Salvation Chart

Starting on the left:

BOTTOM:

This can be used as an introduction to parents or church workers. "We learn our a,b,c's and how to count before we can read, write, spell, add, subtract, divide or multiply because our a,b,c's and learning numbers provide the foundation to learning these other things. To a small child, it would make just as much sense to count 2, 10, 9, 5, 3, 4, 7, 6, 8, 1 but when he matured a little, he would know someone lied to him. The same principle holds true for teaching Scripture to children even when they are too young to understand the concept. Consider what Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 3:15 "And that from a child thou has known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." Evidently Paul understood that Timothy was taught some foundational Scripture truth that Timothy could not understand and embrace until he was older. This is exactly why church going children are often saved at consistently younger ages than older children that have been bussed in and are just beginning to be taught Scripture truths.

MIDDLE:

Put the birthday of the person in the bubble and say "this is when you were born and like all babies, you had your ups and downs, good days, bad days, happy days, sad days, foods you liked and foods you did not like. Although your birth was good news to your parents and their friends, there was also some bad news because you were born a sinner. David said in Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Romans 3:10 and 23 also states "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." and in verse 23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;" This is not good news at all because Romans 6:23 reads "For the wages of sin is death;..." However, I have some good news for you that Jesus died to keep you safe.

TOP:

We use a reference from the Old Testament and the New Testament to support this truth. II Samuel 12:23 "But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." God allowed David to record this truth that David would see his child again in heaven and evidently he would also recognize him or else why would he look forward to seeing him! We know that David's child went to heaven because David went to heaven. In fact, he was the only man that ever lived that was described as a man after God's own heart. In the New Testament, Jesus is walking down the street and parents are bringing their children out to see Jesus. We are not told why his disciples were shooing them away but when Jesus saw this he rebuked his disciples

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." From Jesus own lips we read that children are of the kingdom of heaven; therefore, they are safe but for how long?

MIDDLE LINE:

(Age of accountability or preferable Age of Understanding) What age is this? Bobby Scofield was 53 years-old in 1979 and had the mental and emotional capacity of a three year-old. He was born mentally challenged and would never develope beyond that of a three year-old. Bobby Scofield is a safe sinner just as much as a three year-old is a safe sinner. However, most healthy children develop rapidly and as their understanding broadens to the realization that I not only have to answer to Mommy and Daddy but Mommy and Daddy also have to answer to God and so do I. What must a child understand before they become a lost sinner? Perhaps all they must understand is that there is a God, He has a plan and for whatever reason I have refused to submit to God's plan to acknowledge that I was born a sinner and need to accept that Jesus shed His blood on Calvary so that I could be forgiven of my sins. Those who have not done this but understand that this is God's plan are lost sinners and in grave danger. That's why I am here, to help you become a "saved sinner."

LOST SINNER:

The Bible teaches that our sins have put us all on the road to hell. If something happens to end our lives while we are on that road to hell then hell is where we will end up. If you were crossing a busy highway at night and lightning struck nearby so that you fell to the ground and couldn't move but you saw your preacher on the side of the road and called for him to help you. If the preacher ran out into the road and pulled you to safety just before a truck hit you, what would he have done for you? (He would have saved your life!)

BORN AGAIN:

Being on the road to hell because we are a lost sinner is far more dangerous than crossing a busy highway and your preacher cannot save you from this road because there is only one who can do that and that is Jesus. Acts 4:12 reads "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." This is what happens when we are born again. When Jesus comes into our life, we are born from above. John 3 speaks of being born in the flesh and the difference between being born in the flesh and the new birth that Jesus can give us when we are born into His family. Only after we accept Jesus can we be a saved sinner.

SAVED SINNER:

A saved sinner is still a sinner according to I John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." The Apostle John makes this bold statement and includes himself when he says "we" and he also uses the present tense by saying "If we say." This means that if at any time a Christian claims to live above sin that he is deceived. He is so deceived that the truth cannot even be in a person that claims that do not sin anymore! Unfortunately, until we get to heaven, we will have to battle the urge to sin every day of our lives.

THE WHOLE PICTURE:

Everyone in the world is on this piece of paper! They are in this first section and are a safe sinner because they do not understand or comprehend that there is a God and he has a special plan for us. They are in the middle because they are a lost sinner and do understand that God has a special plan for us but they have not acted upon it for some reason. Or they are in the last section as a saved sinner because they can go back to a time when they asked Jesus to be their Savior and they know that He forgave them. SEE IF YOU CAN POINT TO WHERE YOU ARE ON THE PICTURE.

1. If you pointed to "SAFE SINNER," you can say "isn't it wonderful that Jesus keeps you safe until you can understand His plan. You may begin understanding today or tonight. Would you let me know when you are ready to ask Him to be your Savior? You don't need me around when you do, but it always makes my day when someone lets me be around when they ask Jesus to come into their heart forever.

2. If you pointed to "LOST SINNER," you can say. Do you want to stay here? (I've never had anyone ever say that they wanted to remain a lost sinner.)

3. If you pointed to "SAVED SINNER," you can ask them to share the time that they know they asked Him to come into their life and rejoice with them. If they say when they were baptized, gently point out that baptism is something we do according to Matthew 3:15 "And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him." Salvation is something God does for us when we ask Him. Can you remember the time that you asked God to come into your life? Would you tell me about it?

4. If you pointed to "SAVED SINNER" and slides their finger back to lost sinner saying, "I was here but now I'm here." You can point out that it is no more possible to become unborn from our parents family than to become unborn from God's family. We may rebel and disobey but they will always be our parents. When God makes us His child, He knows how to handle us. Your parents may give up on you but God never will.

Romans 8: 35 - 40 "

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."