The following seven points summarize basic information about the human condition and God’s saving grace that an unbeliever needs to know and believe in order to be saved.

  1. God loves you! “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)
  2. You are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
  3. God punishes sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
  4. Jesus took our punishment. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
  5. Jesus rose from the dead. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4).
  6. Jesus offers forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who believe in Him. “He then brought them out and asked ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household’” (Acts 16:30-31).
  7. Salvation is free-a gift from God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast”. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Luther’s Small Catechism page 258

Salvation Outline

The following seven points summarize basic information about the human condition and God’s saving grace. You may want to memorize these points so that you may share them with someone who does not yet believe in Jesus as his or her Savior.

  1. God loves you! “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)
  2. You are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
  3. God punishes sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
  4. Jesus took our punishment. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
  5. Jesus rose from the dead. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4).
  6. Jesus offers forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who believe in Him. “He then brought them out and asked ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household’” (Acts 16:30-31).
  7. Salvation is free-a gift from God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast”. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Luther’s Small Catechism page 258