Psalms 106
(American Standard Version)
1 Praise ye Jehovah. Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah, Or show forth all his praise?
3 Blessed are they that keep justice, And he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people; Oh visit me with thy salvation,
5 That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen, That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, That I may glory with thine inheritance.
6 We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses, But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, That he might make his mighty power to be known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.
10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries; There was not one of them left.
12 Then believed they his words; They sang his praise.
13 They soon forgat his works; They waited not for his counsel,
14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert.
15 And he gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.
16 They envied Moses also in the camp, And Aaron the saint of Jehovah.
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And covered the company of Abiram.
18 And a fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeb, And worshipped a molten image.
20 Thus they changed their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.
21 They forgat God their Saviour, Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And terrible things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, They believed not his word,
25 But murmured in their tents, And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.
26 Therefore he sware unto them, That he would overthrow them in the wilderness,
27 And that he would overthrow their seed among the nations, And scatter them in the lands.
28 They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings; And the plague brake in upon them.
30 Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment; And so the plague was stayed.
31 And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness, Unto all generations for evermore.
32 They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes;
33 Because they were rebellious against his spirit, And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples, As Jehovah commanded them,
35 But mingled themselves with the nations, And learned their works,
36 And served their idols, Which became a snare unto them.
37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons,
38 And shed innocent blood, Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus were they defiled with their works, And played the harlot in their doings.
40 Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah kindled against his people, And he abhorred his inheritance.
41 And he gave them into the hand of the nations; And they that hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43 Many times did he deliver them; But they were rebellious in their counsel, And were brought low in their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress, When he heard their cry:
45 And he remembered for them his covenant, And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
46 He made them also to be pitied Of all those that carried them captive.
47 Save us, O Jehovah our God, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks unto thy holy name, And to triumph in thy praise.
48 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye Jehovah.
God's Plan of Salvation
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)
