THE “HOW” OF SALVATION

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God had raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” –Romans 10:9-10

LIGHT FOR NOW: Salvation must be received; it is not automatic.

When one reads the subject of today’s teaching, one might ask what does that mean. The ‘how’ of salvation is in reference to how a man is saved. This is very vital to know because though Jesus died for all to be saved, yet all are not saved, hence the need for preaching the gospel. Jesus’ sacrifice has made everybody fit for salvation, but that does not mean that everybody is saved. Salvation is purely the work of God, but however human choice is needed for it to be received. Meaning, salvation cannot be forced on anybody, one therefore has a responsibility to the choice of either accepting what Christ has done or rejecting what Christ has done. No wonder Paul stated in 1 Timothy 2:4 “who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth”. If his will is that all men should be saved, then it is clear that all men are not yet saved. So how is a man saved? Brother Paul in our opening text shows us how. But before we examine that, it must be noted that salvation is not “I gave my life to Christ” or “come and give your life to Christ”. Why is it so? This is because the unsaved man is a dead man. And a dead man has no life to give. Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespass and sins; wherein in time past you walk according to the course of this world…”.

The unsaved man is the one in need of life, it is not Jesus that is in need of life. The unsaved man is in a terminal state called death (spiritual death); hence he is the one in need of life. So, in salvation you don’t give your life to Christ, Christ was the one who gave his life for you, rather you receive the life of Christ or from Christ.
The unsaved man is not the giver; Jesus is the giver while the unsaved man is the recipient of what Jesus gives (eternal life which has the capacity to raise a man from spiritual death to spiritual life). Moreso, salvation is not to surrender all to Jesus. You are not the one who surrendered all, it was Jesus who did. How? Brother Paul in Romans 8:32 said he gave (that is delivered) himself for us all. You didn’t surrender all for him, he surrendered all for you. He had to become a man for your sake. He had to become sin; he had to become poor and he became an accursed thing because of you. When you understand this, you will not be thinking that you are the one trying to do God good in salvation. It is God doing you good. That said, Brother Paul gives us a lead in Romans 10:9-10 to how a man is saved. He said if you shall confess with your mouth and believe in your heart the Lord Jesus, you shall be saved. That is salvation. The day a man’s heart and mouth are in agreement to what Jesus did for him, that was the day that man was saved. Hallelujah!

INSTRUCTION: Rest in what Jesus has done for you.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank you for saving me. Thank you for your love that raised me from spiritual death into spiritual life in Christ Jesus, In Jesus Name. Amen.

QUOTE: Salvation is not you doing God good, salvation is God doing you good.

For more light; get the message, “Understanding Salvation”

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: JOHN CHAPTER 3; EVENING: ROMANS CHAPTER 10