|
Return to Writings Index
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God
for the salvation of everyone who believes (Roman 1:16)
Everyone Who Believes? BELIEVES WHAT?
What is it that you must believe in order to be saved?
Note from Lee: This article was based on a sermon by
Jim McClarty, Pastor of Grace
Christian Assembly. I am sure that along the way I may have
deviated from Jim's original material. Any theological errors on
this page that occur due to those deviations should not be a negative
reflection on Jim but rather on myself. Visit the CGA web site for
some lively Sovereign Grace teaching! Mmm-mm, Good!
1. I believe that God exists!
Great! Most people in America, when hard pressed for an answer
will admit "Yes, I believe in God". Some will modify that and
say they believe in "a" god of some kind or a "force"
or "creative power". But most profess a belief in some
kind of deity. Most people in Islamic countries when asked, will
say "Yes, I believe in God". Most Jews will answer the same way.
But is merely believing in God sufficient evidence of your salvation?
James says:
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons
believe that and shudder." - James 2:19
So every demonic spirit in hell admits that God exists. Unfortunately,
your salvation is not guaranteed by merely giving mental ascent
to the obvious fact that God lives. Paul says:
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities
- his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been made, so that men are without
excuse." - Romans 1:20
Creation itself is evidence of a creator. If you have eyes, according
to the Bible, then you have seen the universal evidence of God's
existence. You can not know everything there is to know about God
from creation alone. However,
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' " - Psalm
53:1
Professing that God exists does NOT save you any more than it
saves the demons in hell. Admitting God exists only proves that
you are not a fool.
The bible says you must also believe in Jesus Christ…. but believe
what?
2. I believe that
Jesus existed!
Many people do not believe that Jesus actually walked the earth
- that He is just some fictional literary figure. Others will admit
that they believe he was a real man that actually existed and that
He was most likely a good and wise teacher, like Buddha or Mohammed,
who said some really great things about loving your neighbor."
Few will go so far as to call Jesus "God in the flesh" or the "Son
of God". But many will admit the "Yes, I believe a man named Jesus
existed".
But is that enough?
The Pharisees that confronted Jesus believed that he existed. He
was standing right in front of them and yet when speaking to them,
Jesus said:
"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How
will you escape being condemned to hell?" - Matthew
23:33
If you asked any one of these Pharisees, "Do you believe that Jesus
exists?" They would all say, "Yes, of course I do… he just said
I am going to hell and that makes me very angry."
So apparently, it is not sufficient even to say "I believe in Jesus
- that he actually lived." It matters WHAT you believe ABOUT Jesus.
In the bible, Jesus reveals Himself to be the Son of God so you
must believe that. But is even THAT enough?
3. I believe Jesus is the Son of the Living
God?
Many people begin to fall away at this point. "Existence,
sure… but Divinity? Born to a virgin by the Holy Spirit? Come on!",
they will say.
But there ARE those who will stand up in the front of a church
and say, "Yes, I believe Jesus is the Son of God!" They may even
go so far as to lift their hands to the sky and worship Him AS the
Son of God."
SURELY THAT must be sufficient proof of one's salvation? Right?
Well, when Jesus spoke to the demons who possessed the man who
lived in the tombs, it says that:
When [the demoniac] saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and
fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the
top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son
of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture
me!"
For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of
this man, you evil spirit!"
Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."
And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out
of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow
us to go into them." He gave them permission, and the evil
spirits came out and went into the pigs. - Mark 5:6-13
Look at this closely: the demons, while possessing this man, fell
on their knees before Jesus. They shouted and called him the "Son
of the Most High God". They begged for mercy, made requests of Him
and Jesus even answered their "prayer" by giving them permission
to enter the herd of pigs!
But were these demons saved by ANY of these seemingly worshipful
acts of contrition? No... and neither are you.
The demons believed Jesus was the Son of God and they beseeched
Him and obeyed when He spoke (unlike some professing Christians).
Many people come to church on Sunday morning and they will lift
their hands and shout to Jesus. They will be on their knees at the
altar, weeping and begging for mercy from the Son of God. From all
outward appearances they look like they are saved. But are they
saved BY these actions? Apparently, even demon-possessed
individuals like the fellow living in the tombs can mimic the actions
of a true Christian without actually being saved.
Q: So then what
can YOU DO to guarantee your salvation?
A: Nothing!
Part II: "Lord, Who then can be saved?"
By now you should be asking yourself: "If
it is not what I say or do then what
is the deciding factor in my salvation ? What is it that separates
humanity into the saved and the unsaved?"
IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING
IN YOU!!
The Holy Spirit of God Himself must take up residence in you in
order to guarantee your salvation. Paul said:
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his
Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to
come." - 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and
has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is
to come." - 2 Corinthians 5:5
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you
were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who
is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption
of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."
- Ephesians 1:11-14
So the Holy Spirit living in you is the proof - or the down payment
- that all of the promises that God has made to you about your eternal
security are true. The Holy Spirit seals you and keeps you until
the day of your full bodily resurrection and redemption.
