Chapter 2
Salvation
“To be or not to be: that is the question.” Hamlet, William Shakespeaer
How do you become a Christian? How do we know if a person is a Christian? How do we know if we are “saved,” having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and granted eternal life as a child of God? These are questions that can only be answered by God Himself. And God has answered these questions in His revelation to us through His Holy Scripture. Because God never changes, the path to redemption remains the same as it has existed from the very beginning. Neither time, space, nor any other thing is ever going to affect the way to salvation and eternal life with God.
To be a Christian or not to be a Christian: that is the question that each of us must answer.
“Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (Joh 14:6 NAS)
“He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone. ‘And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.’” (Ac 4:11-12 NAS)
In America today there are dramatic cultural changes taking place. The fundamental concept of citizenship is even being questioned. This and every other foundational concept of the United States of America are being challenged. In this environment, we need to be very cautious about changes taking place in the churches of America. Simply put, the Law of God will never change, and although everything around it may be in flux, the Word of God remains constant.
The Scripture is clear that there are only two options, either salvation or damnation. For this reason, we need to be clear about the path to salvation, starting with the simple truth that there is only one path that leads to eternal life. Jesus is that way and there is no other way. If this was not true the other steps would not be as important. But because this is true, each step is crucial. The steps that are given to us in Acts chapter two are the exact same steps necessary for us today.
In the third chapter of John, Jesus reveals God’s plan for salvation. If we go through this chapter verse by verse keeping each verse in context, we will have a pretty good picture of salvation. If we go through the second chapter of Acts, we will know how we can be recipients of this wonderful salvation. Of course, this is just the beginning of our understanding of the plan God implemented through our Lord Christ Jesus. But there is nothing that we will later learn that either nullifies or violates the basic principles that we find in these scriptural passages.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Joh 3:3 NAS)
All have sinned. We are all in need of a savior because every one of us stands in violation of the Law of God. If we are to see the kingdom of God, then we must be born again. Nicodemus did not understand and neither will we unless we follow Jesus’ teaching. This is not something that we can accomplish on our own. John 3:16 is a familiar verse that introduces our Savior as the one who makes all of this possible. It also lets us know who can be saved, and who will be saved. Salvation is open for every person if they will believe in God’s only begotten Son.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (Joh 3:16 NAS)
The Book of John continues, establishing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who came to bring unto us our salvation. Jesus is revealed as the Lamb of God that is slain on our behalf, bearing our sin and paying the penalty for our sin, that we might go free and receive the gift of salvation. Even in this short summary, I have given you a simple plan of salvation. Salvation is available for everyone. Of course, it is necessary that they hear this message and that is what the Church has been commissioned to do; preach the Word.
Acts chapter 2 gives us an example of the application of this message. This passage gives us a clear and simple understanding of how we can be recipients of this wonderful salvation that has been made available to each of us. We need to understand our role in this process of our new birth so that we might indeed be the recipient of the grace of God that has been provided for us. I will walk you through all of these basic elements as Peter did on the day of Pentecost.
If you are familiar with this account, you will remember that God caused quite a stir on the day of Pentecost that captured people’s attention. Devout Jews had come from many countries and were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. With the sound of a mighty wind and cloven tongues of fire, Jesus’ followers had been filled with God’s Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages. As these Galileans emerged from a room where they had been praying, they were speaking of the wonders of God in the different languages. Draw by the sounds a crowd began to gather. People from other countries were hearing these Galileans praising God in their own languages. The crowd began inquiring as to what it was that they were witnessing and Peter, taking the opportunity, began to reveal to them the significance of what they were seeing and hearing.
I think that it is noteworthy that these people had an understanding of the Law of God. Fifty days earlier they had gathered In Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Passover was to commemorate their freedom from bondage as a slave in Egypt. Now they had gathered to celebrate the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, and the establishment of a nation under God. These people were also aware of the promise of God to send a Messiah who would again free them, and rule over them as king. It is only with the consideration of this setting that we can fully understand and appreciate Peter’s response to this crowd.
In the sermon that followed, Peter revealed Jesus as their promised Messiah. Through a rehearsal of Scripture Peter explained the events that had just transpired in Jerusalem; Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Peter concluded by laying the guilt of Jesus’ crucifixion on them. Their response was to exclaim, “What shall we do”? Since Jesus was crucified for the sins of us all, we need to pay close attention to Peter’s answer.
