminal disease, as Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." Sin is a spiritual AIDS that will automatically lead to death. If we cannot find a cure for it the end of this earthly life will be the end of our existence.

Now to Step No.2 - Getting right with God and beginning the journey. Step two is basically understanding how we as sinners can receive forgiveness and healing, and begin that walk in fellowship with the Eternal God toward the goal of eternal life.

Here is our dilemma. We know that God hates sin and we know we are sinners. How can we be sinners and still be walking with God? Here is the way Paul states it, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Romans 7:18,19).

So, how does Paul solve this terrible problem? Basically he threw himself on the mercy of God striving with all his heart to live for Him, and begging His forgiveness where he fell short. Paul said, "Not as though had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after." (Philippians 3: 12).

This is the secret of being able to walk with God as sinners, strive with all our hearts to live for Him, and when we tall short, confess our sins and go on from there.

"For thou, Lord art good and ready to for give; and plenteous in, mercy unto all that call upon thee. (Psalm 86:5).

Now to Step No.3 - Walking with God on the way to eternal life.

We know that our God understands when we are doing our best and still fall short, (Jesus said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak). But let us be aware that God expects a sanctifying process to be going on in our lives. If you are not growing you are spiritually dead. The book of Proverbs puts it like this, "the path of the just is as a shinning light, that shinneth more and more unto the perfect day." (Proverb 4:18).

The Eternal God expects you as you walk the Christian way to become more and more spiritualized, leaving behind the darkness and sin of this present world, until in the end His transforming sanctifying work in your life will be complete.

This is His promise to you. "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. (Philippians 1:6). If Gods plan of salvation works in your life as it should, you will come to Him as a lost sinner, receive forgiveness for your past and present sins, and then you will walk with Him in complete consecration and dedication for the remainder of your earthly life. Then at last if you have lived for Him instead of for self and this present world, He will welcome you to eternal life.

Now let me close with a parable from the natural world that illustrates this spiritual truth. The spring rains forms a pond in the farmer's field. A mother toad lays her eggs in the pond. They hatch into tadpoles, capable only of a short restricted existence. The limits of their world in the muddy, slimy pond. Their tenure of life will be short because the summer sun is rapidly drying up the water of the pond. If they remain as they are (tadpoles) they will certainly perish when the pond evaporates. But a strange thing is happening to them. Their gills are being metamorphosed into air breathing lungs. This is their salvation. Now they don't have to die when the pond dries up. They will go on existing in a wider realm as air breathing toads.

So you my friend, are a tadpole living a restricted life in this natural world. under the natural order of things you will perish at the end of your present life. But it doesn't have to end that way. God has made provision for you to acquire your spiritual lungs so you can live on beyond this earthly life.

However there is a difference between you and the tadpole. The metamorphosis that he experiences is a natural occurrence in his life. It won't be that way for you. If you are to have a life beyond the grave you will have to make that choice. You will have to renounce this dark slimy pond, and choose deliberately to let God spiritualize and prepare you for the next life.