Gospel/Evangelism

SO GREAT SALVATION

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3)?

By Homer Duncan

A Word of Appreciation:

To Diane Robbins who has patiently worked with me as I have written and rewritten the manuscript. She retyped the manuscript many times on her computer.

To Mark for his helpful counsel.

To Dr. Philip Isett for editing the manuscript.

To Jim Irvin and George Schoner for reading to me.

To many friends and Prayer Partners, who have prayed for me as I have worked on this project.

Table of Contents

1. The Greatness of God
2. A Wonderful All-Sufficient Savior
3. The Greatness of Salvation
4. The Need for Salvation
5. Prerequisites for Salvation
6. What Must I Do to be Saved?
7. “We Should”
8. Blessed Assurance
9. The Eternal Security of the Believer
10. Going on With God
11. The Believer’s Present Perfect Position in Christ
12. Our Daily Walk
13. Ten Musts of a Happy Christian Life
14. God’s Method for Living the Christian Life
15. The Goal of the Gospel
16. Epilogue

Prologue

The salvation God offers to men as the free gift of His love is so great and marvelous the human mind cannot begin to fathom the depths of it. With the Queen of Sheba we exclaim, “The half has not been told!” (1 Kings 10:7). In writing to the Church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul said, “But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Then the Apostle hastens to add, “But God has revealed them by his Spirit.” “We have received the Spirit who is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:10,12).

Come and dine on the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Chapter One:
THE GREATNESS OF GOD

The redemption of fallen men is by far the greatest work of God. This is an amazing statement when we consider the vastness of the universe, which God has made.

Let me give you a condensed summary of some of the facts about the universe.

1. The earth is a speck in our solar system.
2. Man is a speck on a speck.
3. Our solar system has one sun, nine planets.
4. The sun is 93 million miles from the earth.
5. Pluto is more than three billion miles from the sun.
6. It is over seven billion miles across our solar system.
7. A light year is the distance light travels in a year’s time at the speed of 186,000 miles per second.
8. There are 100 billion other suns in our galaxy, the Milky Way.
9. Other suns are much larger than our sun.
10. For example; the sun Vega. Our entire solar system can be placed in Vega.
11. It is 100,000 light years across the Milky Way.
12. Astronomers believe there are billions of galaxies besides the Milky Way.
13. We can see more than five billion light years into space.
14. Our entire solar system is just a speck in the universe.
15. The light from some stars (suns) is just now reaching the earth.

These facts boggle our minds. Astronomers measure distances in our solar system in millions of miles and measure distances in the universe in light years. But God is so great that He marks off the heavens with a span of His hand (Isa. 40:12).

Please be reminded that the universe is not only so vast that it staggers our imagination but remember that every star, every solar system, every galaxy moves with perfect precision.

These amazing statistics impress us with the greatness of God in creation, but His work in redemption is far greater. Creation is the work of His fingers (Ps. 8:3). Redemption is the work of His mighty arm (Isa. 53:1).

All that God has done in creation is temporal and will pass away.

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35).

The Apostle Paul said, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

The Apostle Peter said, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10).

The Apostle John tells us, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1).

God is eternal (Ps. 90:1,2). Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is eternal (Col. 1:16,17; Rev. 1:8). God’s word is eternal (Matt. 24:35). God gives eternal life to all who put their trust in Him (John 3:16; 5:24).

Creation cost God nothing; He spoke and it was done (Ps. 33:9).

Redemption cost Him the death of His only begotten, His well-beloved Son (John 3:16-18).

There is nothing in creation which reveals the love of God. The story of redemption is a story of the love of God. It tells how God takes lost, fallen, sinful men and redeems them by His matchless grace and changes them into saints of God. His great purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29).

But, that is not all, He takes those He has thus redeemed and forms them into a body, the church.

The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the masterpiece of God.

God is building the Church as a habitation, or dwelling place for Himself (Eph. 2:20-22). This building is not made of bricks and mortar but is made of living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). Every stone is cut and polished to perfection. This is why the Apostle Paul prayed that we might know what is the riches of His inheritance in the saints (Eph. 1:18).

We will be amazed one day when we stand in the presence of God. We will marvel when we see how He worked out His plan and purpose. We will be overwhelmed with His love and grace. We will be dismayed at our own unbelief. We will be ashamed that we lived so much for temporal things, and so little for things that are eternal.

We cannot see God, but He sees us (Gen. 16:13).

Knowing God (not only knowing about Him) is what makes us to be Christians. “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

“Thus said the LORD, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the LORD” (Jer. 9:23,24).

God is love (1 John 4:8). He loves us (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8) and He wants us to love Him (Matt. 22:37). We express our love for Him by serving Him, and by keeping His commandment, and by doing His will (John 14:21).

Chapter Two: A WONDERFUL ALL-SUFFICIENT SAVIOR

WHO CHRIST IS

The Question of Questions

“What think ye of Christ?” is the test,
To try both your state and your scheme
You cannot be right in the rest,
Unless you think rightly of Him:
As Jesus appears in your view
As He is beloved or not,
So God is disposed to you,
And mercy or wrath is your lot.

In chapter one we saw that the vastness of the universe speaks to us of the greatness of God. All that has been said about the greatness of God the Father can also be applied to Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

Christ, Himself, is the great creator. The following references establish this truth.

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

“God created all things by Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:9).

“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Col. 1:16,17).

“God, who spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1,2).

Just think of it! Think of the vastness of the universe and realize that the Lord Jesus Christ is the One who spoke the universe into existence (Ps. 33:9). Just think that the One who brought the universe into existence is the One who suffered and died on the Cross in our place and stead.

So Great Salvation

Since this book is about the greatness of salvation we need to be forcibly and frequently reminded that Jesus Christ, Himself, is the One who saves us. He is the Savior.

“You shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).

“In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name” (John 1:12).

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

“But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name” (John 20:31).

Our purpose in this chapter is to give the most significant facts concerning Christ, not only in His earthly life but in eternity. With this purpose in view, we will start with Revelation 1:8.

The Key Verse

The Lord Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty.”

When Jesus revealed Himself as “the Almighty,” He gave us the most important fact concerning Himself: He is Almighty God.

Yes, the Father is also Almighty God, and the Holy Spirit is also Almighty God. There are not three Gods, but one God who manifests Himself in three Persons.

We do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity because we can understand it, or because we can find proof texts to support it. We believe in the Trinity because the Bible teaches that the Father is God; it teaches that the Lord Jesus is God; it teaches that the Holy Spirit is God.

We know that Jesus Christ is God because the Bible says He is God.

Consider the following Scriptures:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Verse 14 tells us that the word is Jesus Christ. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

“For unto us a child is born, unto us, a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).

“Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5).

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh [in the person of Christ], justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Tim. 3:16).

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). In this verse, the Lord Jesus is called “the great God.”

“But unto the Son He says, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom” (Heb. 1:8). What could be stronger than this? The Father speaks to the Son and calls Him God.

The Great “I AM”

Jehovah revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush, as “I AM THAT I AM!” (Ex. 3:14). The Lord Jesus revealed Himself as “I AM, the self-existent One” many times in the New Testament.

The Jews sought to stone Him after they said, “You are not fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” And Jesus replied to them, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:57,58).

When the mob came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, He went out to them and asked them whom they sought. They replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” He replied, “I am He.” (The “He” is in italics, which means it is not in the original manuscripts.) The force of this revelation was so great, “they went backward and fell to the ground” (John 18:5,6).

In the Gospel of John He reveals Himself seven times as “I am.”

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

“I am the door” (John 10:9).

“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).

“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

“I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

“I am the vine” (John 15:1,5).

Though He did not specifically say, “I am the water of life,” John 7:37-39 tells us that He is the water of life.

The Eternality of Christ

Since the Lord Jesus is God, He is eternal. He did not begin when He was born as a baby in Bethlehem. He did not begin when He was conceived in the womb of Mary.

When everything that had a beginning began, God was. In the same way, when everything that had a beginning began, Christ was.

It is significant that the “is” of Revelation 1:8 comes before the “was.” The “is” emphasizes that Christ is eternal.

Nevertheless, we must consider Him in the three primary tenses: past, present and future: “was, is, and Who is to come.”

His past can be divided into four periods.

1. Before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).
2. The Period of Creation. “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him” (Col. 1:16).
3. The Pre-incarnate Christ of the Old Testament. During this period Christ appeared to men as the”Angel of Jehovah” (Gen. 18:1; Ex. 3:2; Num. 22:22; Judg. 2:1).
4. The Christ of the Gospels. This period begins with His virgin birth.

 THE CHRIST OF THE GOSPELS

The Virgin Birth of Christ

I encourage the reader to read the full account of Christ’s virgin birth as found in Matthew and Luke. Because of the great importance of His virgin birth, I have selected several key statements from Matthew and Luke that clearly establish the fact that He was born of a virgin.

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call His name JESUS” (Luke 1:30,31).

“Then Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:34,35).

“When His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:18-20).

“Joseph . . . took unto him his wife: and knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His name Jesus” (Matt. 1:24,25).

The Gospel of John, which emphasizes the deity of Christ, succinctly states the virgin birth in this way: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

In writing to the churches of Galatia, the Apostle Paul stated the truth of the virgin birth in this way: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. 4:4).

The God-Man

In His virgin birth the Lord Jesus became the God-man in order to redeem lost, sinful men. As God He can reach up with one hand and take hold of a Holy God, and as a man He can reach down with the other hand and take hold of lost sinful men. He alone can bring a Holy God and sinful men together.

Christ’s Public Ministry

Even though the public ministry of Christ lasted only three years, we learn from the four Gospels all that we know of what Jesus did and taught (Acts 1:1).

During this period Jesus was constantly teaching. His three main discourses are The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5,6,7), The Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24,25) and The Upper Room Discourse (John 13-16).

He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, cast out demons, and on at least three occasions He raised the dead (Luke 7:11-23; 8:49-55; John 11:43-44).

This period is brought to a close with His death on the Cross.

CHRIST’S ATONING, SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH

“In the Cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time. All the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.” – Sir John Bowring

The Events Leading Up to the Death of Christ

The Lord Jesus had repeatedly told His disciples He must go to Jerusalem to die on the Cross and to be raised from the dead, but the disciples were so sure He was the promised Messiah sent to deliver them from Rome, that they never heard what He said (Mark 8:31-33).

The Holy Scriptures predicted that one of His disciples would betray Him (Ps. 41:9; 55:12-14).

The intensity of the hatred of the Jewish leaders against Jesus steadily increased, so when Judas came to them and offered to betray Christ they were very glad (Mark 14:11).

The night before His crucifixion Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and after His prayer, He was betrayed by Judas (Matt. 26:46-50).