“And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Ac 2:38-41 NAS)
These few steps to receive salvation are clear and simple. The path of salvation is the same today as it was back then. But as clear and simple as they may seem to those of us who are acquainted with the Word of God, they can easily be misunderstood if they are taken out of context. So, bear with me as we consider the context.
Repentance
“… “Repent …” (Ac 2:38 NAS)
“Repent,” in this context is referring to an acknowledgment of sin and a person turning from that sin. A person’s understanding of what is required is based upon their understanding of sin. These people were acquainted with the Law and understood sin to be the violation of that Law. For true repentance to take place, anyone would have to have a basic understanding of the Law and their violation of it. The Book of Romans gives a more in-depth explanation of these principles, but in this setting, these people understood that the repentance that they were being called to included any and all violations of the Law. The stage had been set even before Jesus began His ministry as John the Baptist had prepared the way by calling Israel to repentance.
Baptism
“… and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins …” (Ac 2:38 NAS)
Baptism was to follow their repentance. Baptism had been a ceremonial cleansing of unrighteousness. But unlike the baptism of John, those who were repentant were being instructed to be baptized in the name of Jesus. This was to be more than just a ceremonial cleansing. This baptism represented the actual removal of sin that was accomplished through the blood of our substitute, Jesus the Christ on the cross. Baptism then becomes a testimonial of faith in the one that had promised He would wash away our sins. Peter’s words here leave no doubt that this is a necessary step for the forgiveness of sins. Again, I want to point out that these people were knowledgeable about baptism. Water itself does not wash your sins away, but having repented and by faith following Christ in baptism, God then washes your sins away. Baptism is a testimony of our following Christ in death and resurrection.
Filled With the Spirit
“… and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Ac 2:38 NAS)
Pentecost became monumental as it marked the fulfillment of God’s promise of a new covenant. Christ was the lamb that was slain to take sin away from His people. Now having the price for sin paid, a soul could be cleansed from all unrighteousness. A clean vessel could now be recipient of the Holy Spirit of God. In essence, Peter was telling these people that if they would repent of their sins and allow God to cleanse them, then He would fill them with His Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus when He said you must be born again. This birth was a spiritual birth, the beginning of a new life in Christ.
For each of us that chose to forsake sin and follow Christ in baptism, there was a monumental day in our lives in which we received God’s gift of His Holy Spirit. This is not simply the result of following a formula, but a true connection between our spirit and the spirit of God. Peter later refers to this new birth as the result of the seed of God being planted in us.
“For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1Pe 1:23 NAS)
It is of utmost importance that we understand salvation as presented in the Word of God. There are a lot of voices out there that present their slant on this issue. God’s opinion is the only one that matters.
Becoming Christian in Today’s Culture
I have tried to simply present you with enough information for you to know how to become a Christian. But if I asked Americans what it means to be a Christian, I would be confronted with many different definitions. In the Bible “Christian” is defined as a person who is a disciple of Christ. But in today’s culture, many who claim to be Christians aren’t disciplining their lives after Christ. For some, their claim is simply based upon their affiliation with a church. Since our culture was based upon Christian moral values, being an American is often enough for some to claim the status as Christian. Most often a person’s claim to be a Christian is based upon a time and place where they acknowledge their sin and possibly prayed a form of the “sinner’s prayer.” If true repentance took place, they turned from their sins and followed Jesus, God cleansed them from sin, filled them with His Spirit, then they became baby Christians.
An Issue of the Heart
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” (1Sa 16:7 NAS)
If we apply this Biblical principle, we would be cautioned about declaring someone to be a Christian just because they verbally repented and may have repeated a prayer of confession. It is not for us to judge who is or isn’t a Christian, for the new birth is a result of God’s actions, not ours. Our duty is to make sure that we do our part and provide the milk of the word and nurture what appears to be a new member of our family. If this is a new birth, then they need the proper nutrition to have healthy growth. If true repentance did not take place, they will resist the pure sincere milk of the Word.
