SALVATION MISUNDERSTOOD
• Every Believer Should Know How He Got Saved
When we speak of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, we do not mean simply believing that there is a God.
I believed that there was a God, that He had a Son named Jesus who died on the cross, was buried, and rose again before I got saved.
Just acknowledging that there is a God means nothing in the matter of salvation.
James 2:19
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
Acknowledging the facts about God does not get you saved.
Salvation involves both Biblical repentance and faith and results in a changed life.
Listen closely to these verses.
2nd Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
The old things: You were condemned already, you were under the wrath of God, you were dead in trespasses and sins, you were on your way to Hell.
The new things: You are no longer condemned, you are no longer under the wrath of God, you are no longer dead in your trespasses and sins, your sins are forgiven, you are on your way to Heaven.
Since those things are true in your life there should be an obvious change in your life.
You should no longer be doing what the crowd is doing.
You should desire the things of God.
Titus 2:11
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Titus 2:12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
If what you call salvation has not given you a desire to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world and look for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ you are not saved.
2nd Timothy 3:13
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
There are many who are deceived and they are all out to deceive you.
James 1:22
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
When you learn truth from the word of God you must apply it to your life or you are leaving yourself open for deception.
The Bible says;
Hebrews 11:6
“But 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.”
We must believe on Christ as Saviour in order to be saved:
John 3:14
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
John 3:15
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
In Acts chapter 10, we see an example of this progression from believing in God, to believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.
• The Roman centurion described
Acts 10:2
“A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.”
The Centurion was a respected religious man.
Acts 10:22
“And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”
This man was just and devout, but though he prayed, gave generously to the poor, feared God, and had a good report among the whole nation, he was lost.
In Acts 10:4, the angel tells him that his prayers and alms had come up for a “memorial before God,” but this didn’t cleanse the centurion from his sins.
Acts 10:4
“And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.”
Acts 10:35 says that any man who fears God and works righteousness is even “accepted” with God, but not saved.
Acts 10:35
“But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”
Rather, he is accepted as ready to receive the gospel.
What happened to the Roman centurion?
God rewarded him for seeking God (Hebrews 11:6) by sending Peter to preach the gospel to him.
Hebrews 11:6
“But 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.”
When the centurion heard it, he believed, and then he was born of the Spirit of God.
(He received eternal life.)
No doubt he was an unusual man (better than many Christians I know), but being good, and even believing there was a God could not save him.
The Roman centurion had to believe the gospel of the grace of God.
In the first letter to the church at Corinth it is made clear that this is the way all men are saved in the Church Age.
1st Corinthians 15:1
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1st Corinthians 15:2
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
Saved by what? By the gospel!
Now, let’s read the rest of this passage of scripture and learn exactly what “the gospel” is.
1st Corinthians 15:3
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1st Corinthians 15:4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
This is the gospel that must be preached and received— the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the scriptures.
Nothing about water baptism can be found anywhere near this passage.
Plainly, water baptism is not an essential part of salvation, and it is heresy to teach that it is.
The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the scriptures.
A man can believe in his mind that the gospel is true, yet remain unsaved.
Salvation, in the Bible, is when one comes to God with a repentant heart, believing upon Jesus as his Saviour: crucified for his sins, buried and resurrected according to the scriptures.
Believing the gospel in one’s mind does no good; it must be coupled with recognition of personal and individual need.
You provide the sinner and God provides the Saviour.
Many believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world, but that is not good enough.
You must believe that He died for you as an individual.
To better understand how a man gets saved, let’s take a look at three things that lead to his conversion.
A. You Must Realize Your Condition.
B. You Must Respect God’s Provision.
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
A. You Must Realize Your Condition.
1. Before salvation you are a Christ rejecting sinner
You must see, from the Bible that you are a sinner and you must understand that without the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are without hope and on your way to Hell.
• Some good Bible verses to look at are:
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
The Bible says that “all” have sinned— without exception!
(That is not my interpretation of the verse; it is simply what the Bible says.)
Romans 3:10
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
When the Bibles says “all” it means all and when it says “none” it means none.
Romans 5:12
“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 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death, but it also makes it clear that the only remedy is “life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Because of Adam’s sin, everyone since then has been under the curse of death.
