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Acts 16:25-31
[25] And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
[26] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
[27] And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
[28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
[29] Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
[30] And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
[31] And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Romans 10:9-10
[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Acts 2:37-38
[37] Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
[38] Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I have preached on the simplicity of the gospel before but today I want to focus clearly and closely at what this entails so let's go one step further and look at the "Simplicity of Salvation".

We know that the gospel is basically two things:
1) The Good News of Jesus Christ
2) The Death Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Salvation defined:
Deliverance from the power and effects of sin

Gospel defined:
1) The message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
2) One of the first four New Testament books telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ

To understand the difference between gospel and salvation we understand that the gospel is the message while salvation is the results of the message.

Salvation is such an all encompassing and general word. It is much like defining the word church. It encompasses a large arena. Salvation encompasses a large arena. I want to narrow our search down to the matter of eternal salvation from the perspective of Jesus Christ.

The story of the Philippian jailer is straightforward and direct. When he came to the Apostle Paul he asked a simple question that people have asked throughout the ages:

"What must I do to be saved"

The Apostle Paul gave him a simple straightforward answer:

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved !

In the letter to the Roman Church the Apostle Paul again addresses the matter of salvation when he says if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God hath raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.

It does not get much simpler than that. Paul goes on in the next verse to further define what happens when he says with our heart we believe and with our mouth we confess it with the result being salvation.

If salvation is so simple why have we so complicated the matter?

The disciples who had been with Jesus for over three years and witnessed miracles and deliverance likewise make a simple response when they are asked what a person should do to be saved. They give specific details to what believing and confessing is all about. They told the enquiring people on the Day of Pentecost:

1) repent,
2) be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ and
3) the result will be that you will receive the Holy Ghost.

I doesn't get much simpler. They expressed what steps to take when we believe and express our confession.

In Luke 19 Jesus goes to the home of Zacchaeus who the people of Jericho declared to be a sinner. The people were upset that Jesus would go to the home of a sinner.

Where else should he go or where else should we go. Do we just go to the home of people who are saved? If we do we will never influence others toward salvation.

Zacchaeus voluntarily offers:

1) Lord, half (50%) of my possessions I will give to the poor (humanitarian) and

2) Anything I have taken from anyone falsely I will restore it 4 times. (personal confession and restoration). Zacchaeus confesses he has stolen and volunteers to return it with interest.

Because of these two acts Jesus said that salvation had come to Zacchaeus' home. It's simple: Zacchaeus confesses, repents and restores and as a result receives Salvation.

In John 4 the Woman of Samaria meets Jesus at the well.

The Samaritan Woman has had five husbands and is currently living in adultery as Jesus reveals to her that the man she is currently living with is not her husband.

The woman recognizes Jesus to be a prophet. That's more than what most people do today. Jesus goes on to tell this adulterous woman:
[22] Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
[23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

The woman confessed she knew that the Messiah was to come:
[25] The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Jesus reveals himself to this woman:
[26] Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Jesus simply said the one who is talking to you is the Messiah!

The result was: The woman believed and many of the Samaritans believed.
[39] And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

Jesus stayed for two extra days because the Samaritans asked him to and because he did [41] And many more believed because of his own word;

When the Apostle Peter addressed the Sanhedrin in Acts 4 he declared to them in Verse 22: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The Apostle Paul declared in Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Salvation is simple:
1. Confess with our mouth………..Repentance
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation

2. Declare our repentance in Baptism…….it washes the sins away!
Romans 6:3-4
[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1 Peter 3:20(b)-21
[20 (b)] eight souls were saved by water.
[21] The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

3. The result of these actions is that the Lord will fill you with His Spirit!

Acts 2:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" AT THE BEGINING

Acts 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. AT SAMARIA

Acts 10:44-48
[44] While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
[45] And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
[46] For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
[47] Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
[48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

ON GENTILES IN CAESAREA

IT'S SIMPLE:
1) Listening to the preaching of the Word the Holy Ghost is outpoured
2) They are commanded to be baptized in the name of the Lord

Acts 19:1-6
[1] And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
[2] He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
[3] And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
[4] Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
[5] When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
[6] And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

IT'S SIMPLE
1. Disciples of John the Baptist who had repented but had not heard of the Day of Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Ghost because they were 300 miles away in the city of Ephesus.
2. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
3. The result was they also received the Holy Ghost speaking with tongues and they prophesied

Titus 2:11
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Hebrews 2:3
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Hebrews 5:9
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;