Biblical Christianity is based upon our heavenly status. Those who are Christian are citizens of God’s eternal kingdom. That citizenship comes with certain benefits, but also with certain responsibilities. The benefits category makes it very desirable for us to want to be included. But wishful thinking does not make you a citizen. If you have been following me so far you know that there is only one way to become a citizen of Heaven. You can only become a citizen by birth. There are a multitude of organizations that will promise to get you in another way, but all they have are empty promises. Our status as a citizen (Christian) is based solely upon God’s judgment. If we are truly repentant and willingly follow Christ, then God is faithful to gift us with His Spirit. As recipients of God’s Spirit, we have then become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
“But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’” (Ro 10:8-11 NAS)
Changing Times
There was a time when I could have used the process of becoming an American citizen as an example of those things that are involved in becoming a citizen of God’s kingdom. But all that has changed as America is distancing itself from its foundational roots. My concern for the church is that it is doing the same thing. Some of the fundamentals are being neglected and, in the process, people are being told that they are a citizen of Heaven solely based upon the judgment of man. The results are that many people may believe they are Christians when in fact they may not have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. False confidence can be worse than not having any confidence. If we as Christians simply make people comfortable on their way to hell, then we have left them worse off than before we found them.
Often, we hear new converts testifying that they have accepted Jesus as their Savior. They will usually then describe how much that they love Jesus. But there can be cause for concern if they didn’t confess Jesus as Lord, as we have just read from Romans. Many have made the decision to become a Christian because they were willing to accept Jesus as their Savior. It is the willingness to accept Jesus as Lord that is most important. If Jesus is not our Lord, then He cannot save us.
Some people have come to Christianity having been taught that all they had to do was to believe in Jesus Christ and they would be saved. That statement is not false, but most people don’t even know what it means. Words do have meaning, but sometimes the meaning of those words change with time. In one respect I am still learning what it means to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. My experience in trusting Jesus has played out in ways I would not have imagined when I first committed my life to Christ. But in another respect believing in Jesus is the same as when I first surrendered my life to Him. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ simply means that you have entrusted Jesus to be the Lord of your life.
I feel like I need to put a note of caution in here. I am instructing you to make sure that your confession of faith is not merely that Jesus is our savior, but that you have also submitted to Him as Lord. This is not merely a matter of semantics or saying the right words. For us to say these words without them being true would make us a hypocrite and a liar.
The Sinner’s Prayer
There are many versions of “The sinner’s prayer,” and it has been a tool in our modern times to help people articulate their commitment to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. One of the dangers has been that after a person has repeated a sinner’s prayer, some well-meaning soul will tell them that they are now a Christian. Certainly, we hope they are, but this is a judgment that is left up to our Lord. We can assure them that if they believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, God will be faithful and give them the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is all about being born again and that does not happen without the Spirit of God. I would caution people from telling others that they are a Christian. I would also caution them from telling someone that they are not a Christian. This isn’t to say we should not encourage people in living a Christian life or fail to warn them when it appears like they have abandoned their Christian beliefs.
“For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1Pe 1:23 NAS)
Christians That Are Not Christian
Recently someone posted the following on Facebook.
We repent enough to be forgiven
But do we surrender enough to be changed?
I responded by asking the question: If we do not surrender enough to be changed, then have we repented enough to be forgiven?
“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2Co 7:10 NAS)
True repentance before God is a full and complete surrender. How else can we be born again: cleansed from all unrighteousness, and filled with God’s Holy Spirit? I am afraid that a new and different gospel has been preached in modern Christianity. We can acknowledge that we are sinners, desire the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ, and repeat the sinner’s prayer, but that does not make us a Christian. Sorrow that is in accord with the will of God produces “a repentance without regret.” We have to willingly allow God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and be filled with His Spirit. As a child of our Heavenly Father, we must now be in submission to His educational process, submitting to His discipline. This is what defines us as Christian (disciple of Christ).
I don’t know how many times I have heard testimony from people who claimed that they had given their hearts to Jesus and became a Christian at a particular time and place. As they continued with their testimony, they revealed that for the next five, ten, or twenty years they did not live a Christian life, but followed their worldly pursuits. Often in these testimonies, the person finally came to a place of full surrender to the Lord and they forsook the way of the world and followed Christ.
Often, I have heard requests for prayer for a child, sibling, or friend, who at one time had prayed the sinner’s prayer but was no longer living in harmony with God’s Law. Often these people are talked about as if they were still a Christian or had been a Christian. Had all of these people become Christians when they prayed the sinner’s prayer or asked Jesus to come into their hearts? If so, then what happened afterwards? Were they Christians during those periods of their life when they were living a worldly lifestyle? What about when they came back, were they resurrected? Or born again, again? Or is it possible to be an unchristian Christian, an unsaintly, saint, or an unholy, holy one?
