The ABC’s of Salvation
You don’t need to have been raised in the church to be aware of its functioning, practices and traditions. Any non-believer could easily give a breakdown as to how one becomes a Christian and even offer a “not too far off” description of what is expected in living a “Christian” lifestyle. And what are those initial steps in becoming a Christian and receiving the gift of salvation?
God offers you His salvation as a free gift. All you have to do is accept it.
- Confess to Him that you are a sinner.
- Tell Him that you believe that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin.
- Ask Him to cleanse you and to come live in your heart.
Simple enough. (In a sense)
Now that you have the knowledge, what will you do with it?
Won’t you accept Jesus into your life? Just say this prayer after me; “Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner, I know your Son, Jesus, died on the cross for my sins. I pray that You forgive me, wash away my sins. Come live in my heart, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Amen”
Sound familiar? This method of conversion is popularly known as ‘The Sinner’s Prayer’. In an article, ‘The Sinner’s Prayer‘(*recommended read), states this,”I believe it was an error germinating shortly after the Reformation, which eventually caused great ruin and dismay in Christendom. It has had far-reaching effects worldwide as many have claimed this as the basis for their salvation. Yet, what is the historical significance of this conversion? How did the process of rebirth, which Jesus spoke of in John 3, evolve into praying Him into one’s heart? C.S. Lewis used the term “a great cataract of nonsense” to describe how people use a modern idea to construe Bible theology. One such example, perhaps the best example, is this conversion method called the Sinner’s Prayer.”
Do we as Christians ever look into or question why it is we do things the way we do?! Evangelical crusades, church services and outreach teams focused on reaching the lost, all end in the same predictable manner – by way of alter call followed by the ‘sinners prayer’. And then, find yourself a good “bible-focused church” and you on your way. Is this method of salvation in any way supported by biblical truth?
Many studies have been done to record and track the success of evangelical crusades and it’s conversion rates. The results are less than flattering. Billy Graham, himself, stated he believes that only about 25% of those who come forward at one of his events actually became Christians. And these numbers deteriorate even further with time. In recent years, studies have shown that only 6% of people who “come forward” at an evangelistic crusade are any different in their beliefs or behavior one year later.
Now I know people might say “oh, the angels rejoice at the saving of just one soul”. And do they rejoice? Yes. But not because someone simply ‘prayed a prayer’. That’s misunderstanding the scripture completely.
Luke 15:10 – “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who REPENTS.”
– Far removed from the notion that the angels rejoice because a sinner confessed his sins and asked Jesus into his heart. Do not confuse confessing with repenting!
The issue of being “born again”
We need to look at the concept of us being born again as just that, “being born”. If the sinners prayer is acknowledged as the initial step and basis for our salvation, and it lacks true biblical foundation, then that’s a clear indication that something went wrong in our ‘birthing’ process.
In the natural, for various reasons, some children face physical problems associated with specific birth defects when born. However, before and after birth, many children show no visible abnormalities even though they’re there. Fetal ultrasound during pregnancy can also show the possibility of certain birth defects. But an ultrasound is not 100% accurate. Defects can go undetected for months or even years after the child is born. Some babies with birth defects may look the same on ultrasound as those without problems.
The same could be said about the ‘spiritual’ rebirth. We come to God through means of the ‘sinners prayer’, and follow along as we are taught, without any awareness that we may have a “birth defect”. Unaware that something might have gone wrong in the process of us “being born(again)”. Being ignorant of any defect, causes us to remain in a sense of abnormality. But when abnormality is the default, then there’s no need to question our current state. We “look/speak/behave” like every typical Christian. Why? Because we’ve all been through the same birthing process. When we begin to look at the truth of God’s word, and what it says about being born again, we realize we are defective and somethings off!
The problem is, salvation is presented so ‘cheaply’ to us. We assume because we simply recited a prayer, that now we are a part of the body of Christ, part of the Kingdom of God. It’s made to seem as though at this point salvation is a complete work and not an ongoing process. In no way is it made known that a change is required. It’s more than a simple change in the manner of not sinning. It’s a new order of doing things, a shift in thinking and behavior, a new character.
This isn’t a matter of, “accept Jesus, and live your best life”. This is ‘a life for a life’. There’s the issue of ‘carrying your cross’, of ‘giving yourself as a living sacrifice’. This watered-down, feel-good gospel of salvation produces Christians of the same kind, weak and vacillate. And it’s evident in the present-day church.
The word tells us in Matthew 24:13; “the one that endures to the end shall be saved.” This manner of presenting salvation, with a simple confession, doesn’t accurately prepare a new convert for the ‘endurance’ required to stand til the end.
Confession is a part of salvation – but its not the definitive act of salvation. In fact, the confession of sin is directed to those counted as “believers”. Confession is for believers who’ve sinned, acknowledge their wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness.
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 – “if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
1 John 2:1 – “My little children [believers], I write these things to you so that you may not sin. BUT if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate, one who speaks to the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
It is only the righteous, the believer, who has an Advocate before the Father.
Confession is the privilege of those already on the path of salvation.
There is an accurate way of looking and responding to scripture and the order God has put in place. Following the traditions of men will not produce anything of value to God in this season or any other.
What then are the first steps toward salvation?
Acts 16:30-31 – “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
John 5:24 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith(believing), and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
1 Corinthians 1:21 – “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
Mark 16:16 – “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
The acceptance of the gift of salvation, starts with a change of ‘belief’. And the confession that comes after we have ‘believed‘, is not one of confession of sins, but a confession that Jesus is Lord.
Romans 10:9; 10 – “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Matthew 10:32 – “Therefore, the one who confesses and acknowledges Me before men [as Lord and Savior], that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven.”
– BELIEVING precedes confession. And these two aspects are yet the beginning. When Jesus first brings up the issue of being “born again”, it is not simply for the sake of salvation. No, there’s more to it than that. There’s a deeper and greater understanding to you being born again.
James 2:19 – ‘You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that, and they shudder and tremble”.
This is proof that believing and confessing does not suffice for us being ‘born again’. Even Satan and his demons believe in the living God. Believing is simply not enough! By this we see that “believing and confession” is not the be-all and end-all of salvation. The sad truth is that all we’ve ever been taught was to confess our sins, and from there, strive to live a good-Godly life. This is NOT the pattern of God, or what scripture teaches us. Believing that God is, and confessing Jesus as Lord, are the primary aspects of beginning our journey of salvation. What then follows? What is the true sign that we are born again? According to scripture…’Repentance‘.
Acts 2:37-38 – When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “REPENT and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
These things are not hard to understand. We have placed our hope in men we trusted would accurately impart the word of God and His dealings to us. But these men themselves, have followed in the footsteps of others who’ve walked in defective traditions. But God will not allow it to remain this way, He is unveiling the truth to us in a greater degree in these times. Let us press in, and seek the hidden truths of His word. God promises us that we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts. God desires to be found by us; He delights in revealing Himself to us.
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