He endured two mock trials before the Jewish High Priest (Matt. 26:57-68), and Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor (Matt. 27:2). Pilate examined Him but found no fault in Him. The Jews clamored for His blood, and Pilate delivered Jesus into their hands (Matt. 27:26).

Christ’s Death on the Cross

After being scourged by Pilate, Jesus went forth to Calvary bearing His Cross (Luke 23:26). At nine o’clock in the morning, He was nailed to the Cross (Mark 15:25; Luke 23:33).

“Lifted up was He to die, it is finished was His cry. Hallelujah! What a Savior.” – Philip P. Bliss

The Bible says, “Sitting down they watched Him there” (Matt. 27:36).

While Christ hung on the Cross, He made seven cries or utterances.

“It is finished” is the most significant of Christ’s cries from the Cross (John 19:30). In uttering this cry, He meant more than “My earthly life is over.” He meant the basis, the price for the redemption of the entire human race, was accomplished.

Nine Major Accomplishments of Calvary

Far more was accomplished when Jesus died on the Cross than we will ever know, but prayerfully consider nine major transactions.

1. Christ died as an atoning substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He died in our place and stead.

The following verses bear out this tremendous truth.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

“He is the propitiation [KJV] [atoning sacrifice, NIV] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19).

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6).

The One who had no sin (Heb. 7:26), who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), who did no sin (1 Pet. 2:22) was made to be sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

2. The second major transaction of the Cross is that all believers in Christ were crucified with Him. “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:6).

The Apostle Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

3. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. “When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10).

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Cor. 5:19).

4. Christ demonstrated the love of God. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).

5. He redeemed us from the bondage of sin. At this point, I cannot do better than quote (with the kind permission of Oxford University Press) the note in the New Scofield Reference Bible on Romans 3:24.

“`Redemption” means to deliver by paying a price. The work of Christ fulfilling the O. T. types and prophecies of redemption is set forth in three principal Greek words: (1)Agorazo, to buy in the market (from agora, market). Man is viewed as a slave `sold under sin’ (Rom.7:14) and under a sentence of death (Ezek.18:4; Jn.3:18-19, Rom.6:23) but subject to redemption by the purchase price of the blood of the Redeemer (1 Cor.6:20; 7:23; 2 Pet.2:1; Rev.5:9; 14:3-4). (2)Exagorazo, to buy out of the market, i.e., to purchase and remove from further sale (Gal.3:13; 4:5; Eph.5:16; Col.4:5), speaking of the finality of the work of redemption. And (3) lutroo, to loose or set free (Lk.24:21; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet.1:18), noun form, lutrosis, (Lk.2:38; Heb.9:12).”

6. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree” (Gal. 3:13).

7. He tasted of death for every man. “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:9).

8. He took the sting out of death. “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory” (1 Cor. 15:55)?

9. He overcame him who has the power of death. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14).

THE LITERAL, BODILY RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

We must never cease to praise God for all that was accomplished by the death of Christ, but we must never forget that the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ always go together.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that without the resurrection of Christ, we “are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19).

The Bible says Christ showed Himself alive after His death by many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3).

The Apostle Paul gives this summary of the witnesses to Christ’s resurrection.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto the present time, but some are fallen asleep. After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all, He was seen of me [Paul] also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:3-8).

Each of the four Gospels gives a detailed account of His resurrection.

Luke gives this vivid account of one of Christ’s appearances after His resurrection.

“And as they thus spoke Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and thought they had seen a spirit. And He said unto them, Why are you troubled? Why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see Me have. And when He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have you here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. And He took it and ate it before them. And He said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:36-48).

The Apostle John gives this account of what took place on the day of His resurrection.

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said to him, we have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.

“After eight days His disciples were again within, and Thomas was with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger, and behold my hands; and reach out your hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:24-29).

Forty days after His resurrection Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9).

CHRIST’S PRESENT MINISTRY

This period includes what Christ is doing between His Ascension and His Second Coming.

1. He is a merciful and compassionate High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).
2. He is preparing a place for us (John 14:3).
3. He is building His Church (Matt. 16:18).

WHO IS TO COME

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus will come the second time (John 14:3; Acts 1:11).

He will come for His own; He will come with His own. We call the coming “for His own” the rapture, which is described by Paul in this way, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, those also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Seven years after the rapture, Christ will come with His own.

The Apostle John describes the “coming with His own” in this way, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon Him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. The armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth went a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. He has on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:11-16).

He will come personally, literally, visibly and bodily to reign on the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-4).

Then we will step into eternity for the New Heavens, the New Earth, the New Jerusalem (Revelation, Chapters 21 and 22)

 THIS TRUTH CONCERNING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DEMANDS A RESPONSE

Like Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, each one of us must answer the question, “What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22). Pilate had Jesus on his hands and had to make a decision concerning Him. He could set Him free or he could crucify Him.

In the same way, you and I must make a decision as to what we will do with Christ. We can accept Him and be eternally saved, or we can reject Him, and be eternally ******.

“He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life” (1 John 5:12).

“He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

The LORD . . . is not willing any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

God wants to save you. He loves you so much that He gave His Son to die on the Cross in your place and stead. He will save you now if you will come to Him.

Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).

Chapter Three: SO GREAT SALVATION

SEVEN REASONS WHY OUR SALVATION IS GREAT

1. God Gave His Son

Our salvation is a great salvation because the Great God, who is our loving Heavenly Father, loved us so much He was willing to give His only begotten Son to die on a cruel cross for the sins of the world.

Absolutely nothing has been left undone that Almighty God, who is infinite in love, in holiness, in wisdom, and in power, could have done in designing and in providing the salvation which is perfect in every detail.

Fanny J. Crosby has written:

* (Mark set in lines of poetry style, and in italic)

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
and great our rejoicing thro’ Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be our wonder,
our transport, when Jesus we see.

Salvation is the free gift of God’s love (Rom. 5:15-21). Salvation cost us nothing; it cost God the death of His Son. The Lord Jesus died in our place and stead (1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21).

2. The Lord Jesus is a wonderful, all-sufficient Savior.

We are not saved by a church, by a creed, by doctrine, or by anything else. We are saved by the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the Cross, He cried out “It is finished” (John 19:30).

We are saved by the “finished work of Christ.” It is not necessary to add anything to what He has done. It is an insult to Him to attempt to add to “His finished work.”

3. The Work of the Holy Spirit

We have a great salvation because the Holy Spirit applies the unsearchable riches of Christ to our hearts.

Consider ten things the Holy Spirit does for us.

a. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ through us (John 16:14).

b. He makes Christ real to us (Eph. 1:17).

c. He endues us with power (Acts 1:8).

d. As the Blessed Paraclete; He wants to help us in every area and aspect of our Christian life and service (Rom. 8:26).

e. He makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom. 8:26).

f. He is our teacher (1 Cor. 2:12).

g. He brings things to our remembrance (John 14:26).

h. He produces fruit in our lives (Gal 5:22,23).

I. He gives every believer at least one spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:7).

j. He transforms our lives (2 Cor. 3:18).

4. Every Need Is Included

Salvation is an all inclusive doctrine. It includes: regeneration, reconciliation, redemption, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

The Bible teaches we are saved from death to life, from Hell to Heaven; but God’s great purpose in saving us is to conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29).

5. All Who Come Are Included

Salvation is great because of WHOM it includes. All who come to Christ in genuine faith and repentance will be saved.

John 3:16 is, without doubt, the greatest verse in the Bible to show that salvation is for everyone.

“For God so loved the WORLD, that HE gave His only Son that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

In discussing the doctrine of election, Bishop H. C. G. Moule said, “Never forget John 3:16.”

Christ’s death is sufficient for all. He did not die only for the elect, but for the sins of the whole world. “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Isaiah 55:1 is another great verse that shows salvation is for everyone. “Ho, EVERYONE that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come, buy, and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

Isaiah 53:6 says it all: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way: and Jehovah has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us ALL.”

Revelation 22:17 is the last great invitation in the Bible: “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And WHOSOEVER will let him take of the water of life freely.”

We have been commanded to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to EVERY CREATURE” (Mark 16:15).

Salvation is available to EVERYONE.

6. It Is Everlasting

Salvation is great because it is everlasting. God gives everlasting life to all who trust in Christ (John 10:27-29). Eternal life is a present possession and not a future attainment (John 5:24).

Some professing Christians believe in temporary salvation. Their salvation only lasts until they sin, or until they decide they do not want to be a Christian any longer. This subject is discussed in chapter nine.

7. It Gives Meaning

Our salvation is great because it gives meaning to life. This subject is discussed in the next chapter.

Let this question burn in your soul. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”

The answer is implied in the question: We will not escape if we neglect God’s wonderful love gift to us.

This applies to the multitude of professing Christians, who consider themselves to be Christian because they live clean moral lives but do not have any interest in the things of God.

Chapter Four: THE NEED FOR SALVATION

EIGHT REASONS WHY MEN ARE LOST

1. They Have Never Heard the Gospel

At least three-fourths of the people in the world have never heard the Gospel of Christ. They are lost “because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21).

2. They Have Rejected Christ

Many who have heard the Gospel are still lost because they have rejected the Savior (Is. 53:1). Men are lost because they have not been born again.

The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless you are born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven” (John 3:3,5,7).

3. They Choose to Believe a Lie

Men are lost because they deliberately choose to believe Satan’s lie rather than to believe the truth of God.

God told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would die. Satan told Eve they would not die (Gen. 2:17; 3:4). Adam and Eve chose of their own will to believe Satan’s lie rather than to believe the truth of God.

Today multitudes, especially those in the scientific and academic world, continue to believe Satan’s lie (for example, they choose to believe the theory of evolution), rather than to believe the truth of God.

4. They Do Not See Their Need

Many are lost because they do not realize their need of salvation. They think they are too good to need to be saved.

5. They Think They Cannot Be Saved

Some (not too many) are lost because they think they are too bad to be saved. They do not understand the wonderful, all-sufficiency of the Savior.

6. They Trust in Good Works

Many are lost because they are trusting in their good works, instead of trusting in the finished work of Christ (John 19:30).

7. They Have a Counterfeit Salvation

Multitudes are lost because they have a counterfeit salvation. The value of a counterfeit lies in the fact that it so closely resembles the genuine, that it takes an expert to distinguish between the genuine article and the counterfeit. The promulgators of counterfeit religions claim to believe on Christ, and they use Christian terminology. Many of them profess to believe in salvation by grace. They do not believe in what the Bible teaches about the atoning blood of Christ. What people believe about the blood of Christ is the acid test of true Christianity. Counterfeit religions do not believe in justification by faith alone, but add other conditions for being saved.

