The greatest thing in the world must be attaining salvation from sin. Knowledge of this fact ought to stir men to obedience, but in many cases it does not. The time has arrived when all men, everywhere, must obey God or else be eternally lost; there are no other possibilities. When the Holy Spirit came down on the day of the Church's birth nearly twenty centuries ago (Acts 2), man's last hope was initiated. Because we are living in the last dispensation of time, man need not look for another chance after he has passed from this existence into eternity. There will not be any.

Perhaps many reason that God is too loving to condemn one to an eternity of anguish, pain, and suffering. Upon this type of reasoning many people place their hope. My friend, God is loving, and he has given all authority unto His Son (Matt. 28:18-20), because of what He has done. Therefore, man must do whatever His Son requires. God's Son does require obedience (Heb. 5:8, 9). Since God's Son does require obedience, no one may be saved who does not obey Him in all things.

Friends, in order to become a recipient of the hope of eternal life you must obey the "plan of salvation" (belief, repentance, confession, baptism) revealed in the Bible. Not only must you obey the "plan of salvation," you must live faithfully to the principles of righteousness revealed by the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim. 4:7, 8; .Rev. 2:10).

Yes, friends, God is just and fair. It would be unjust of Him to grant a person salvation who disobeys, and grant another salvation who does obey. Such an idea of God is contrary to His very nature and is pure folly to the man who places his hope in anything other than God's grace and his own obedience.

Truth Magazine XIX: 50, p. 797
October 30, 1975