So if the Holy Spirit is the evidence and the guarantee of salvation,
here is the really hard question:
4. Does everyone receive the Holy Spirit?
No. In fact, the world CANNOT receive the Holy Spirit unless God
enables them to receive Him. Jesus said:
"... I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit
of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither
sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you
and will be in you." - John 14:16-17
So if the Holy Spirit is the dividing factor between the saved
and the unsaved, and not everyone receives the Holy Spirit, the
final question begs to be asked and answered:
5. Who decides whether or not the Holy
Spirit will live in a particular person?
Either God decides to put the Holy Spirit in you… or you must
decide to rise up out of your sinful nature and seek after the Holy
Spirit. It must be one or the other because it can not be both.
There are many people who believe the latter - that all men have
the ability to believe, they just choose not to." But Paul
wrote to his fellow believers:
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world
and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is
now at work in those who are disobedient [that is, Satan].
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings
of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like
the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because
of his great love for us [Paul is speaking to believers here],
God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when
we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been
saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him
in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming
ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you
have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians
2:1-10
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision
of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code,
with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed
to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." - Colossians
2:13-14
If you are lying dead in the road after a traffic accident, you
have the freedom, or freewill, to get up and go home
anytime you like - no one can stop you from raising yourself up
out of your deadness. Unfortunately, you lack the internal
ability to do so because you are dead. However, if
a paramedic arrives before it is too late and applies the external
power of a defibrillator to your body, you can be made to live again.
To paraphrase Paul:
"For it is by the the action of the paramedic that you have
been saved, through the power of the defibrillator - and this
was not from yourself, it was a gift from the paramedic - and
you can't take credit for anything because you were dead. He revived
you and gave you new life you would not have had if he chose to
leave you in the road.
The bible teaches that men are born spiritually dead (not just
sick or wounded) in sin - unable to save themselves - and that it
is GOD who initiates the process. He chooses certain people
to become "alive in Christ" while they are still dead in sins,
thus giving them the ABILITY to believe in the Gospel of
Jesus and to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Every man in the world
is FREE to come to Christ or to refuse Him but only those
whom He has made alive are ABLE and WILLING to do
so. Jesus says:
"I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -
John 14:6
Most Christians believe this (though sadly, not all) but Jesus
also said:
"No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the
last day." - John 6:44
So no can come to Jesus unless God draws them. God is the initiator
- the first cause. We are the recipients of his wonderful scandalous
grace. There is no work we can do that can obligate God to save
us. Nor do we wish to be saved without His quickening Spirit in
us. It is His choice not ours.
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined
us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance
with his pleasure and will." - Ephesians 1:4-5
If you have a desire to seek God it is only because God first placed
that desire in you because as Paul says, quoting the prophet Isaiah,
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they
have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,
not even one." - Roman 3:10-12
Once we have been made alive, we "FEEL" as if WE are choosing God
- we are seeking God. Sadly, some believers even feel they are somehow
better or smarter or more spiritual or more righteous than those
who do not believe. But as Paul said
"For it is by grace [unearned or unmerited favor] you
have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."
- Ephesians 2:8
So we are saved by God's grace through faith or belief. And it
does not come from within a man naturally. But rather:
"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:17
Dead men can do nothing on their own except remain dead. Lazarus
was dead in the grave (in his sins) when Jesus called him by name,
"Lazarus, come out!". In that instance, he was made alive. After
that, he was then able to exercise his "freewill" by staying in
the grave or coming out. But it was pretty clear that by the time
he realized where he was - and what circumstances he had been saved
from - he was surely going to "choose" to come to Jesus.
The Spirit of Life entered into him when he was dead. And it was
a specific call to Lazarus. Had Jesus simply said, "Come Out!" perhaps
the entire graveyard would have erupted with revived bodies. Yet
strangely, He only called Lazarus and He chose to leave all there
rest where the already were… dead in their sins.
But it was that first call - the Word of Christ - that made him
alive in the first place. When Jesus calls us by name, we are born
of the Spirit. And it is at that point we begin to run from God
and hide and argue and wrestle with His plans and purpose for us.
But a man cannot run from God unless He is being chased.
NEW!!
An Addendum
Part III: "O, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me
from the body of this death?"
After reviewing this article, I realized that I may have left the
reader hanging and perhaps feeling a bit helpless and/or desperate
(which may not be a bad thing!). I have established the fact that
the difference between the saved and the unsaved is ultimately NOT
the way people think or act but rather it is God's Sovereign choice
as to who receives the Holy Spirit. This conclusion will most likely
bring about one of three responses:
1. "Whatever... I could not care less about any of this."
OR
2. "You are nuts and a heretic! I could never worship a god
who picks and chooses people to go to heaven and then sends other
people to hell with no possibility of being saved. That's unfair!
Even so, I know I'm saved because look at how good I am (most of
the time) and look at all the wonderful things I have done for Jesus
(recently). He HAS TO let me into heaven!
OR
3. Oh no! I am a wretched individual and I deserve to go to hell.
I have no excuse for my sinfulness. I am TOTALLY at the mercy of
God. Oh Lord, please have mercy on me - a sinner.