8. They Procrastinate

Neglect and procrastination will land many in Hell. Those who procrastinated fully intended to be saved, but kept putting off this important decision until it was too late. “He who is often reproved, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Prov. 29:1).

TEN REASONS WHY MEN NEED TO BE SAVED

1. To Glorify God

The primary reason men need to be saved is that God might be glorified. In His infinite love and grace, God gave His Son to die on the Cross for the sins of the whole world. Men need to be saved to satisfy the heart of our loving heavenly Father.

2. To Satisfy Christ

Men need to be saved “to win for the Lamb that was slain the reward of His suffering.” When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He suffered untold agonies that the human mind will never be able to fathom. When we put our faith and trust in Christ, He sees the travail of His soul and is satisfied (Isa. 53:11).

3. In Adam, All Sinned

All men need to be saved since the entire human race fell when Adam sinned.

The Apostle Paul explains this truth in this way. “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that, all have sinned [in Adam]” (Rom. 5:12).

“For if through the offense of one [Adam] many are dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many” (Rom. 5:15).

“For if by one man’s [Adam’s] offense, death reigned by one [Adam]; much more they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” “Therefore as by the offense of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ], the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Jesus Christ] shall many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:17-19).

Do not overlook the tremendous truth that by the atoning death of Christ, all who believe in Him are made righteous.

4. All Men Commit Sin

Men need to be saved because they are sinners.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6).

“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecc. 7:20).

We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. We have a corrupt sin nature that causes us to sin. It is just as natural for men to sin as it is for a hog to wallow in the muck and mire.

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isa. 64:6).

Notice carefully what God says in this verse. He tells us “our righteousness,” the very best we can do, is filthy rags in His sight.

5. All Men Are Under Condemnation

Men need to be saved because they are condemned by Almighty God.

The Book of Romans is the greatest book in the Bible on salvation. It begins by telling people why they need to be saved.

Chapter One shows that wicked, ungodly men are lost (Rom. 1:18).

The first part of Chapter Two shows that so-called good men are lost (Rom. 2:1-16).

The last part of Chapter Two tells us that religious men are also lost (Rom. 2:17-24). There is not a religion on the face of the earth that can save anyone. Christianity is more than a religion; it is more than a way of life; it is knowing and experiencing the life of the risen Christ.

6. Men Are in the Bondage of Satan

Men need to be saved because they are in the bondage of Satan. Ephesians 2:1-3 is one of the strongest passages in the Bible to show that all out of Christ are in bondage to Satan.

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

The “course of this world” is the Satanic world system. Satan is “the prince of the power of the air.” He works in or energizes all in his domain. This does not mean that all of the unconverted are demon-possessed, but that they are controlled by Satan.

Isaiah 14:17 tells us Satan does not open the house of his prisoners. Christian witnesses are to proclaim liberty to Satan’s captives (Isa. 61:1).

7. Men Are Without God

Men need to be saved because they are without God, without hope and without Christ (Eph. 2:12). Those without Christ are not going to be condemned at the judgment bar of God. They are already condemned. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

8. Men Are on the Road to Destruction

Men need to be saved because they are on the broad road that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13,14).

There are only two ways: the way to Heaven and the way to Hell.

Solomon wrote, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25). Just because our way “seems” right, does not make it right. Notice it is not the way that “seems” wrong that ends in death, but the way that “seems” right ends in death.

There are only two groups: the many who are on the broad road, and the few who are on the Jesus road.

There are only two destinations: Heaven or Hell.

9. Men Are Going to Hell

Men need to be saved so they will not go to Hell. Hell is a place of torment where the unconverted will burn forever in a lake of fire and brimstone (Ps. 9:17; Mark 9:42-48; Luke 16:19-31).

God is a God of love, but He is also a holy God who hates sin. He hates sin, but loves sinners and wants to save them. He loves all lost men so much that He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on a cruel cross in their place and stead. But, if men are to be saved, they must receive the Savior.

10. Life Has No Meaning

Men need to be saved because life has no meaning without Christ.

“`Come now, and let reason together,’ says the LORD” (Isa. 1:18). Satan does all in his power to keep us from thinking about the meaning of life. He does not want us to know that “the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus tells us, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

Many people enjoy dreaming about what they would like to have, but King Solomon did not have to dream; he actually had everything any man could desire. Listen to him, “I made great works; I built houses; I planted vineyards; I made gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made pools of water, to water therewith the wood that brings forth trees: I got servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I had men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men. I had musical instruments of all sorts. I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. Whatsoever my eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor.

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecc. 2:4-11).

And, don’t forget Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines!

I repeat his conclusion, “All was vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecc. 2:11).

The Lord Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Alexander the Great conquered the then known world and wept for more worlds to conquer, but he died at the age of 33 in a drunken stupor.

In 1929, when the stock market crashed, hundreds of financial tycoons killed themselves. They had lived for one thing, and when it was gone there was no meaning to life.

Are we then to conclude then is no meaning or purpose in life? Most certainly not! When you come to Christ, when you yield yourself to Christ, life begins to have meaning. You discover God has a plan and purpose for your life. You discover that the great, eternal God of all the universe knows you, thinks on you, loves you, and invites you to be a co-laborer with Him in accomplishing His will and purpose.

Chapter Five: TWO PREREQUISITES TO SALVATION

I. The Sinner Must be Awakened to His Lost Condition.

If a person does not think he needs to be saved, he will not bother seeking the Savior.

The Spirit of God uses three things to awaken sinners to their lost condition.

1. He uses godly transformed lives of true believers to cause lost sinners to see that Christians have something that they need.

God uses many things to bring the lost to Christ. He uses evangelists, He uses Gospel radio, He uses Gospel literature, but the one main thing God uses is the changed transformed life of a true believer.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost its savor–it is good for nothing” (Matt. 5:13). Savorless saints are stumbling blocks instead of being stepping stones to bring others to Christ.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world–let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14,16).

2. God uses Spirit-filled intercessors to awaken sinners.

We often wonder why more people are not saved. God is having trouble finding intercessors. “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none” (Ezek. 22:30) God is amazed that there is no intercessor (Isa. 59:16). Sinners are awakened to their lost condition when Christians pray for them. “For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isa. 66:8).

3. God uses Christian witnesses to awaken sinners. The witness may be an evangelist preaching to the throngs, or he may be an individual Christian witnessing to another individual. Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). Christ must be lifted up so that men will be drawn to Him.

There are two main reasons why the average Christian does not witness: First, he does not have a testimony. A witness is one who tells what he knows. If Christ has not changed your life, you will not be able to witness for Christ.

If you are not filled with the Holy Spirit you will be afraid to witness, but if you are controlled by the Spirit of God, you will be eager and bold to witness for Christ (Acts 4:31).

II. The Sinner Must Be Convicted of His Sin.

“And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).

There can be no genuine conversion apart from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

In our zeal to get converts, we have often preached an easy believism which has filled our churches with nominal Christians. Many of these people have wanted a cheap fire insurance policy to escape hell, but have never been convicted of their sins.

In the closing days of this dispensation may God raise up some God anointed preachers who will preach in such a way that men will again be convicted of sin.

Chapter Six: WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? (Acts 16:30)

The most concise answer was given by the Apostle Paul when he told the Philippian jailor, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). But, perhaps you say, “That answer is too simple-there must be more to salvation than this.” Not so, my dear friend. When we understand salvation is the free gift of God’s love (Rom. 5:8; 5:18,19) when we understand salvation is by grace (Eph. 2:8,9) when we understand salvation is without money and without price (Isa. 55:1) when we understand salvation is by faith and by faith alone (Rom. 3:28; 5:1) when we understand salvation is based completely and entirely on the finished work of Christ (John 19:30) when we understand salvation is not what we can do for God, but what God has done for us (Jonah 2:9) when we understand that the Gospel of Christ is based entirely on the death and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4) then we will understand that Paul’s answer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” is a complete scriptural answer to this question.

The thrust of the entire New Testament is that men are saved by faith, that is, by believing.

The key verse of the Gospel of John verifies this truth: “But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

“Believe” is given more than 90 times in the Gospel of John as the only condition of salvation. For example:

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name” (John 1:12). “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes on Him is not condemned: but he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, `He who hears My word, and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life'” (John 5:24).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, `He who believes on Me has everlasting life'” (John 6:47).

The Apostle Paul verifies this truth throughout the Book of Romans.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them who believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No: but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:21-28).

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him who works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him who does not work, but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Rom. 4:3-8).

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

Lordship Salvation

There are those who teach that we must receive Jesus as Lord, as well as our Savior if we are to be saved. This teaching has developed because of the poor qualities of lives of many who profess to take Christ as their Savior. Those who hold to Lordship salvation teach we must fully honor Christ as Lord if we are to be saved. Jesus Christ is Lord (Acts 10:36), and we should honor Him as Lord, but this is not a condition for salvation, it is a condition for effective Christian service.

The Apostle Paul shows this to be true when he teaches the doctrine of salvation in chapters three, four and five of Romans but does not appeal for full surrender until Romans 12:1,2.

Since the Scriptures clearly teach that eternal life is the free gift of God, salvation cannot be merited by anything we do. If our faith is a saving faith, it will produce good works. Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.

The basic problem we face is to determine the meaning of “saving faith.” There are those who teach that giving mental assent to historic facts about Christ is all that is necessary to be saved, but the meaning of the Greek word for faith shows that this is not true. The Greek word means “to be convinced; to give credence to.” It means “to be convinced of something.” When used of salvation it means “to put one’s trust in the Gospel.”

Some teach that there is no difference between head and heart belief. However, the Holy Spirit is careful to make it clear that the faith that saves us is from the heart and not from the head. Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may. And, he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,10).

Saving faith must be a faith that changes and transforms the life. A saving faith will produce good works. Any professed faith that does not change the life is dead and a dead faith cannot save.

Saving faith results in repentance. Repentance means “an about face.” It means we have been going in one direction, but we change and go in the opposite direction. We leave the broad road that leads to destruction and get on the strait and narrow road that leads to life. Repentance is a vital part of saving faith.

Paul preached, “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

While it is true that we are not saved by understanding but by faith, it is also true that faith that saves must be an intelligent faith. The sinner must know that he is a sinner. He must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross in his place and stead. He must understand that God forgives him on the basis of what Christ has done for him, and not on the basis of his own works. He must understand that he becomes a Christian by inviting the living Christ to come into his heart (John 1:12; Rev. 3:20).

Many splendid illustrations can be given of saving faith.

