Gospel Message (not written by me)
*** SALVATION IS OF THE LORD ***
What the Bible Says To You
About Personal Salvation
The word salvation implies different things to different people. The typical dictionary, for example, defines salvation as, "Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil." The Bible, however, gives new meaning to this word and reveals that true salvation from sin, and the destruction that results from sin, come wholly and solely from God.
My friend, there is a very pointed verse in God's Word, the Bible, which reads:
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God
(Romans 14:12).
Someday, whether it be today or years from now, you will personally give an account of your life to God. May I ask you, what kind of an account will you be able to give?
I would like to take just a few moments of your time to outline what God's Word says to you about salvation and how you can receive it. Please take the next few moments to consider four things. These few moments will be the most important in your life.
1. Realize That You Are A Sinner
Sin, which literally means "to miss the mark," and is simply the breaking of God's law (or commandments), came into the world because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. That one sin brought death to every man and woman without exception.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
(Romans 5:12).
For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23a).
Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:15b).
The type of death these verses are speaking of is not only physical death, since man slowly began to die when he sinned, but spiritual death as well. This death is described in Revelation 20:14 and 21:8:
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
Second Death.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the Second Death.
This spiritural death is the result of God's wrath upon man's sin. Because God is holy and just by His very nature, He must punish sin ("The soul that sinneth, it shall die," Ezekial 18:4). In one of the most pointed statements of Scripture, we read:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [or suppress]
the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of
God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them (Romans
1:18-19).
Is this not a sobering and frightening thought? Many people today, even religious people, speak of God's love, but few speak of His wrath. But God's wrath is just as real as His love. Why is God's wrath upon man? Because man in his sin suppresses the truth about God that God Himself put in man. By nature man hates God:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God,
neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Who changed the truth of God
into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature [man] more
than the Creator [God], Who is blessed for ever. (Romans 1:21,
25).
The Bible reveals that man is so sinful that he is actually "dead in trespasses and sins," and that he conducts his entire life according to "the desires of the flesh and of the mind" (Ephesians 2:1-3). Just as a physical corpse is incapable of resuscitating itself, neither can the spiritually dead man do anything to resuscitate himself spiritually. He can do nothing righteous, nothing good, nothing to please God. Yes, he can do "good things" as far as earthly good is concerned, such as humanitarian acts, but in the sight of God he, like all of us, is:
. . .an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6).
Nothing that we do here on earth can satisfy the righteousness of God. All of our good deeds and good intentions are as offensive to God as a "menstrual cloth," which is the literal meaning of "filthy rags."
Most people do not think that sin is a serious problem at all. Most think it simply means "an honest mistake" or other such thing. But sin and its results are terrible and ugly.
Romans 1:18-32 paints a truly hideous picture of man's sinfulness. We read there that man suppresses God's truth, is unthankful for what God has done, is foolish, worships other gods, even himself, is unclean, and indulges in vile, obscene, and repulsive behavior. It goes on to say that man is "filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, [and] maliciousness, [that] he is full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, [and] evil-mindedness, [and that men] are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, [and] unmerciful." The last verse then says that "those who practice such things are deserving of death." Yes, sin is, indeed, a terrible thing!
In case we be tempted to think that we might be an exception, consider these words:
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is
none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10-13,
23).
Again, in ourselves, we cannot please God. Spiritually speaking, any so-called "good thing" we do means nothing. There are countless religious people who go to church, observe a sacrament, get involved in a cause, or even get active in "ministry," but it means absolutely nothing spiritually speaking.
But, thank God, "Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
2. Recognize Who Jesus Is And That He Is The Only Way Of Salvation
Of all the questions in life, the most important one is found in Matthew 22:42: "What think ye of Christ?" Some say that Jesus was just a good man, or a good teacher, but if this is true, then He was the most brazen liar Who ever lived, for He claimed to be God (Matthew 4:10; John 10:30-33; etc.).
Dear friend, what do you think about Jesus Christ? The answer Peter gave to a similar question in Matthew 16:13 ("Whom do men say that I am?") was, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 16).
Jesus was, indeed, God in the flesh (John 1:14) and came into this world to die for sinners like you and me, and it is only through Him that we can have eternal life.
But God commendeth [proves] his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord
(Romans 6:23b).