Each of us must also suffer physical death if the Lord tarries, but the death that “passed upon all men” is that spiritual death that has cut us off from God.
This leads to “the second death” of Revelation 20:11-15 (the wrath of God poured out upon the lost in Hell), where the lost man is cast into a Lake of Fire, and eternally separated from God.
Revelation 20:14
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
The contrast is “eternal life,” passed on to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
When we believe, we experience the new birth by which we are quickened (made alive in Christ Jesus).
God does not give anyone eternal life because they deserve it.
No, Jesus came to save ungodly sinners — that is why one must realize he is lost before he can get saved.
Counting his own works as nothing, one must trust in Christ’s work.
The following verses make this plain.
Matthew 9:13
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Romans 4:4
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Romans 5:6
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Man is not in this lost, ungodly state because of the bad things he does.
On the contrary, he does bad things because of his lost state.
This condition is common to all men because of Adam’s sin.
In the following passage of scripture from Luke’s gospel we have an example of two unsaved men with very different backgrounds and lifestyles.
One is a self-righteous man, while the other, by his own confession, is an unsaved sinner.
Luke 18:10
“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luke 18:11
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luke 18:12
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”
That is the proclamation of the self-righteous man, who believes that his works would justify him before God.
Now, let us read the confession of the poor lost publican:
Luke 18:13
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Luke 18:14
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
To which prayer does God give attention?—to that of the publican.
Broken in spirit because of his sins, he confessed to God that he was a lost sinner, and cried out for mercy.
Therefore, it was also he who “went away justified, rather than the other.”
There are still people like the Pharisee today, who try to justify themselves before the Lord.
They usually say things like:
“I never harmed anyone; God would not send me to hell.”
“I never killed anybody or stole anything; I love my neighbor.”
A. You Must Realize Your Condition.
1. Before salvation you are a Christ rejecting sinner
2. You are hopelessly lost and on your way to a burning Hell, under the wrath of God.
Many so-called good, clean, moral people will be in Hell because they were unwilling to come to the Lord Jesus Christ with their sin.
But, no matter how good a man thinks himself to be, he must realize he is a lost Hell-bound sinner before he can get saved.
An honest man will see from the Bible that without Christ, he has no hope.
Ephesians 2:12
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”
Furthermore he is a child of wrath:
Ephesians 2:1
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
A. You Must Realize Your Condition.
1. Before salvation you are a Christ rejecting sinner
2. You are hopelessly lost and on your way to a burning Hell, under the wrath of God.
B. You Must Respect God’s Provision.
1. You must see that God’s only provision for the cleansing of sin is the blood of His Son.
So many think they have to do something to get saved, but we can do nothing.
God is the only one who can help us: He is our only hope.
Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 shows clearly that salvation is a gift, and therefore cannot be earned by works.
Romans 5:15-18 also deals with this, comparing Christ and Adam. Using a colored marker, highlight in your Bible the word “gift” each time it occurs in these verses. (This will emphasize that salvation is indeed the free gift of God to all who believe.)
Romans 5:15
“But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Romans 5:16
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Romans 5:17
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 5:18
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
If good works could save us, God would owe us our salvation as a debt.
It would no longer be a “free gift,” but a reward.
Grace is the free unmerited favor of God (Romans 4:4, 5).
Romans 4:4
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
According to these verses when one receives Jesus Christ by faith he has “obeyed the gospel.”
The Bible does not say that obeying the gospel means “repent, confess, believe and be baptized,” no matter what anyone says.
The Bible definition of obeying the gospel is found in Romans chapter 10.
Romans 10:16
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?”
We obey the gospel by believing in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As the Bible says, it is a free gift, not an earned reward.
Regarding salvation, all religions say do, while God says done.
When Jesus died on the cross, the work of salvation was completed.
From the cross the Lord Jesus uttered these words:
John 19:30
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
God’s only plan of salvation in this Church Age is by grace alone, through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If man’s works contributed in any way to his salvation, God would be saving sinners to pay a debt He owed them.
But God is indebted to no one, because we are saved by the work of His Son on the cross.
Here is a simple illustration to help explain that salvation is absolutely free.