Suppose that a man is trapped on the fourth floor of a burning building. Every avenue of escape has been cut off, and he seems doomed to die. As he crouches in an open window, with the flames creeping ever more closely to him, the firemen come and hold a big net under his window. They cry, “Jump and you will be saved.” He looks at the net and believes it is strong enough to hold him. He looks at the firemen and believes they are strong, able men, but believing will not save him. If he is to be saved, he must jump into the net. In the same way, it is not good enough for the sinner to believe many good things about Christ, but he must cast himself completely on Christ.

Let me tell you a true story that illustrates the meaning of saving faith. Many years ago a man announced he would ride his bicycle on a tight rope stretched across the top of Niagara Falls. On the appointed day, people came from far and near to see this spectacular sight. Everyone knew if this man-made one little slip he would be plunged to his death. They watched him as he carefully put his bicycle in place on the rope. As it slowly moved forward, he swung on it and began his perilous trip above the raging torrent. The crowd held its breath as he moved along. He safely reached the other side, turned the bicycle around, and came back to the starting point. He made the round trip several times. Each time he did, the crowd cheered wildly. Then he asked, “Do you believe that I can carry a man on my back across the falls?” The crowd cheered and cried, “We believe you can do it.” Then he asked, “Which one of you will get on my back and ride across with me?” Now the crowd was silent. They drew back with fear. Then one man stepped out of the crowd. He said, “I believe you can do it.” He got on the rider’s shoulders and together they slowly made the trip safely across the falls and returned.

This man, so to speak, had saving faith. The entire crowd said they believed he could carry a man across the falls, but just this one man was willing to actually make the trip. Have you thus committed yourself to Christ?

Chapter Seven: “WE SHOULD”

1. We should confess Christ as our Saviour and Lord before men.

“That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,10).

2. We should be baptized.

Baptism does not save us, but if we are saved we will gladly follow our Lord in baptism. Baptism is an outward manifestation of an inward faith. When we are baptized, we identify ourselves with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

3. We should have fellowship with a local church.

A lost person may join every church in town and still go to hell, but when a person is born again he should identify himself with a local, Bible-believing congregation of believers.

4. We should be witnesses for Christ.

“But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit comes upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). If we yield ourselves to Him, He will seek and save the lost through us.

5. Every Christian should have a vital part in world evangelism.

“Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Amen” (Matt. 28:19,20).

We have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ so that He may be the firstborn among many brethren.

6. We should walk in newness of life.

“Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

If we have new life in Christ, we should walk in that life. This is not a matter of imitation, but of identification. Many Christians are bringing reproach on the cause of Christ by the way they live.

Instead of being “stepping stones,” helping others to Christ, they are “stumbling blocks” hindering others from coming to Christ.

7. We should not serve sin.

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:6).

This does not mean we are perfect, but that we will not live in the bondage of sin. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).

8. We should serve in the newness of the Spirit.

“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter” (Rom. 7:6).

God wants us to serve Him, but we do not serve in order to be saved, but because we are saved. Christian service is not “doing something for God,” but it is allowing God to do His work through us. “Whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily” (Col. 1:29).

9. Since we are married to Christ, we should bring forth fruit unto God.

“Wherefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Rom. 7:4).

When two people are married, usually the normal thing is for them to have children. In the same way, when we are married to Christ, and if we are abiding in Christ, spiritual children will be born into the family of God. “I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Two people are not married until they receive each other as husband and wife. They were in love before this time, and perhaps had been going together for sometime, but they were not married until they received each other as husband and wife. So it is with the Christian, he is not a Christian who merely believes in Christ in an indefinite and intangible way, but he is a Christian who has definitely received Christ as his own personal Saviour.

When two people are married, they enter into a new relationship. They have new obligations and new responsibilities. They cannot continue to live as they did in the past. The husband has an obligation to love his wife and to provide for her; the wife has the obligation to love her husband and to make a home for him.

So it is in the Christian life. When we are married to Christ, He loves us and delights to provide for us.

Suppose a poor girl marries a wealthy man. Before marrying she had to subsist on a meager income. Must she continue to live in the same way now that she has a wealthy husband? Of course not. All of his resources are at her disposal. Because of his love for her, he wants to share all things with her. So it is with Christ: because of His great love for us, He desires to share all of His unsearchable riches with us.

What a tragedy that so many Christians continue to live as beggars!

The other side of the picture is that we have an obligation to live for Him. We are to yield our bodies completely to Him so that He can live in us and work through us when, where, and as He will.

The sinner who was dead in trespasses and sins is brought into this new relationship with Christ “by grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8,9).

Let God speak to your heart through these comparisons. Are you a professor or a possessor? Do you know God, or do you merely know about Him? This is the greatest issue that you will ever have to face. You can know whether or not you are saved, and God wants you to know (1 John 5:13).

This is the subject of the next chapter.

Chapter Eight: BLESSED ASSURANCE

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
(Fanny J. Cosby)

What a wonderful thing to be saved and to have the assurance of salvation! God wants us to be saved; He wants us to know we are saved. “These things have I written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Consider with me 12 ways whereby we can measure ourselves to see if we are a child of God. Please do not think for one moment I am teaching we must do all of these things in order to be saved, but if we are saved, some of these changes will take place in our lives.

TWELVE WAYS WHEREBY WE MAY KNOW THAT WE ARE A CHILD OF GOD

1. We can know we are saved because the Bible says if we believe on Christ we will be saved. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he who hears my word, and believes on Him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life” (John 5:24). Notice carefully two things this verse says; “has everlasting Life,” and “is passed from death to life.” Both of the statements are in the present tense. They mean “right now.” They do not mean that someday you will gain everlasting life if you will live in a certain way or if you will do certain things. You have everlasting life the very moment you exercise saving faith in Christ.

If you are not sure you have ever believed on Christ, pray a prayer something like this, “Lord Jesus if I have never received you before, right here and now I receive You as my personal Savior.”

If you will do this, you can rest on His promise that if you receive Him you will be a child of God.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

God is as good and as great as His word. He will keep his word. I prayed such a prayer two or three times about 60 years ago, but I have not had to pray that prayer in all of the intervening years.

We do not need to expect some particular feeling the moment we believe on Christ, for faith and not feeling is the condition of our salvation.

When a condemned man on death row is pardoned, he should experience joy and relief at the knowledge he is no longer condemned to die. When the sinner fully realizes what Christ has done for him, he should be filled with peace and joy in believing. We must ever keep in mind we are saved by faith and not by feeling.

An old Quaker has put it this way:

“Frames and feelings fluctuate, these can ne’r thy Savior be, learn thy self in Christ to see, then be thy feelings what they will, Jesus is thy Savior still.”

It is a wonderful thing to feel like we are saved, but how good it is to know that we are saved, even when we do not feel like it. When we take our eyes off of Christ to look at our self or our experience, we easily doubt our salvation.

An illustration is given of Fact, Faith, and Experience walking along the top of a wall. Fact walked steadily on, turning neither to the right nor the left and never looking behind. Faith followed, and all went so long as he kept his eyes focused on Fact; but as soon as he became concerned about Experience and turned to see how he was getting on, he lost his balance and tumbled off the wall; and poor Experience fell down after him.

If we are to stay in fellowship with Christ, we must keep our eyes fixed on Him.

2. We can know that we are a Christian because we are a new creature in Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). If you have been born again, a change will take place in your life.

3. When we are saved we will have a new love for the Word of God. “As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2).

Every living organism must have food or it will die. If a person is healthy, there is a normal hunger for food. Just as the physical man desires physical food. So, in the same way, the spiritual man desires spiritual food. This food is the Word of God. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). True Christians will find delight in feeding their soul on the Word of God.

4. When we are saved we should have a new understanding of the Bible. “Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).

The Spirit-led believer approaches the Bible with a sense of complete dependence on the Holy Spirit to give divine illumination. When we are thus taught, texts, passages, and truths that were once meaningless spring to life. Words that were once cold burn with fire.

Our experience can be the same as the disciples who walked with Jesus on the Emmaus Road. They said, “Did not our hearts burn within us, while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).

Friend, do you have a burning heart as the Holy Spirit shows the things of Christ to you?

5. We know that we are Christians because we have a new desire to do the will of God. David wrote, “I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:8). Jesus said, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me), to do thy will, O God” (Heb. 10:7). If this same Christ lives in us, we too will delight in doing the will of God. Jesus said, “Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). He also said, “Why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

The Lord Jesus is not teaching salvation by works in these verses, but He is teaching if we are saved we will have a desire to do the will of God. The Apostle Paul, the great champion of salvation by grace and of justification by faith, stressed the importance of obedience (Phil. 4:8,9).

6. If we are Christians we will love our brothers in Christ. “We know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He who loves not his brother abides in death” (1 John 3:14).

This is strong language, and this verse gives clear-cut evidence as to whether or not we are a child of God.

Three observations are in order. First, “the brethren” means all Christians and not merely those of our particular group or denomination. We are to love other Christians even though they differ with us on doctrinal matters. Second, we are to love in deed and in truth. The Bible has much to say about unfeigned love and loving without hypocrisy (Rom. 12:9). Third, we enjoy being with those we love. If we love the brethren, we will have a desire to have fellowship with them in the house of God (Heb. 10:25).

7. When we are saved we will have a new love for the lost. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (2 Cor. 5:14).

The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and save the lost. If He lives in us, He will love the lost through us. Every believer in Christ should have a vital part in world evangelism (Luke 19:12).

8. Christians will love the world of lost men, but will not love the Satanic world system. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world passes away, and the lust thereof; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 3:6-8).

These verses clearly state that if we love the world (system) the love of the Father is not in us. The world is defined as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” The Christian will love the things of God rather than the things of the world.

9. The Christian will have a new sense of the sinfulness of sin. “Whosoever abides in Him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who commits [habitually practices] sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:6-8). These verses are not teaching we must be perfect before we can go to heaven. They are not teaching sinless perfection, or the eradication of our sin nature.

God demands perfection, but that perfection is found only in Christ. God demands righteousness, and we are clothed upon with the perfect righteousness of Christ. The practical aspect is that we are to grow in grace, we are to be perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.

When a person professes to be a Christian and continues to live in the bondage of sin, it is good evidence he never has been born again.

This is illustrated by the hog and by the sheep. The hog is a picture of a sinner, the sheep of a Christian. The hog loves the muck and the mire. The filthier and dirtier he is, the better he likes it. There is nothing wrong about a hog wallowing in the mud. This is his nature.

The sheep on the other hand is a clean animal. Did you ever see a sheep wallowing in the mud? A sheep may slip and fall in the mud, but he will not stay there. When the mud dries on his wool he will rub it off on a post or the corner of a fence.

The sinner loves sin. He habitually lives in sin. He enjoys the pleasures of sin. The Christian may slip and fall into sin, but he cannot love or enjoy sin. The Christian is miserable when he falls into sin. He can find no peace of heart until he confesses his sin and is restored to fellowship with God (1 John 1:9).