"How can I know if I have the Holy
Spirit in me - the guarantee of my salvation"
We have already shown that it is not by some outward "charismatic"
actions (that can easily be faked or mimicked). However, there are
some very definite, if not subtle, ways of being assured that your
salvation is set in stone.
1. Upon hearing the evidence that you are totally at the mercy
of the Sovereign King of the Universe (and that there is nothing
YOU can DO to secure your own salvation), you panic and begin to
worry that you may not be saved!
This is a good thing! Spiritually dead people do not worry about
the fact that they may go to hell. Most of them are proud of it
and they are looking forward to the trip! Other people do not believe
in hell - contrary to scripture - and those that do, don't believe
that a loving God would actually ever send them there - especially
in light of the "great works" they have done and the many
"sacrifices" they have made to prove their righteousness.
But Jesus said:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on
that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in
your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I
will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
- Matthew 7:21-23
Those people who ALREADY have the Holy Spirit at work in them
will begin to realize how deserving of hell they really are and
how futile and worthless are all of their efforts to achieve self-righteousness.
This is called the "conviction of the Holy Spirit". This
is different than simple remorse for things you have done wrong.
Even the "heathen" feel bad occasionally for their wickedness
towards people since every man has a conscience of some sort. But
the Holy Spirit speaks to YOUR spirit and reveals to you that you
ARE sinful. More important, He reveals to you that you are absolutely
bankrupt and in desperate need of a Savior.
2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ (His substitutionary death and
resurrection) actually sounds like "good news" to you!
Having realized your desperate situation, you hear that God sent
His sinless son to the world to die in your place. The Holy Spirit
testifies to your spirit that this is in fact TRUE and enables you
to believe it! You may not be able to explain why or how it works
but you know that you know that you know. Every time the enemy reminds
you of how evil and unworthy of redemption that you are, the Holy
Spirit reminds you that it is not by your own works of righteousness
that you have been saved but rather it is by God's Sovereign grace
and mercy though Christ's sacrifice on the cross. You don't have
to be good enough or stack up a mountain of works to be saved. Christ
has done all the work you will ever need.
Now THAT is some Good News!!!
By the way, the English word "gospel" comes from an "Olde"
English contraction of the phrase, "Good Spiel" or "Good
Talk". In the modern vernacular we would say "Good News".
This phrase was originally translated from the Greek word "eu-aggelion"
(eu “well” and aggello “to announce”) and is where we get the words
evangelize (-ist, -ism). Which leads to my next point:
3. Realizing that you have been saved by God's Grace, you may
find it difficult to shut up about it.
Filled with the knowledge that God has chosen to save you when
He could just have easily passed over you, you begin to be filled
with the desire to tell others about His gift of grace to you. The
Holy Spirit fills you with strange new desires. You may not be able
to stop thinking about Jesus. You will desire to read the bible...
and it will actually make sense to you!! You most likely will talk
to your friends, your family and even strangers about Jesus. You
may begin to recognize that there are people out there who have
heard the good news about Christ and that you could be the only
person around who can tell them about it. Sadly, some people may
begin to avoid you. Your old friends will think you are crazy or
a religious freak. You could lose your job, your family or your
life. But the Holy Spirit will not let you stop testifying to the
goodness of God.
4. Finally, you will stop trying to take credit for your salvation
and you will seek to give ALL glory and honor to Christ, who has
saved you.
The Holy Spirit in you will cause you to cringe at the idea of
taking even the smallest amount of glory from Jesus by suggesting
that you had anything at all to do with your redemption. Christ
is King. He deserves to be worshiped and loved as such. That love
is expressed through obedience and not through meaningless words
or emotions. Christ has died for His people and His people recognize
this sacrifice and obey Him as their master.
Jesus said:
"If anyone loves me, he will obey
my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to
him and make our home with him." - John 14:23
John wrote:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving
God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to
obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for
everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory
that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes
the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
- 1 John 5:1-5
In God's economy, love and obedience are synonymous. God does not
seek, nor does He need our "emotional" love (even though
believers will give it to Him freely for the kindness He has shown
them). Rather, He requires our obedience. To obey is to love, to
love is to obey. And the Spirit in you will see to it that you express
your love to God through obedience.
Your supposed "freewill" adds nothing to the submission
equation and to argue for its value is to show that you are still
seeking to justify yourself by your "efforts" (as if God
will reward you for your excellent decision making ability). In
reality, submission is submission. Whether you like it or not is
irrelevant to God - just ask Jonah or Jeremiah or Saul of Tarsus.
You do not get extra credit for loving/obeying God - you are SUPPOSED
to love/obey Him. Since the only thing "freewill" gives
you is the ability to DISOBEY (or to NOT LOVE) God, the Holy Spirit
will cause you to stop holding it up as a virtue to be respected
by God. You will, in fact, desire to crucify your "freewill"
- your flesh - so that Christ might live fully in you in order to
accomplish HIS plan and purpose for your life, not your own.
This is something that only the Holy Spirit can teach you because
your flesh will HATE THIS IDEA - which is also a pretty good indicator
that it is the truth!
|
