1 Elihu also proceeded, and said,
2 Suffer me a little, and I will show thee; For I have yet somewhat to say on God's behalf.
3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4 For truly my words are not false: One that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.
5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6 He preserveth not the life of the wicked, But giveth to the afflicted their right.
7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: But with kings upon the throne He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.
8 And if they be bound in fetters, And be taken in the cords of afflictions;
9 Then he showeth them their work, And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
10 He openeth also their ear to instruction, And commandeth that they return from iniquity.
11 If they hearken and serve him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
12 But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge.
13 But they that are godless in heart lay up anger: They cry not for help when he bindeth them.
14 They die in youth, And their life perisheth among the unclean.
15 He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression.
16 Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness.
17 But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked: Judgment and justice take hold on thee.
18 For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements; Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside.
19 Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress, Or all the forces of thy strength?
20 Desire not the night, When peoples are cut off in their place.
21 Take heed, regard not iniquity: For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
22 Behold, God doeth loftily in his power: Who is a teacher like unto him?
23 Who hath enjoined him his way? Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?
24 Remember that thou magnify his work, Whereof men have sung.
25 All men have looked thereon; Man beholdeth it afar off.
26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable.
27 For he draweth up the drops of water, Which distil in rain from his vapor,
28 Which the skies pour down And drop upon man abundantly.
29 Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, The thunderings of his pavilion?
30 Behold, he spreadeth his light around him; And he covereth the bottom of the sea.
31 For by these he judgeth the peoples; He giveth food in abundance.
32 He covereth his hands with the lightning, And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark.
33 The noise thereof telleth concerning him, The cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up.
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)