Salvation From Sin
Robert Meredith
How can one be saved from sin? Only by coming to the Lord! The Lord said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, said concerning Jesus, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). If one desires salvation, it is only found in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
The source of man’s salvation is God and His grace. The word grace means unmerited favor. Therefore, it is by God’s unmerited favor that salvation has been made available to all. God was not obligated to offer salvation; He did it because of His grace, mercy and love. One needs to realize that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that sins separate one spiritually from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). But God paid the price for man’s sin by the atoning death of His only begotten Son on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). Therefore, God is the source of man’s salvation; without His grace all who have sinned (and all accountable people have) would be lost.
Man has a part in his salvation. Yes, man is saved by grace, but not grace only! Man’s part is not the source, God is, but man must access God’s grace by an obedient faith (Romans 5:2). The apostle Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Romans 1:16). Paul would later write, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel” (Romans 10:16). Therefore man’s part is obedience to the gospel of Christ. When one obeys the gospel he is coming to Christ. If one refuses he is not following Christ and, therefore, can not come to the Father (John 14:6).
What does God’s gospel involve as far as being born of God? John 6:44-45 tells us we must be drawn of God by being taught of Him (see also Romans 10:17). Upon belief (John 1:12), the Holy Spirit informs us in His word (The Bible) that unless one repents of his sins he can not be saved (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9). Too, man is taught that he must confess his belief in Christ (Romans 10:10; Matthew 10:32). All of these things (belief, repentance and confession) are works. They are not works of merit or of human origin, but of righteousness or of God (See Psalm 119:172). When one believes, repents and confesses from the heart, he is performing works of righteousness. He is obeying what the Lord said to do. These works do not take away from His grace, but depend on it (Read James 2:14-24). Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” He responded, “This is the work of God that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:28-29). Belief is a work! Therefore, man must do something. Some teach that man does not do anything to access God’s grace. But Jesus said faith is a work. Likewise, the Holy Spirit says that one is saved by baptism (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is a work of God (man did not come up with it, God did.). When one from the heart believes in Christ (John 8:24), repents of his sins (Luke13:3), confesses Christ as Lord (Romans 10:10), and is immersed into Christ for the remission of his sins (Acts 2:38), he has been spiritually born again (John 3:3-5; Ephesians 5:26), and brought into covenant relationship with God (Acts 2:41, 47; Galatians 3:26-27). These works of righteousness are not the source of our salvation. God’s mercy is, but one accesses God’s mercy by these works (Titus 3:5). We encourage you to save yourself from this untoward generation (Acts 2:40) by coming to Jesus. Only He can save!