1 Wisdom hath builded her house; She hath hewn out her seven pillars:
2 She hath killed her beasts; She hath mingled her wine; She hath also furnished her table:
3 She hath sent forth her maidens; She crieth upon the highest places of the city:
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,
5 Come, eat ye of my bread, And drink of the wine which I have mingled.
6 Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding.
7 He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling; And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee: Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, And the years of thy life shall be increased.
12 If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.
13 The foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knoweth nothing.
14 And she sitteth at the door of her house, On a seat in the high places of the city,
15 To call to them that pass by, Who go right on their ways:
16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither; And as for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,
17 Stolen waters are sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
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)