10. The child of God will have a strong desire to pray. The first thing a newborn baby does is to breathe. Prayer is the breath of the soul (1 Thess. 5:17). If a person is a Christian, it is natural for him to pray. “You have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15).

Before we are saved we pray because we think it is our duty to do so. When we are saved we pray because we delight in spending time in the presence of our God and Father (Ps. 16:11).

God always answers the prayer of His children who are in fellowship with Him. Sometimes He says, “yes.” Sometimes He says “no.” Sometimes He says, “wait a while.”

If we are in fellowship with God, we will have the joy of seeing some of our prayers answered.

11. We know that we are Christians because we are chastened of the Lord. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). When God chastens us, we know that we belong to Him. If a person professes to be a Christian and continues to live in sin, and yet prospers in his evil way and is not chastened of the Lord, it is axiomatic that he is not a Christian.

“Every” son is chastened of the Lord. God does not necessarily chasten us immediately when we sin. He gives us an opportunity to repent of our sins, to turn from our sin, and to confess our sins to Him.

12. The Holy Spirit lets us know we belong to Christ. Every saved person has the Holy Spirit. “Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9).

If we have the Holy Spirit He will bear “witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16).

“And hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given to us” (1 John 3:24). “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He is in us because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). “He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself” (1 John 5:10).

The believer knows that he is saved because he is led by the Spirit of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, They are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14).

What a wonderful thing it is to have the assurance of salvation. We can have this assurance if we believe God, and rest on His Holy word.

Chapter Nine: THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

Let us begin by establishing the following principles.

1. We will settle this question completely and entirely on the basis of what the Bible teaches (Isa. 8:20).
2. The Bible does not contradict itself; it does not teach both security and insecurity.
3. We will not depend on human reasoning. Grace is a principle contrary to the thinking of the natural man.
4. We cannot settle this question by citing human experiences. Someone says, “I know you can fall away and be lost, because the preacher ran off with the deacon’s wife.” Such things happen all too often, but prove nothing.

I am thinking of a young man who was very active in church for many years, but he drifted away from the church, and now has no interest in the things of God.

There are at least two possibilities. In the first place this young man may never have been saved. In the second place, if he was saved, God will restore him to fellowship.

We sometimes read accounts of entire communities of professing Christians, especially in other lands, who have turned from Christianity to another religion. However, being a professing Christian does not make you a child of God. In this discussion, we are not talking about professing Christians, but about born again Christians; we are not talking about false teachers, but about true Christians.

SEVEN Scriptural Reasons for Believing in the Doctrine of the Eternal Security of the Believer

1. We Are Saved by the Matchless Grace of God.

Here are four key references showing that salvation is by the grace of God.

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10).

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

“Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Tim. 1:9).

“Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work” (Rom. 11:5,6).

Grace is unmerited favor. If we merit or deserve salvation it is not by grace. Salvation cannot be by grace and by works for then it would cease to be grace (Rom. 11:5,6). If salvation is in any measure by work, then we could fall away and lose our salvation. Salvation is not by works of righteousness which we have done (Titus 3:5), but is based completely and entirely on the finished work of Christ. When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross He cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30). That means “paid in full.” We insult God when we think we can add our puny works to the finished work of Christ. God’s grace is the only basis for our completed salvation.

When you once “see” the truth of salvation by grace, then you will “see” the wonderful truth of the eternal security of the believer.

2. We Are Justified by Faith

It is utterly impossible for any human being to state more clearly the doctrine of justification by faith than it has been stated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:21-5:1. I quote this passage of Scripture.

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them who believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God has set forth to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:21-28).

“What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he has whereof to glory; but not before God. For what says the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it [his faith] was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him who works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him who works not, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works. Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Rom. 4:1-8).

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

Justify means “to declare righteous.” God Almighty, Himself, declares us to be righteous, completely and entirely on the basis of what Christ has done for us in His death and resurrection.

His death was substitutionary; He died in our place and stead (1 Cor. 15:3, Rom. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:25).

We commit a great sin against God and against the Gospel when we think we are saved in any measure by our good works or by human merit.

Our salvation does not depend in part on what Christ has done for us, and in part on what we can do for ourselves. It depends completely and entirely on what Christ has done for us. When God saves a person, He does a good job of it.

Salvation is always a work of God for man; never a work of man for God.

3. “Them He Also Glorified”

I ask you to prayerfully ponder the following two verses of Scripture.

“For whom He [God] did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He [Christ] might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29,30).

This is not the place to digress into a lengthy discussion of the doctrine of election, but I must tell you that you can make your “calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:20) by exercising saving faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:1).

There are four great lessons God wants us to learn from these two verses.

1. Every single person that God foreknew He predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ.

2. Every single person that God predestined, He called.

3. Every single person that God called, He justified.

4. Every single person that God justifies, He will glorify.

“Them He also glorified.”

This is eternal security pure and simple! None, not one single person that God justifies will fall away and be lost!

Most assuredly I am not saying that every person who professes to be a Christian; not every person who thinks he is a Christian is justified by God, but every single person that God justifies, He will glorify.

“Them!” Not half of them; not 95 percent of them, but all of them. God is good and as great as His word. The “them” of Romans 8:30 is all the evidence we need to establish the truth of eternal security.

4. The Love of God

The Apostle Paul asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39). This scripture clearly states that there is nothing in all the universe, in Heaven above or on the earth beneath, that can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those who believe in the doctrine of insecurity attempt to handle this passage of Scripture in one of two ways, they teach that we can get out of God’s love if we want to, but this scripture states that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The second weak argument they attempt to use is that God loves all men, both saved and lost (and this is true). They reason that just because God loves men, they are not eternally saved. This is true, but this Scripture is teaching that since God loves those who are His own He will eternally keep them for Himself.

In 1972 I wrote, “I have three fine sons who know and love the Lord. I trust and pray that these three young men will continue to go on and grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ and to live lives that will bring honor to their Lord and to their parents. But if any one of these boys should fall into sin, and get in with the wrong crowd, and run afoul of the law, and bring disgrace on their parents’ name, they would still be our children, and their mother and I would love them just the same, no matter what they might do, or no matter how far into sin they might go. We love our boys in such a way that we would never think of disowning them or disinheriting them regardless of their conduct.

Now the question is this: Do you think that God loves His children less than we love our own children? The answer is obvious. The love of God far surpasses the fondest, most tender love of any earthly parent. Therefore, there is nothing in all of the universe that can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5. True Believers are Kept by the Power of God.

How miserable is the experience of the believer who thinks that he must believe on Christ and then hold out faithful unto the end in order to be saved. The Lord often permits us to stumble and fall that we might be brought to the end of ourselves so as to discover His wonderful all-sufficiency. Not one of us is able to keep himself from falling, but the Bible says that He is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24). Do you believe the Word of God? Do you really believe God is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory? If so, begin to thank Him for it and praise Him for it. Begin to rest in and to rejoice in the finished work of Christ.

“We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). We have an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and that fades not away.

Our friends who do not believe in the keeping power of God emphasize that we are kept by the power of God through faith and that all the mighty power of God is of no avail unless we continue to exercise faith. No chain is stronger than its weakest link, and if one link in the chain of security depends on our faith, the chain may break in spite of all that Almighty God can do. But, these dear friends overlook that Jesus Christ Himself is the beginner and the finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). They overlook that our faith is not of ourselves, but is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8), that the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God (Gal. 2:20). Faith is born of need; and, as the regenerate believer recognizes his own utter inadequacy to save himself or to keep himself or to live the Christian life, he looks to Christ to do for him what he cannot do for himself. It is in this sense that we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

6. We are Sealed by the Holy Spirit.

The Christian cannot lose his salvation because he has been sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30). He is not merely sealed until he sins but until the day of redemption. When he sins, he grieves the Holy Spirit and loses the power of the Holy Spirit, but he does not lose the Holy Spirit or his salvation.

When the seal of the United States Government is put on a document, that means that the government guarantees the document. All of the resources of the government, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, all of the courts of law, and every agency of the government are behind that seal. All human government may fail in their obligation, but God cannot fail for He is God. The very moment a poor, hell-deserving sinner repents of his sins, and in simple childlike faith receives the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart, he is wonderfully and gloriously saved. The very moment that he exercises saving faith in Christ he is sealed by the Spirit of God until the day of redemption.

7. The Good Shepherd

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).

“I give them eternal life.” If we can lose the life Christ gives us, it is not everlasting. In the event that some might misunderstand this statement, the Lord Jesus adds, “and they shall never perish.” It is an insult to Christ to doubt the veracity of His words, but He goes on, “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Think of it! Held in the mighty hand of the Son of God, but He does not stop there, “My Father, who gave them to me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” But, someone says to me, “You can get out if you want to.”

What folly! To demonstrate what the Lord Jesus is saying, I take a small insect and clench it in the palm of my left hand. Then I clasp my right hand over the fist of my left hand. The insect cannot get out of my hands unless I let it out. But, that is not all, both of the hands of Christ are held in the hand of God (John 10:29).

“INSECURITY PASSAGES”

But, someone says, “What about all of the insecurity passages in the Bible?” Yes, there are 10 or 12 verses in the Bible that seem to teach that a person can lose his salvation. I remind you the Bible does not contradict itself. It does not teach security and insecurity. I give you four examples of Scriptures that are often misunderstood by those who think a person can lose his salvation.

Hebrews 6:4-6

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”

Perhaps Hebrews 6:4-6 is the most used passage to prove a person can lose his salvation. Admittedly this is a difficult passage, but one thing is sure, this is one Scripture that those who believe they can fall away do not want to use. They want to have the privilege of being saved over and over again, but this passage says that if you fall away it is impossible to be renewed to repentance.

The flow throughout the entire book of Hebrews is that if you turn back after professing to receive Christ, you demonstrate you did not have a saving faith.

Galatians 5:4

A few weeks back I asked a preacher, do you believe a person can lose his salvation? He replied, “I certainly do. That is what the Bible says.” And he quoted the words, “You are fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Many who believe in “falling away” use this verse as a “proof-text” to prove their position, but, if they would consider this verse in the light of the context, they would see that Paul is not speaking about losing your salvation, but is telling the Galatians that they have fallen from grace in the sense that they had turned from the principles of grace, and were going back and living under the law. If you will study the book of Galatians with the Holy Spirit as your teacher, you will discover what I say is true.

1 Corinthians 15:2

“By which also you are saved if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain.”