Church membership, baptism, confirmation, or any other "good work" will not save you. Only the blood of Jesus Christ will save you.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Jesus saith unto him, 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).
In Whom [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
(Ephesians 1:7).
The word grace is perhaps the most beautiful word in the Bible. It's basic meaning is "unmerited favor," that is, a kindness shown to us who are guilty of sin, worthy of death, and totally undeserving of salvation. The work of salvation, from beginning to end, is wholly by God's grace, and true, eternal salvation from the horrors of Hell is found only in Jesus Christ. "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).
3. Repent Of Your Sin
Repentance means "to change your mind" and clearly implies turning from one thing to another. To become a Christian means you change your mind about sin; that is, you no longer want sin to be the rule in your life; you no longer want to cling to the very thing that condemned you to Hell.
Our Lord Jesus made the need for repentance quite clear in Luke 13:3:
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish.
Other verses are equally clear:
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out. . .(Acts 3:19).
. . .God. . .now commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts
17:30).
. . .repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance
(Acts 26:20).
God's Word also clearly reveals the reason we need to repent of our sin and believe in Jesus Christ, namely, to have righteousness.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all
and upon all them that believe (Romans 3:21-22).
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10).
Believing in Christ and His shed blood immediately implies our desire for His righteousness. When we come to Jesus Christ, our entire life changes; sin is no longer the rule:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II
Corinthians 5:17).
4. Receive Christ As Your Savior And Lord
The final principle of salvation, which we have already mentioned, is believing in (or receiving) Christ, which, wholly by God's grace, gives us eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life (John 3:16).
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 (Romans 10:9).
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved (Romans 10:13).
Believing in Christ, however, means more than a simple mental assent to a few facts about Jesus. For example, it is just as easy to say, "Oh, yes, of course I believe in Jesus, " as it is to say, "Oh, yes, of course I believe in Abraham Lincoln." Even Satan and his demons "believe in" God and even tremble at the thought (James 2:19), but they do not love or obey Him, and hence are not saved.
The word believe means "to trust, to be firmly persuaded as to something" and also carries the idea of obedience. In short, believing
is obeying. Believing immediately and fundamentally demands lordship, because it has the underlying foundation of obedience, commitment, and submission.
To illustrate, when someone believes something, regardless of what it is, that belief in some way changes them and results in some action or behavior that is characteristic of the belief. For example, we all believe in the law of gravity and our behavior proves our belief (that is, we don't jump off tall buildings).
Applying this to salvation, to "believe in Jesus" means three things. First, it means to believe in Who He is, that He is God incarnate, Savior, and Sovereign Lord. Second, it means to believe in what He did, that He died for your sins and rose again from the grave. Third, it means to believe in what He says, to trust Him and His Word implicitly and desire to obey Him in all things. To obey Him means we acknowledge His lordship and submit to His authority.
It is Biblically impossible and totally contradictory to say you will receive Christ as Savior but not as Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord, and for you to be saved, you must accept Him as such. The Lord Jesus clearly emphasizes that before someone believes they must "count the cost" and then follow Him unconditionally (Luke 14:26-33; see also Matthew 7, in which the whole context is a progression concerning salvation; Matthew 10:34-39; Luke 6:46-49; etc.).
As we noted earlier, salvation fundamentally implies a changed life.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord
[unconditionally], so walk ye in Him [unconditionally and
in holiness] (Colossians 2:6).
The life of the Christian is different than that of the non-Christian. His "walk" (that is, his life) is characterized by holy living and obedience to the things of Christ. In the words our Lord:
If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed
(John 8:31).
If ye love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15).
Will You Believe?
What do you think of Christ? What is your need? Will you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord right now? May I urge you to believe without delay. God's Word appeals to those who would put off receiving Christ:
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation (II Corinthians 6:2b).
Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day
may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1).
Without the saving grace of God and the redemption of Christ's blood, you will remain in your sin and spiritual death and will one day face the Lord Jesus in judgment.
God. . .now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He
hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in
righteousness by that Man [Christ] whom He hath ordained; whereof
He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him
[Christ] from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).
May I urge you once again to believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord right now. He came so that you "might have life, and that [you] might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Truly, "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).
