| [printer version] |
“What must I do to be saved?” These are certainly words of opportunity that every Christian longs to hear. But they can also be words of confusion. What must a person do to be saved really? Go to the front of the church during the altar call? Does there need to be tears and sorrow? What do we mean when we say, “Just believe?” Is it possible that there are those who think they are “saved,” but their names are not written in the Book of Life?  Knowledge and Acceptance are Not Enough James 2:19 tells us that demons understood Jesus was the Messiah. From this, we see clearly that more than just knowledge is needed. What about knowledge and acceptance? Nicodemus came to Jesus in John 3 and accepted that He was a teacher from God. But notice that Jesus does not congratulate Nicodemus on his faith. Jesus lays out for Nicodemus a greater requirement for salvation. No, knowledge and agreement are a necessary part, but they alone do not constitute salvation. I recall interviewing for a job as a prison guard. The boss man noticed that I was a Sunday School teacher. He cautioned me against thinking that I was going to use this job as a missionary field. In his opinion, many of those inmates had a better knowledge of the scriptures than most churchgoers. But he doubted the reality of the inmates' salvation. They had knowledge and acceptance, but they lacked the right motive. He didn't go into specifics. Maybe the inmates thought they would receive good behavior points. Maybe they just wanted to win various spiritual arguments among their cellmates. Is it possible that even people outside prison walls might have knowledge and acceptance, but lack the right motives? In Acts 8 we read of a man named Simon who believed and was baptized, but was he really saved? He even wanted to go around laying hands on people that they might receive the Holy Spirit! Yet we read that Peter rebuked Simon because his heart wasn't right before God. Simon had the knowledge and acceptance concerning Jesus, but he lacked the right motive. What about those inside the church? Might there be a few Simons among us? When I first became a Christian, another young man walked down the aisle with me. We spent a lot of time together attending church, bible study and Sunday School. During that time, he shared his pain over a recent break up with his girlfriend. | For three months, we continued to talk about the Lord. One day I got a call from him to come over to his house. When I got there, he introduced me to his former girlfriend and announced that they were getting back together. That was the last time I saw him in church. Only the Holy Spirit knows what was in his heart, but I question the motive behind his professed salvation. His heart was broken and he turned to Jesus to help deal with the pain, but did he turn to Jesus to save him from his sin? Something More is Needed People come to Jesus for a variety of reasons. Some come because their friends or parents did. Some come because it's what good people do. Some come looking for acceptance or guidance. Some come to Jesus seeking salvation from pain or poverty. Many of these are good reasons, but all fail to deal with the real reason that Jesus came: sin. There must be a point in time when a person turns to Jesus to be saved from sin, a point in time when they change their mind and let go of that which they are trusting in and trust in Christ's atonement and righteousness. And let us be reminded that we are saved by grace. Even though we turn to Christ it is only because grace has enabled us to do so. Last month we talked about the utter inability of man for good outside of God's provision of grace. Let us understand then that those outside of Christ would have nothing to do with Christ unless God, through the Spirit, inclined them. Our turning to Christ was not a result of our efforts but merely our response to God's invitation. Christ on the Cross did the work; will we through faith put our trust in His efforts to make us right with God? Godly Sorrow Worketh Repentance 2 Corinthians 7:10 speaks about Godly sorrow, but what does that look like? To some it is the person coming to the altar with eyes brimming with tears during the last stanza of “Just As I Am.” The degree of emotional display required for salvation is never defined in the Bible. What is required is the repentance or changing of the mind that turns a person to Jesus Christ and from their sin. Not Everyone Will Enter Matthew 7:21 tells us that there is more to salvation than just understanding and accepting. It is about the motivation with which we come to Him. This is not about pointing fingers or witch hunts. It is about being salt and light. Many people are frustrated with God because they have no real relationship with Him, only intellectual understanding or wrong motives. Far from being judgmental, let us be servants like Ananias who went to Saul and showed him the true way so that the scales fell from his eyes. |