What does it mean to believe in vain? Exactly what it says. Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Roman Catholic and all other churches have many people in their congregations who believe in vain. What does this mean? It means they have a faith which has touched their head but has never touched their heart and made them to be a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

John 15:6

“If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered: and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” It is easy to take this verse and make it mean something it does not say. This passage is not talking about salvation, but about fruit-bearing. If we abide we will bear fruit. All Christians are in Christ; very few know what it means to “abide in Christ.”

“To abide” means we are in fellowship with Him. If we are not abiding (not in fellowship) we will soon “wither.” Our churches are filled with “withered” saints. Jesus does not cast them into Hell, but men gather them and cast them into the fires of human derision. Nowhere do the Scriptures state that men cast other men into Hell.

My friend, you would do well to stop searching the Scripture to find insecurity “proof-texts,” and start believing on and resting on those explicitly clear passages which teach the eternal security of the believer.

A WORD OF TESTIMONY

Permit me to give you a brief word of testimony. We are saved by the Gospel of Christ (1 Cor. 15:1,2). The Gospel means “Good News.” It is not good news to tell me that I must keep myself saved, because I have failed 10,000 times. If such were the message of the Bible, my heart would constantly be filled with fear. I would be afraid that I might die and go to Hell right after I had lusted after some woman, or that I might be hit by a truck right after I lost my temper. What a poor sort of salvation this would be. I praise God this is not the kind of salvation I have enjoyed for the past 81 years. God has wonderfully chosen me, saved me, and kept me by His marvelous grace and power.

In praising the Lord, I often worship Him with the words of George Matheson’s great hymn:

O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

What a parody of the Glorious Gospel of the Grace of God to teach that God saves us, but that we have to keep ourselves saved.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever. Amen
(Jude 24,25)

Chapter Ten: GOING ON WITH GOD

Many people think the great goal of the Gospel is to save people from Hell and take them to Heaven when they die. This is certainly a vital part of God’s purpose but is only a part of that purpose. From the human standpoint, salvation starts with the new birth, but it does not end there.

God’s great purpose is to conform men to the image of Christ that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29).

God takes people who are dead in transgressions and sins, who are alienated from Him, who are in the bondage of Satan, who are spiritually blind and transforms them into a holy people of God.

 A Two-Fold Classification

All people are either lost or saved. Everyone is “in Adam,” or “in Christ” (1 Cor. 15:22). All out of Christ are spiritually dead; if they are in Christ they are spiritually alive (Eph. 2:1).

They are a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), or they are a child of God (1 John 3:1).

They are on the broad road that leads to destruction, or they are on the strait and narrow road that leads to life (Matt. 7:13,14).

They are headed for Hell (Ps. 9:17), or they are headed for Heaven (John 14:1-3).

But, that is not all there is to salvation. When we are saved God wants us “to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

God wants us to go on with Him (Heb. 6:1).

We have a perfect position in Christ which cannot be developed or improved in any way, but our actual condition is far below our perfect position. God does not want us to be satisfied with our present state of growth or development. He wants us to go on with Him (Heb. 6:1).

If you are content just to get to heaven, it is doubtful if you have been saved. When you are saved you will have new life in Christ, and this new life will give you a strong desire to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

Three Categories of Spiritual Life

All men are in one of three spiritual categories: lost, saved, and perfected. These categories have ten natural applications, according to Scripture.

The first application: the natural man, the carnal man or the spiritual man (1 Cor. 2:14-3:4).

1. The natural man is what the word “natural” suggests. You may be cultured, highly educated and wealthy, but if you have not been born by the Spirit of God, you are a natural man.

2. The carnal man has been born by the Spirit of God, but has not learned to walk in the Spirit. He may be religious, very zealous, and very diligent. He may be active in Christian service, but if his life is not controlled by the Holy Spirit, he is a carnal Christian.

3. The spiritual man is one who is led by, guided by and controlled by the Holy Spirit. He has the fruit of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. He exercises some of the gifts of the Spirit.

The second application: condemnation, justification and sanctification.

To condemn means to declare guilty. All men out of Christ are under the condemnation of God (John 3:18).

Justification means that God Almighty, Himself, declares us to be righteous on the basis of what Christ did for us in His death and resurrection (Rom. 5:1; 4:25).

Sanctification is threefold: positional, experiential and ultimate. Positional sanctification is that every believer is perfect in Christ. Experiential sanctification is that we are to perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord (2 Cor. 7:1). Ultimate sanctification will take place at the rapture.

The third application: death, everlasting life, abundant life.

1. All out of Christ are dead in trespasses and in sins (Eph. 2:1).

2. When we are saved we receive everlasting life. We receive everlasting life the very moment we receive Christ (John 1:12).

3. The Lord Jesus came not only to give us everlasting life, but also to give abundant life. We begin enjoying abundant life when we let Christ live His life through us (John 10:10).

The fourth application: faith in a lie, faith in Christ, living by faith.

1. The lost man chooses of his own will to believe Satan’s lie rather than believe the truth of God.

2. The Christian is justified by an act of faith when he recognizes his own inability to be saved on any other basis. When he discovers that church membership, baptism, good works, keeping the law, living according to the Golden Rule, etc., will not save him, he turns to Christ, and on the basis of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection, he is declared righteous by Almighty God (Rom. 3:24).

3. The born-again Christian is to live by faith. When the new convert discovers his own inability to live the life that God requires and expects of him, he turns from his own efforts to be good, and “to live right,” and turns to the Christ who now lives in him, and looks to the in-living Christ to do for him what he is not able to do for himself. He was justified by an act of faith; he now begins to live by faith (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38; Gal. 2:20). He lives in a constant attitude of faith. He lives by the Son even as Christ, as a man on the earth, lived by the Father (John 6:57).

The fifth application: no peace, peace with God, and the peace of God.

1. The unregenerate person has no peace. “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa. 57:20,21).

2. When we are saved we make our peace with God (Rom. 5:1).

3. As we learn to rest in God, we experience the peace of God (Phil. 4:6,7; 1 Pet. 5:7).

The sixth application: no righteousness, imputed righteousness and imparted righteousness.

1. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).

2. We are clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ. Our sins have been imputed to Christ, and Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us (2 Cor. 5:21).

3. As we learn to walk in the Spirit, the righteousness of Christ is imparted to us (Phil. 3:9). Notice the use of the two words: imputed and imparted.

The seventh application: enemy of Christ, at peace with Christ, occupied by Christ is found in Romans 5:10. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

1. All out of Christ are enemies of God and need to be reconciled to Him through the death of His son.

2. When we make our peace with God, He gives us our perfect position in Christ.

3, We are saved by the life of Christ, not by seeking to follow His example, but by allowing Him to live His life through us (Gal. 2:20).

The eighth application: rejection of Christ, having received Christ, walking in Christ.

1. Those who reject Christ. They say, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11).

2. There are those who receive Christ, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power [authority, the legal right] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

3. “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him” (Col. 2:6). We received Him by faith. We are to walk in Him by faith (2 Cor. 5:7).

The ninth application concerns the Holy Spirit: without Him, indwelt by Him, filled by Him.

1. All unconverted people do not have the Holy Spirit. “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9).

2. When we are saved, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19).

3. God wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18; John 7:37-39).

The tenth application is the family of God: babes in Christ, youthful in Christ, fathers in Christ.

1. We are born into the family of God as babes in Christ. As newborn babes we are to desire the sincere milk of the word (1 Pet. 2:2).

2. As the babies in Christ mature they become spiritual young men. Young men are strong, the word of God abides in them and they have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:14).

3. As young men develop they become spiritual fathers.

Two Four-Fold Categories

We started this chapter by dividing all men into two categories. Then we divided them into three categories. Now we will discover there are also two sets of four categories.

From Egypt to Canaan

The key text for this section is Deuteronomy 6:23, “And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore to our fathers.” This verse states the great purpose of God in redemption: “brought out to be brought in.” God wants to deliver us from the world and the evils thereof so that He can bring us into the fullness of the riches He has provided for us in Christ.

The children of Israel grew from a small tribal clan into a strong nation while they were slaves in Egypt for 400 years (Acts 7:6).

1. Egypt. Egypt is a type of the world. God desires to bring His people out of Egypt and to bring them into the land of Canaan. But, instead of coming into Canaan the children of Israel spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

2. The Wilderness. The wilderness is a type of the defeated Christian life. The wilderness is a place of bitterness and barrenness. It is a place of death, desolation, and despair. It is a place of conflict and defeat. Most Christians live in the wilderness.

3. Conflict in Canaan. When the Children of Israel crossed the river of Jordan and moved into the land of Canaan, they were faced by a formidable array of enemies. God commanded them to kill or drive out all of these enemies. This called for conflict and for bloodshed. When the children of Israel obeyed God, they were victorious. When they failed to obey Him they were chastened.

They failed to completely possess the land because of disobedience.

4. Rest in Canaan. When the children of Israel drove out their enemies, God gave them rest. When Christians discover that the battle is God’s and not theirs (2 Chron. 20:15), they begin to rest in the Lord.

The Tabernacle

If you do not have a clear mental picture of the Tabernacle in your mind, as described in Exodus 25-40, carefully study these chapters before reading this section.

The four divisions in this section are:

1. Outside the Court,
2. in the Court,
3. the Holy Place,
4. the Most Holy Place.

1. People outside the court represent lost people. The Bible says the unconverted are “without Christ, without hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12).

2. Those who are in the court represent Christians who have entered the eastern gate which is a type of the new birth. They are the children of God, but as yet they have not gone on with God to full maturity.

As we enter the court of the Tabernacle we come to the Brazen Altar, which speaks to us of the Cross of Christ. It was here that sins were put away. Everyone who comes to God must come by the way of the Cross. There is no other way. The Cross of Christ (meaning all that was accomplished there), is the basis and foundation for God’s plan of redemption. We must ever be kept near the Cross, and be mindful of what Jesus did there when He died in our place and stead. But, in another sense, we are to go on beyond the Cross into the Holy Place.

We come next to the Laver of Brass, which speaks to us of cleansing. Just as the priests who made the sacrifices had to be cleansed before they could go into the Tabernacle, we have to be cleansed from the daily defilement of sin. This wonderful provision is stated for us in 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To confess means to agree with God. God says that this thing in my life is wrong. I agree with Him, I confess it as a sin, and on the basis of the atoning death of Christ, I am completely forgiven. Our natural tendency is to justify ourselves in our sins, but we can never go on with God, we cannot enter the Tabernacle until we are cleansed from the defilement of sin. We were cleansed from the penalty of sin at the Cross (the brazen altar). Day by day we have to be cleansed from the defilement of sin.

The Tabernacle was divided into two parts: The Holy Place or Sanctuary, and the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies.

