1 A wise son heareth his father's instruction; But a scoffer heareth not rebuke.
2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth; But the soul of the treacherous shall eat violence.
3 He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life; But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
5 A righteous man hateth lying; But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.
6 Righteousness guardeth him that is upright in the way; But wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man's life is his riches; But the poor heareth no threatening.
9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth; But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
10 By pride cometh only contention; But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.
12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
13 Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself; But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding giveth favor; But the way of the transgressor is hard.
16 Every prudent man worketh with knowledge; But a fool flaunteth his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falleth into evil; But a faithful ambassador is health.
18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth correction; But he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.
19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul; But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20 Walk with wise men, and thou shalt be wise; But the companion of fools shall smart for it.
21 Evil pursueth sinners; But the righteous shall be recompensed with good.
22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.
23 Much food is in the tillage of the poor; But there is that is destroyed by reason of injustice.
24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son; But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
25 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul; But the belly of the wicked shall want.
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
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) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
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
Acts 3:19
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
Romans 10:9
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)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
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!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
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)