Invitations for Salvation have been common in the Evangelical church and historically those who respond to calls for Salvation came “forward” for forgiveness of sins. However, we now see invitations, not necessarily for forgiveness of sins, but for a better and more prosperous life. The message that Jesus wants them happy and prosperous is happily accepted; the message is that if they will come to Him He will bring give them a better life through principles of successful living. So, is the message of Christ, a message of happiness and personal fulfillment through successful living? Is the Cross God's way of bringing His people to bountiful living? Are we to think in terms of having our “best life now”; is this kind of thinking in agreement with the message of the Cross? The doctrine of successful living opens questions that are never really answered: Has a Christian with a physical or mental disability, or one suffering financial hardship, have they missed God's best, or have they not understood the message of Christ?
Let's begin by defining who or what the un-saved person is being saved from. The Scripture does not teach we are being saved from poverty, or unhappiness, or low self-esteem, for they will not condemn us to hell. We are never told sickness will separate us from God and we are never told that Jesus died so we could realize our dreams of a super life; and we are never told that our desire for fulfillment will save us. According to Scripture, the greatest enemy of the un-repentant is God. You may say, how can that be? Well, we are told God puts within every man "that which may be known of Him", He puts within every man knowledge of Himself. Men, because of their sinfulness reject God, not for lack of knowledge, but because they refuse to know Him. They supress the truth He has put within them. The wording of the KJV is "they hold the truth in unrighteousness." They refuse to believe He exists and they refuse to believe what He says, they forceably exclude the knowledge of Him form their thinking. For this reason, the emphasis of salvation is to save from the wrath of an angry God; the Scripture says His wrath is revealed from heaven agains all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. The scripture tells us not to fear death but to fear the One who, after death, has the power to cast into Hell. Only God has that power. No, Satan is not going to cast anybody into Hell, in fact, he himself, will be cast into Hell.
Much of the Scripture speaks of our overwhelming sinfulness and the efforts of God to bring us to an awareness of that sinfulness. Romans tells us that the Law was given that sin might abound, meaning that through the Law we might see our abundant sinfulness. To understand Salvation, we have to understand that God has placed the entire human race under the demands of Law and only through perfect obedience to the Law can one be saved from an eternal Hell. God will accept only perfect righteousness and nothing else. For the purposes of this discussion we will define the Law as the Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai commonly known as the Ten Commandments. The giving of the Commandments to Moses is described in Exodus Chpt. 20.
Let us now fast forward to the New Testament and read Romans 3:19 which says that the whole world is under the demands of the Law and that the whole world is guilty before God, meaning God Himself is holding the whole world, every individual human being, responsible for perfect obedience to the Commandments given to Moses at Mt. Sinai.
One may say, it is unfair to hold accountable those who have no knowledge of the Commandments. And I would agree, but the Scripture informs us that in addition to the written Commandments, our conscience is in agreement with the Commandments, meaning God has put a basic understanding of His Commandments, i.e. of good and evil, within every man. See Romans 2:14-15. As we said earlier, the Scripture also tells us every human being is born with a knowledge of God, Romans 1:19-20. Again, Romans 2:12 addresses the universal knowledge of right and wrong which establishes the Law, whether written on paper or written in our conscience as that which will prove our guilt. We are told if we have knowledge of the written Commandments, then we will perish under those written Commandments, and if we do not have knowledge of the written Law then we will perish without the written Law, i.e., our conscience which agrees with the Law, will convict us. We are, in fact, guilty because we have knowledge of the Law through the witness of our conscience or through knowledge of the written Commandments.
The Law was given to mankind in order that we might clearly see the demands of God and realize our guilt. And this is His demand: He demands perfect righteousness through perfect obedience to His commandments! If we give perfect obedience then we will inherit His blessings of life. He does not reward sincerity, He does not reward effort, He rewords only perfect obedience and anything less makes one a lawbreaker. Only one, one little lie, one selfish act, makes one guilty of breaking the whole Law and condemns one to death. There is no mercy in Law for the Law can only reward or condemn; neither Law nor God can give a second chance. Our position is hopeless and this is why we need a Savior, One who will satisfy the Law for us.
God Himself, through blood (death), satisfies the judgment that Law demands. The Law declares our guilt and justly passes on us the sentence of death. God sent Jesus to assume our guilt and then pay our penalty of death. God Himself has satisfied the just demands of Law for us. Scripture tells us that Jesus was sent by God to bear the sins of the world. Jesus, Who is God in the flesh, took the guilt for every person; He would assume their guilt and suffer their punishment of death in His human body. This is the value of the Cross, it is the place where the Law is satisfied, the place where our sin is judged, and it is the place where our freedom was purchased. The Cross is the heart of the Gospel for it is the place of redemption and this is why only the Gospel of Jesus Christ saves from Sin.
As to the demand of Law for perfect righteousness, Romans 10:4 tells us that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness, which means that God counts us as perfectly righteousness when we believe and accept Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible word for that righteousness is Justification. It means, through our faith in Christ, we have met the demands of Law and are made perfectly right with God. Listen to 1Cor 1:30-31:
1Co 1:30-31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (31) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Many come to Christ to gain a better life but find only more disappointment and more disillusionment; after coming to Christ their life did not change. They were told they would find happiness or fulfillment or success but they found none. No, we find Christ when we realize we are hopeless and in a lost condition and under the sentence of death. When we realize we have the promise of destruction on us and when we realize that we have sinned against God and are separated from Him; it is as we understand our real Enemy is God Himself that we are ready for a meaningful and heartfelt repentence. One great preacher said, "Salvation is for the desperate, not the comfortable."
It is as we accept the work of Christ for our sins, that we are made right with God. If we come to Christ, not out of guilt but a desire for a more prosperous and more fulfilling life, chances are that we will not meet Him. If we simply want a better life then we understand neither our condition nor our peril: we do not understand the purpose of God in Christ, we do not understand the reality of our sentence of death and we do not understand are held under Law. If our priority is this life, then we do not understand the Wrath of God, we do not understand Eternal Damnation, and most of all, we do not understand the shame of asking God for a better life in this world, without first believing in and accepting the slaughter of His Son Jesus for our SINS! Jesus did not die for our emotional fulfillment, but He gave His life that we might be delivered from the wrath of God!
Some who answer the call for a better life, rather than Salvation, often find they are never really converted. They continue to be bound in sinful habits and sinful behaviors. For the person who comes to Christ and subsequently finds no inward change, that person must seriously examine their motivation for coming to Christ. The Scripture tells us "we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart." Friends, hear this - Salvation is a deliverance from sin. If there is no change in lifestyle and no change in behavior, then there is no salvation. Real salvation is accompanied by a deliverance from sin, every time. Listen to the Scriptures:
1Jo 3:4-10 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (5) You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. (6) No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (7) Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. (8) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (9) No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (10) By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
As Christians, we are told to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. The Scripture tells us Jesus came to save us from our sins, and that sin would not have dominion over a born-again Christian. In our present culture, sin is common, and even encouraged in the name of tolerance. Tolerating sin is neither tolerant nor loving, but tolerating sinfulness will send people to an eternal hell.
If you have not received Jesus as your Saviour from Sin then this is the most important day of your life. Today, you can make peace with God by accepting the Person of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Jesus taught repentance, He taught we are to turn from our sins and then be baptized. You can be saved and you can be saved today!!
God bless you,
Jim
Christian Armor Ministries