Hi ,
(Continued from last week) ~
If Jesus' sacrifice (his death) on the cross was sufficient payment for sin, and if this sacrifice and His resurrection "checked all of the boxes", and "accomplished all of the work" necessary to secure our salvation, what else needs to be added? Doesn't the Bible teach that we still need to do some things? Let's look at it...
Here are some key verses that describe what to do:
- "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved"... (Mark 16:16)
- "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". (Rom. 10:9)
- "Repent and be baptized....for the forgiveness of your sins..." (Acts 2:38)
- "...unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God..." (John 3:3)
- "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13)
- "...unless you believe that I am He (the Messiah), you will die in your sins" (John 8:24)
- "...a person is justified by works and not faith alone". (James 2:24)
- "If we endure, we will also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12)
So, we're "calling on His name", we're "confessing with our mouth", we're "being baptized", we're "enduring", we're "believing that Jesus is the Messiah", we're "repenting", we're being "justified by works and not faith alone", etc.
Which is it? Aren't all these things different? How do we know which one to do? Shouldn't we try to cover any and all bases, do whatever we can, just to be sure we're secure?
No, all of those points are essentially one and the same, and some are sequential. Follow this:
Genuine belief (that Jesus is the Messiah and there is NO OTHER by which we must be saved), will result in confessing with your mouth, repenting of your sin, and calling on His name. This genuine faith results in being "baptized" by the Holy Spirit and enduring to the end (since the Holy Spirit will never leave us nor forsake us). Furthermore, genuine faith will result in
"works" (living our lives to honor Him). In other words, works are done because we're saved, not to earn salvation!
Jesus has accomplished everything! Besides being the great Creator, it's another reason to give Him all of the praise, honor, and glory!