3. There were three things in the Holy Place: (A) The Table of Shew Bread on the north side, which speaks to us of Christ as the Bread of Life; (B) The Altar of Incense on the west side, which speaks to us of Christ as our Great High Priest; © The Golden Candlesticks on the south side, which speaks to us of Christ as the light of the world.

The believer is to learn to dwell in the Holy Place; he must feed on Christ; he must function as a believer-priest under the tutelage of Christ, our Great High Priest; he must learn to live and to walk in the light of the Lord.

4. The Most Holy Place was behind the second veil. In the Old Testament period, the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place only once a year on the Day of Atonement. But now, because the veil was rent when Christ died on the Cross, we can come boldly to the Throne of Grace.

The Ark of the Covenant with the Mercy Seat on it was the only thing in the Most Holy Place. The Mercy Seat is a type of Christ, Himself. He is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins (1 John 2:2).

The Most Holy Place speaks to us of the very presence of God. God desires to bring us to the place where we will continually abide in His presence, and to where He can dwell (settle down and make Himself at home) in us (Eph. 2:22).

Summary

We start as aliens to God outside of the court of the Tabernacle. We must enter the court through the eastern gate (the new birth – John 3:7). We must come to the Brazen Altar (the Cross of Christ), where we are reconciled to God.

Reconciliation, regeneration and justification are simultaneous.

We must be cleansed at the Laver before we can enter the Tabernacle for fellowship with God.

In the Holy Place, we must learn to feed on Christ; we must walk in Christ, Who is the light of the world (John 8:12).

We must come to the Altar of Incense before entering the Most Holy Place.

Now the Veil has been rent and we are urged to come boldly to the very Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16).

The theme of this chapter is “Going on with God.” We start the Christian life by making a decision to leave the broad road to destruction and to get on the narrow road to life. We decide to follow Christ rather than to follow Satan. When we are saved we must do the things that will enable us to “Go on with God,” or we will remain as babes in Christ.

Satan will oppose us every step of the way, but by the grace of God let us “go on” with Him.

Chapter Eleven: THE BELIEVER’S PRESENT PERFECT POSITION IN CHRIST

In order to have a better understanding of what is meant by our perfect position in Christ, let us examine each word of the above title.

By “believer” we mean a true Christian, a “possessor,” not merely a “professor.”

By “present” we mean what we actually have in Christ now, not something we hope to gain or attain in the future. Glories beyond our fondest imagination await us when we get to Heaven, but we do not have to wait until we get to Heaven to enjoy the unsearchable riches we have in Christ (Eph. 3:8). These riches are ours now. We must learn to possess them, and enjoy them day by day.

By “perfect” we mean exactly what we usually take that word to mean: no flaws, nothing missing, and nothing to be added.

By “position” we mean the place where we actually are. We speak of military troops taking a position, meaning a certain location. We speak of a man “holding a position,” such as the president of a bank. We have a perfect position in Christ. What is meant by being “in Christ” is discussed later in this chapter.

FIVE BASIC PRINCIPLES TO BE CAREFULLY OBSERVED

1. The very moment we exercise saving faith, we are made perfect in Christ; we are clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ. God no longer sees us in our sins but sees us perfect and complete in His Son.

2. Our perfect position in Christ is all of grace, entirely apart from good works or human merit.

3. Our position is in no way dependent on our conduct. What we are in Christ, and what we have in Christ is completely and entirely based upon what Christ has done for us in His death and resurrection.

4. Nothing we do, or fail to do, in any way changes our perfect position.

5. Every true believer is in Christ, even though he may be a stumbling saint and a faltering follower, he has precisely the same position as the most illustrious saint.

An understanding of these principles will enable us to understand the difference between our actual perfect position in Christ, and our actual present condition in the world. I use the word “actual” to emphasize that both our position and our condition are real. We are prone to overemphasize our actual condition, and to think of our perfect position as merely being theoretical or theological, rather than being “real.” “Actual” is defined as “existing in fact and reality and not merely potentially.” Both our position and our condition are actual.

God wants us to be occupied with our perfect position; Satan seeks to keep us occupied with our condition. We have to choose whether we will be occupied with our problems or to keep our eyes focused on Christ. We have to set our face like a flint, not to be detracted by temporal problems, but to keep our eyes steadfastly on Christ.

The Apostle Paul helps us with these words, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18 NKJV).

OUR PERFECT POSITION IN CHRIST

We have far more in Christ than we ever know in this life. I have made an effort to arrange what we now actually have in Christ in this way:

We are in God; God is in us.

We are in Christ; Christ is in us.

We are in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is in us.

1. We Are in God, The Father (First Thessalonians 1:11). Since God is omnipresent, in one sense everything is in Him, but Christians have a special relationship to God. He is their Father.

2. We Are Safe in God’s love. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38,39 NKJV). God loves us with an everlasting love. Even with all of our many sins and failures, God will not let us go.

George Matheson, the blind preacher, wrote “O love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe. That in Thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.”

3. We Are in the Constant Care of the Sovereign God. We are prone to forget this tremendous truth, especially when the storms of life break on us.

God often puts us in a crucible to try our faith.

* quote in Italics

Dr. A. T. Pierson has written, “Our Father, who seeks to perfect His saints in holiness, knows the value of the refiner’s fire. It is with the most precious metals that the assayer takes the most pains, and subjects them to the hottest fire, because such fires melt the metal, and only the molten mass releases its alloy or takes perfectly it’s new form in the mold. The old refiner never leaves his crucible, but sits down by it, lest there should be one excessive degree of heat to mar the metal. But as soon as he skims from the surface the last of the dross, and sees his own face reflected he puts out the fire.”

We must never forget that God is for us; since God is for us; who can be against us (Rom. 8:31)?

God does not want us to be fearful. He has written, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 NKJV).

At times the very hosts of Hell assail us. We are driven backward. Our knees buckle, and all seems to be lost. Does this mean that God has forsaken us? Most assuredly not! God gives us comfort and encouragement through His Word. He gives us strength through many of the great songs. “When I fear my faith will fail, He will hold me fast. When the tempter would assail, He will hold me fast.”

4. We Are Born of God (John 1:13). We are a member of the family of God. We are a child of God (1 John 2:1). We are now one of His sons (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). Since we are His son, we are an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Since we are a joint heir we have an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled and that does not fade away (1 Pet. 1:4,5).

Think of it! We are actually born of God! We are made a partaker of His very nature (2 Pet. 1:4).

A word of caution is necessary at this point. There are those who teach that Christians become God. This dangerous heresy must be rejected.

5. Since We Have Been Born of God We Now Have Everlasting Life. The very moment we were born of God we received everlasting life (John 5:24). Everlasting life is a present possession, and not a future attainment. If everlasting life can be lost or come to an end, it is not everlasting.

This new, and everlasting life became ours the very moment we exercised saving faith in Christ. We do not have to try to get everlasting life. We are not to try to live in such a way as to gain or merit everlasting life. We now have everlasting life in Christ. It is tragic that a great host of professing Christians do not have the sweet and blessed assurance that they now have everlasting life. Entire denominations teach that you will not know you are saved until you stand at the judgment bar of Almighty God. If you do not understand this tremendous truth, you do not understand the Gospel of the grace of God.

From the human standpoint everything we have in Christ started with the new birth (John 3:3,5,7). From the divine standpoint all we have in Christ started when God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).

6. God is in Us. There is “one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:6 NKJV).

Just think! The Bible actually teaches that God is in all of those who have put their faith and trust in Him.

7. We Have Been Reconciled to God. “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18,19 NKJV).

To reconcile means to restore to friendship or harmony. Man lost his happy relationship with God in the Garden of Eden, but now because of what Christ has done on the Cross, we are no longer at enmity with God, we are at peace with Him, “having made peace through the blood of His Cross” (Col. 1:19,20).

8. We Are Saints of God. We do not have to wait to be “canonized” as saints, hundreds of years from now by some church council. We are now saints because of our perfect position in Christ. It is true that many of us who are saints are not very saintly, but this does not change our perfect position one iota.

9. As Saints of God, We Have Access into the Very Presence of God. We now have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand (Rom. 5:2). “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16 NKJV).

In the Old Testament dispensation, no one but the High Priest could enter the most holy place, and that only on the Day of Atonement, but when the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Therefore, at the present time, the poorest, the weakest, the most unworthy child of God should have boldness to enter into the very presence of the Living God.

Not only do we have the right to come into His presence, but God urges us to come. “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” Therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19). We are encouraged to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22).

10. Christ is Our Great High Priest. This is the theme of the book of Hebrews. “So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: You are My Son, today I have begotten You” (Heb. 5:5 NKJV). “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:24,25 NKJV). “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb. 8:1 NKJV).

11. We Are in Christ. What does it mean to be “in Christ?” The Apostle Paul tells us, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

If we can discover what it means to be “in Adam,” it will help us understand what it means to be “in Christ.” To be “in Adam” means we are a member of the Adamic or human race. To be “in Christ” means we are a member of a new race of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head.

How did we get “into Adam?” We became a part of the Adamic or human race by means of a physical birth.

How do we get “into Christ?” We get into Christ by a birth, a spiritual birth (John 3:3,5,7). The very moment we are born again we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). There are those who believe and teach that we are baptized into Christ when we are baptized in water, but if they understood what takes place when we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ, they would see the folly of their position. When we are baptized into Christ we are made one with Him. We become bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh (Eph. 5:30). Only the Holy Spirit can make such a transformation.

12. We Have Been Blessed With Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ. The very moment we became a Christian we were blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Not one single thing has been left undone that the great, mighty, eternal God, who is our loving heavenly Father, could do for us. When God gave us Christ, He freely gave us all things with Him. Nothing was withheld (Rom. 8:32).

13. We Are Accepted in Christ. We are accepted by our Heavenly Father (Eph. 1:6). We are not accepted because of our good works, or because of anything we do. We are not accepted because we have a pleasing personality; we are not accepted because we have a brilliant mind; we are not accepted because we are rich, but we are accepted because of our relationship to Christ.

14. We Are Complete in Christ, and Nothing Can Be Added to Completion (Col. 2:10). God has given; we must learn to take.

15. In Christ There Is No Condemnation. All of the unconverted are under the wrath and condemnation of God (John 3:18), but there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Rom. 8:1).

16. God Has Forgiven All of Our Sins. What a wonderful thing it is to know all of our sins are completely forgiven! When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He paid our sin debt. He cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word “Tetelestai” means “Paid in Full.” That is why Isaiah could say, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isa. 1:18).

After his sin with Bathsheba, David prayed, “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps. 51:7). Because God answered this prayer, David could say, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin” (Rom. 4:7,8).

When Peter preached in the household of Cornelius, he said, “To Him give all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43 NKJV).