Holding a pencil or a coin (or any small item that is handy) in the palm of your hand, offer it as a free gift to the person you are dealing with.
When he accepts it, tell him that’s all he has to do to receive eternal life— just simply take the free gift.
John 3:16
“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 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
A. You Must Realize Your Condition.
1. Before salvation you are a Christ rejecting sinner
2. You are hopelessly lost and on your way to a burning Hell, under the wrath of God.
B. You Must Respect God’s Provision.
1. You must see that God’s only provision for the cleansing of sin is the blood of His Son.
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
1. The Holy Spirit Draws Men To Christ
We cannot lead people to Christ unless the Holy Spirit is convicting them of sin, and drawing them to Christ.
The Bible plainly says,
John 6:44
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Furthermore we read in the Gospel of John:
John 12:32
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
Those called Calvinists teach that Christ died for only a select few, not for all.
That is a lie straight out of Hell!
The Lord Jesus promised that He would “draw all men” to himself.
Again we read in the scriptures, that:
2nd Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Still, not everyone will be saved.
The Holy Spirit will convict a man of sin and give him faith to believe, but if the sinner hardens his heart toward the gospel, there is nothing more we can do with him.
We can show him the scriptures and pray for him, but we cannot give him the desire to be saved.
In the last chapter of the book of Revelation the Holy Spirit gives this invitation for all to be saved.
Revelation 22:17
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
1. The Holy Spirit Draws Men To Christ
2. Repentance
You may be wondering, “What about repentance— don’t I have to repent?” Yes, that is clear from the word of God.
Acts 17:30
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
But what is repentance?
Well, it is not merely sorrow for sin.
There are many who weep over sin, but without repentance, immediately return to their wicked ways.
The Bible tells us that Esau:
Hebrews 12:17
“For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
Remorse and tears often accompany repentance, but they are not repentance in themselves.
Charles H. Spurgeon wrote:
“A man may hate sin just as a murderer hates the gallows, but this does not prove repentance. If I hate sin because of the punishment, I have not repented of sin. I merely regret that God is just. But if I can see sin as an offence against Jesus Christ, and loathe myself because I have wounded Him, then I have true brokenness of heart.”
Doing penance is not repentance either; for that would give the sinner some works by which he might think himself to merit salvation.
In reality, this unscriptural teaching actually hinders true repentance, which is a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct.
Repentance: As touching the intellect
In Matthew 21, we read a story of a lad called to work.
Matthew 21:28
“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
Matthew 21:29
He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.”
At first the boy refused to work in the vineyard, but later he repented, changed his mind and actually went to work in the vineyard.
Repentance: As touching the emotions
While sorrow is not itself repentance, one cannot be said to have experienced true repentance with some remorse for his sin.
2nd Corinthians 7:9
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2nd Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
The publican in Luke 18:13 smote upon his breast, indicating sorrow of heart and seeking of repentance.
Luke 18:13
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
In Luke 7:38, the woman who anointed Jesus with ointment literally washed His feet with her tears.
She demonstrated her sorrow for sin and repented unto salvation.
Just how much emotion is necessary in true repentance no one can say?
But it is evident from the use of the word in the scriptures that it involves an emotional upheaval.
And even though it may not be accompanied by a flood of tears, or even a single tear, there should be a certain amount of heart movement.
About this Spurgeon says:
“A sinner has a heart as well as a head; a sinner has emotions as well as thoughts, and we must appeal to both. A sinner will never be converted until his emotions are stirred.”
When you realize that you have sinned against God and you are going to Hell it should cause some emotion.
Repentance: As touching the will
Repentance teaches that one turns from something to something.
The prodigal son of Luke 15:18 said,
Luke 15:18
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luke 15:19
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luke 15:20
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
He not only thought upon his ways, and felt sorry because of them, but he also turned his steps in the direction of home.
So in a very real sense, repentance comes through crisis, that brings the hope of a changed life ahead.
Repentance is not only the result of a heart broken for sin, but extends to the turning from sin as well.
Repentance is a twofold act of turning from sin, to God.
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
1. The Holy Spirit Draws Men To Christ
2. Repentance
a. The confessing of sin to God.
Psalms 38:18
“For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.”
