Hello friends. It's been a while. I am terribly sorry. You would not believe how hectic my life has been of late. But here is part two! Sorry for the delay.
If you read my last article you know that we’re smack dab in the middle of Bible marking the plan of salvation. Normally I would try to make sense of it for you guys who are just tuning in… but if we’re being completely honest, this will be of absolutely no use to you if you didn’t read Part 1. It’s too practical/hands on. So please. Read Part 1. :)
We left off at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 with the question, “How do we get into Christ?” Draw your arrow at the end to John 8:24.
In John, underline “believe.” Draw your arrow to 14:6. (I know it sounds like we’re going out of order, which may be freaking some of you out, but it’s okay. We’ll get to hear.)
In 14:6, underline/circle “the” in “THE way, THE truth, and THE life” and also underline “but through Me.” In my margin I wrote “the ONLY!” Draw your arrow to Hebrews 11:6.
In Hebrews, underline “believe.” Draw your arrow to Romans 10:17.
In Romans, underline “faith,” “hearing,” and “by the word.” (See, I told you we’d get to hearing. We just backtracked.) Draw your arrow to James 1:21.
This is actually going to be a long passage starting at James 1:21. Underline “putting aside” and “word implanted” in verse 21, “doers” in 22, and “intently” and “perfect law” in 25. Draw your arrow to Luke 13:3.
In Luke, underline “repent.” In the margin, write “repent = turn.” Draw your arrow to Acts 26:18.
In Acts, underline “to open their eyes” and “turn.” Over or next to “turn”, write “repent.” Draw your arrow to 17:30.
In 17:30, underline “everywhere” and “repent.” Draw your arrow to 2 Peter 3:9.
In 2 Peter, underline “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” At this point in the study, you would start focusing on what kinds of things constitute the need for repentance. A lot of people don’t even realize that they’re living in sin, so I think this is an important step. Draw your arrow to Galatians 5:19.
This is actually Galatians 5:19-25. In verse 21, underline “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” You could underline all the sins listed too, but I personally feel that’s a little superfluous since they’re all in a list anyway. At the end of verse 25, draw your arrow to Romans 10:10.
In Romans, underline “with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” In your margin, write “Not confessing sin, but Jesus as the Son of God” (or some condensed version of that). Draw your arrow to Acts 8:37.
In Acts, underline “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This is the proof that we’re confessing Jesus here, not our sins. Draw your arrow to Romans 6:1-5.
In Romans, underline “baptized into Christ Jesus” and circle “into.” I also have “buried” circled in verse 4… can you bury somebody by sprinkling dirt over ‘em? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Draw your arrow to Galatians 3:27.
In Galatians, underline “baptized into Christ” and circle “into.” Draw your arrow to Mark 16:16.
In Mark, underline “believed and has been baptized shall be saved.” I have “and has been baptized” double underlined. Draw your arrow to Acts 2:38.
In Acts, underline “be baptized” and “for the forgiveness of your sins.” Circle the “for.” Draw your arrow to 22:16.
In 22:16, underline “why do you delay?” and “wash away your sins.” Above/next to that, write “what baptism does.”
Congratulations! You’re done with your first Bible marking! Yay!
Like I said before, this is an excellent reference tool for Bible studies where you’re actually trying to convert someone. You can even mark it into a Bible and give the Bible to somebody if you so desire. The plan of salvation isn’t the only thing you can Bible mark, either. You can make your own Bible markings on all kinds of topics if you make good use of your concordance. For example, I have studies on prayer, homosexuality, humility, gossip, and several other subjects. It’s a great way to dig in and find out what the Bible says about something, especially if it’s a controversial subject or something you’re struggling with yourself.
I challenge you to share this with someone! Make use of the tool! Thanks for reading!