As I have stated earlier, there is one Judge and the names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are there because of His discretion, not ours. Assurance of salvation comes after a person has followed God’s instructions and it is God’s Spirit witnessing with their spirit that is assuring them that they are indeed a child of God. As a Christian we are citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom. As Christians we have been born again, this time we are born of a spiritual birth, to live an eternal existence with God as our Father. As fellow believers we can give great encouragement to the new believer, assuring them of the faithfulness of God. But we need to be cautious that we do not overrun our headlights and make premature declarations. Although we must follow the pattern laid out in Scripture to become a Christian, a spiritual birth is of an individual nature just as our physical birth is. Much of the development takes place beyond our sight in the heart of the individual and their interaction with their creator. If a spiritual birth does take place, the evidence will soon be forthcoming. A forced and early birth can have serious consequences.
Self-Examination
“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.” (2Co 13:5-6 NAS)
What I want to encourage you to do is to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Have you trusted Jesus for your salvation? Are you living in faith and obedience to the Word? Are you living in harmony with the Law of God? I caution you to remember that this is not about my opinion or your opinion, but our submission to being examined by the Word of God. The results will align us with the Spirit as He disciples us, and we will grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. God’s goal is for us to continue to progress toward spiritual maturity.
“Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.” (Joh 17:17 NAS)
To be sanctified is to be separated, set apart. To be sanctified is to be separated from evil, and dedicated to God. It is not enough to just not be bad. God is calling us to holiness. His desire for us is that we reflect the likeness and image of God, that we might be sons of God.
I will never forget the way my father illustrated the point I am trying to make. He said, “God does not want us to be good only in a negative sense. God’s desire for us is that we become good in a positive sense.”
My Father worked for a while as a display manager in a department store. Often, he would use manikins to display the latest fashions. Those manikins had never done anything sinful or wrong, they were good in a negative sense. They were good because they had never done anything bad. God has called us to holiness. God wants us to refrain from doing bad (separated from evil), but He also desires that we be separated for His holy purpose, that we would be good. If we are good, we will not only refrain from doing evil but we will go about doing good. Good in the positive sense is a result of what we are and do. As we are being conformed to the image of Christ, God is developing a good character in us. If we have a good character, then we will be going about doing good as Jesus did. He provided us with an example to follow, as He went about doing good.
Are We There Yet?
If you have ever traveled in a car with children, then you probably have heard this question. It may come after twenty minutes, even if you have hours of driving ahead of you. Remember, our new birth is just the beginning of our journey to maturity. We may have to remind ourselves occasionally that it will take a while to get there, the road is not always smooth, but there are a lot of good things along the way, and we need to make sure we are still following Jesus. We became the children of God through our new birth. This was just the beginning of our new life in Christ. Our education and spiritual growth were to immediately follow under the directions from our Father. As God’s children, we are destined to mature in conformity to the image of Christ.
There are several different illustrations that are used in Scripture to help us understand this process. Probably the most notable is the parallel between our physical and spiritual life. Just as our entrance into this physical world begins with our birth, our spiritual life as a Christian begins with a new birth. Jesus clearly stated that we must be born again. This is a spiritual birth and the beginning of a life that is intended to grow and mature. Throughout the New Testament teachings are several references to that process as we progress. I mention this at this stage of our discussion because it is important that we recognize that not everyone is at the same stage in their maturing process. Just as our relationship with our children changes as they grow up, so our relationship with our Heavenly Father changes as we mature.
We need to keep this in mind as we examine ourselves, making sure that we are continuing in the faith. Faithfulness looks different in different stages of our maturity. Early in our faith, we are to be intentional about learning the basics and putting those principles in practice. If we compare a child who is first learning to walk with a man who is a leader in his community, we will see how differently an examination of faithfulness will change as we mature. It all starts with obedience to God and His Word and although it looks different at different stages of our maturity it still is simply living in obedience to God and His Word.
David provides an example of the kind of faith that we need in regards to our self-examination. David’s willingness to allow God to test him showed that he was in submission to the discipline of his Lord.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps 139:23-24 AV)
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For He maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.” (Job 5:17-18 AV)