Romans 10:9
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 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:12
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
The “confession… made unto salvation” in verse 9 is our confession to God.
It is made when we “call upon the name of the Lord.”
It is the confession of our sin and our belief in the Lord Jesus as Saviour.
This naturally leads us to confess Him before men, because, as verse 11 says, “whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”
True believers aren’t ashamed of their Lord, and He is not ashamed of them.
Not once has He ever turned away a repentant sinner coming to Him for salvation.
Hear the words of the Lord Jesus:
John 6:37
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:38
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:39
And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
The publican said, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” The prodigal cried, “I have sinned against heaven.”
a. The confessing of sin to God.
b. The forsaking of sin.
Isaiah 55:7
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Proverbs 28:13
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
a. The confessing of sin to God.
b. The forsaking of sin.
c. A turning unto God.
Turning from sin without turning to God is reformation without regeneration.
As is shown in the letter to the Thessalonians, the will is turned to God and idols are turned from. .
1st Thessalonians 1:9
“For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;”
Joel 2:13
“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
Repentance is not something we can pump up within ourselves— it is granted of the Lord to all who seek Him through brokenness of spirit and godly sorrow for sin.
Psalms 34:18
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Acts 11:18
“When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
2nd Timothy 2:25
“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”
Repentance is a prominent subject in the scriptures, being mentioned over one hundred times.
The burden of God’s heart is for all to repent.
2nd Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Failure to obey results in eternal damnation
Luke 13:3
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
In actual experience, confession, repentance, and belief all take place at practically the same time.
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
1. The Holy Spirit Draws Men To Christ
2. Repentance
3. Believing God.
The foundation and assurance of our salvation lies in the word of God.
Romans 10:17
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
1st Thessalonians 2:13
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
“But these things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” — John 20:31
We know that preaching from the Bible is God’s primary means of making His word known unto the lost.
1st Corinthians 1:21
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
We must not base our salvation on an emotional experience, but on the word of God.
Some people cry when they get saved, and some shout when they get saved.
Others quietly believe the word of God and yield to His will.
However, if they have truly believed the gospel, all of them are saved, whether they cry or shout or say nothing at all.
Different people have different kinds of emotions.
We cannot see, feel, or touch Jesus.
Our salvation rests solely upon what the Bible says.
Suppose we awaken one day feeling terrible, as if the whole world were falling apart and landing on us.
Because we don’t feel well or feel like praising God, does that mean we’re no longer saved?
Not at all!
We will never have assurance of our salvation if we rely upon our feelings to prove it.
The Bible says we must have a single mind about things—the mind of Christ.
We must believe what He said, not what we think or feel.
Otherwise we will always be on the roller coaster of our emotions; first up, then down, never settled and stable.
The Bible says:
James 1:8
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
Isaiah 26:3
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
We must set our hearts upon the Lord and fill our minds with the word of God.
Thereby we shall find peace, because we can trust in Him and we can believe His word.
Now, we are going to find out what the Bible says about being saved, and what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible verses we are going to look at actually have the word saved in them and talk about being saved.
When we trust in the word of God and do what it says, we can have all confidence that God will do what he says He will do.
John 1:12
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
To “believe on his name” (John 1:12) is to receive Christ as Saviour, and become a son of God.
In the verse following that we see the new birth spoken of.
John 1:13
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 3:3
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
To be born again, we must trust Christ as our personal Saviour.
In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul tells those who have already trusted Christ.
Ephesians 1:12
“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Ephesians 1:13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
We must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as our Saviour.
Let me emphasize that we get saved by receiving a person.
No one gets saved by receiving a thing: we must receive a person.
We acknowledge our trust in Christ by simply asking Him to save us.
Romans 10:13
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
A. You Must Realize Your Condition.
1. Before salvation you are a Christ rejecting sinner
2. You are hopelessly lost and on your way to a burning Hell, under the wrath of God.
B. You Must Respect God’s Provision.
1. You must see that God’s only provision for the cleansing of sin is the blood of His Son.
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
1. The Holy Spirit Draws Men To Christ
C. You Must Receive God’s Appropriation.
1. The Holy Spirit Draws Men To Christ
2. Repentance
3. Believing God.