The Bible says, our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). They are blotted out like a thick cloud (Isa. 44:22). God has cast all of our sins behind His back (Isa. 38:17). He has cast all of our sins in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

No matter what your sins may have been, the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

The songwriter stated it this way, “His blood can make the foulest clean.”

17. Almighty God Declares Us to be Righteous. It is a wonderful thing indeed, to know that all of our sins are forgiven. It is still a greater thing to be declared righteous; to be clothed upon with the perfect righteousness of Christ.

Some preachers say that “justify” means “just-as-if-I’d never sinned.” But, justification is far more than this; it is far more than forgiveness.

Let me illustrate what I am saying in this way. Before Adam and Eve sinned they were in a state, or condition, of innocence. They were not righteous, and at this time they did not have a fallen sin nature. But, when they chose of their own will to believe Satan’s lie rather than to believe the Truth of God, they fell from their state of innocence. They were fallen creatures. If God had simply forgiven them of their sin, they would have been restored to their position of innocence, the condition they were in before they sinned.

Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves, but, God clothed them with skins of animals. The fig leaves speak to us of our self-righteousness. The clothing that God provided for Adam and Eve speaks to us of the perfect righteousness of Christ. When we are saved, we are clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ. The Apostle Paul states it in this way, “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Phil. 3:9).

We are justified by faith. “Justify” means “to declare righteous.” God Almighty, Himself declares us to be righteous on the basis of what Christ has done for us in His death and resurrection. We are not “being justified” by faith, but we “have been” justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). Justification is not a process, but is a declaration by Almighty God declaring us to be righteous (not being made righteous), but declared righteous completely and entirely on the basis of what was accomplished for us by Christ in His death and resurrection. By this act of faith we are brought into our perfect position in Christ; we are brought into a right and unchanging relationship with God who becomes our Heavenly Father.

Does the Bible actually teach what I am saying, or is this my imagination? Look at the Book for yourself. The doctrine of justification by faith is concisely stated in Romans 3:21-31. “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”

The fifth chapter of Romans opens with these words, “Therefore having been justified [declared righteous] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” To water down this tremendous truth destroys the Gospel of Christ.

18. We Are Seated With Christ. Twenty references in the New Testament speak of Christ being seated at the right hand of the Father (Matt. 22:44; 26:64; Mark 12:36; 14:62; 16:19; Luke 20:42; 22:69; Acts 2:33,34; 5:31; 7:55 (standing); Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12 and 1 Pet. 3:22). By His matchless grace we are now seated with Him (Eph. 2:6).

How was this wonderful transaction accomplished? We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). When He died on the Cross, we died with Him (Rom. 6:6).

When He was buried, we were buried with Him (Rom. 6:4). When He was raised from the dead, we were raised with Him (Col. 3:1). When He ascended to the right hand of the Father we ascended with Him (Eph. 4:7,8), and we are now seated with Him (Eph. 2:6).

19. Christ is in Us. “Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in Glory” (Col. 3:4).

“At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20). “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). The Lord Jesus wants to live His life through us, but there is a catch. If Christ is to be my life, He must first be my Lord.

Bill Bright expresses it in this way: “In every heart there is a cross and a throne. When self is on the throne, Christ is on the Cross, but when Christ sits on the throne, self is on the Cross.”

20. We Are in the Holy Spirit. The eighth chapter of Romans is the greatest chapter in the Bible on the Holy Spirit. As believers in Christ, we are told, “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9).

This verse, above all other verses in the Bible, teaches it is impossible to be saved and not “have” the Holy Spirit.

That is one very important side of the coin. The other side of the coin is if we are “in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25), we are to “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16).

21. The Holy Spirit is in Us.

(1) He wants to glorify Christ through us (John 16:14).

(2) He wants to make Christ real to us (Eph. 1:17).

(3) He wants to give us power (Acts 1:8).

(4) He is the “Blessed Paraclete” who wants to help us in every area of our lives (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7; 1 John 2:2; Rom. 8:26).

(5) He wants to show the things of Christ to us (John 16:13,14).

(6) He wants to teach us (1 Cor. 2:12).

(7) He wants to produce His fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22,23).

(8) He wants to enable us to exercise His gifts (1 Cor. 12:7).

(9) He desires to transform our lives (2 Cor. 3:18).

(10) He sheds abroad God’s love in our heart (Rom. 5:5).

(11) He makes us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).

(12) He gives life to our mortal bodies (Rom. 8:11).

(13) Through Him we can put to death the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:13).

(14) He wants to lead us (Rom. 8:14).

(15) He bears witness with our spirit (Rom. 8:16).

(16) He makes intercession for us (Rom. 8:27).

OUR GREAT ANTAGONIST

God wants us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ and all He has done for us (Heb. 12:2). Satan’s chief tactic is to get us to take our eyes off of Christ. He wants us to be occupied with our problems, both real and imagined. He wants us to worry about our physical infirmities. If we are to go on with God, we must be occupied with Christ.

It is wonderful to know and to realize that nothing can change God’s eternal plan and purpose. We, those who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) will be kept by Him through the countless ages of eternity.

These tremendous truths demonstrate God’s love and grace.

We must praise the Lord for the perfect position we have in Christ. We must praise Him for the unsearchable riches we have in Christ (Eph. 3:8).

If these great truths really grip our heart, we will have a compelling desire to share Christ with others.

Chapter Twelve: OUR DAILY WALK

Praise God for our perfect position in Christ, but most of us are painfully aware that our daily walk is far below our perfect position in Christ. Too many Christians are enduring the Christian life instead of enjoying it. The future glories of Heaven far excel our fondest imagination (1 Cor. 2:9), but we are not to wait until we get to Heaven to enjoy our salvation. God has made abundant provision for us in this present life.

Let me call to your attention some of His marvelous provisions.

When we are born again, we are to grow up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13,15). God’s purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). We are to be triumphant Christians (2 Cor. 2:14). We are to be more than conquerors through Christ (Rom. 8:37).

Joy is to characterize our lives. “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4).

The Apostle Paul exhorts us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).

We think that if we are to obey this command, our lives must be free of all problems and distractions, but God wants us to rejoice in the Lord in spite of our problems and distractions.

In a world that is filled with turmoil and strife God wants us to have peace of mind (John 14:27; 16:33). God has promised to keep us in perfect peace if we will keep our minds stayed on Him (Isa. 26:3).

God wants us “to show forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

God wants us to rejoice in the assurance of our salvation (1 John 5:13).

INSTEAD

But, instead of growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ, we remain spiritual babies. Instead of living by faith, we live by sight. Instead of walking in the Spirit, we walk in the flesh. Instead of living in Romans eight, we live in Romans seven. Instead of being fruitful, we are barren. Instead of keeping our eyes focused on Christ, we dwell on our problems. Instead of “scaling the utmost heights,” we live an up and down Christian life. Instead of being victorious, we are often defeated. Instead of being “stepping stones,” we are “stumbling blocks.”

God brought us out of Egypt (a type of the world) to bring us into Canaan (a type of the victorious Christian life), but we have turned aside and spend our lives wandering in the wilderness (a type of the defeated Christian life-Deut. 6:23).

THE PROBLEM

What has gone wrong? The problem is that we have an old, evil sin nature.

We must never forget that we have two distinct natures: the “old man” and the “new man.” The old nature is incorrigibly evil. The Apostle Paul said, “I know that in me, that is in my flesh there is no good thing” (Rom. 7:18).

The prophet Isaiah said, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isa. 64:6).

Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

The Lord Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murderers, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).

Our old nature has not changed one whit from what it was before we were saved.

Contrary to what is commonly believed, we are not to make an effort to improve the old nature. When Jesus died on the Cross, our old nature died with Him (Rom. 6:6). Our new nature (2 Peter 1:4) is to replace the old nature in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

When we, in any way, minimize the wickedness of our old nature, we deceive ourselves and throw ourselves open to Satanic attacks.

When we were saved, our new birth resulted in our receiving a “brand” new nature. In fact we received the very nature of God (2 Pet. 1:4). These two natures are in constant conflict.

The Conflict Between the Two Natures

The conflict between the two natures is aptly described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:14-25. Here is a paraphrase of that passage.

We know the Word of God is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. I do not understand why I act as I do. For what my new nature wants to do, the old nature will not do it. Even though I recognize what the Bible teaches is good and wholesome, I am not able to live up to the teachings of the Bible. So, if I do things I am ashamed of, it is no more I that do these things, but it is the sin nature that dwells in me that does these bad things. I know that in my old nature there is nothing good. I have the ability to choose what is right, but I do not have the strength to do the right thing, for the good that I want to do, the old sin nature will not do it. For example, I know I should read my Bible, but my old nature would rather watch TV. I know I should pray, but the old nature prefers to stay in bed. So if my old nature does things I do not want to do, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. I have discovered the principle that when I would do good, evil is present with me. There is a force in my body that constantly wars against the good things I want to do. This force brings me into captivity to the law of sin which is in the members of my body.

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this old corrupt nature, which constantly pulls me down? (End of paraphrase.)

The Carnal Corinthians

The saints in the church at Corinth are typical of many Christians today. These Christians can be divided into three classes of people: the natural man, the carnal man, and the spiritual man (1 Cor. 2:14,15).

The “natural man” is the unregenerate church member. He professes to be saved, but never has been born again.

The “carnal Christian” is saved, but has not learned to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). The carnal Christian is often very earnest and sincere. More than likely, he is trying very hard to live the Christian life. He is doing “the best he can.”

The “spiritual Christian” has learned to walk in the Spirit, and to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

As a result of their failure to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives these Christians were described as contentious, carnal, having envy and strife, and as being puffed up (1 Cor. 5:2). There was envy, strife, and division among them.

Is there a solution to this problem? The Apostle Paul wrote, “but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Rom 7:18).

The “How” is the topic of the next chapter.

Chapter Thirteen: TEN MUSTS OF A HAPPY CHRISTIAN LIFE

1. You Must Be Saved and Know It. (See chapters 6, 8, and 9).
2. You Must Be Saturated With the Word of God. Since the Bible is the foundation of the Christian faith, it is essential for the Christian to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God.

When I was a young preacher, Walter J. Feely gave me the best advice I ever received. He said, “Get into the Book!” I have been in the Book for more than 60 years. Being in the Book has given me a solid foundation on which to build my Christian life. I make three suggestions.

First, read the entire Bible at least once a year.

Second, since Romans 6, 7, and 8 are the three greatest chapters in the Bible on how to live the Christian life, master these three chapters. (See Chapter Fourteen).

Third, do not only sing about standing on the promises of God, learn to stand on them. Peter speaks of the “exceeding, great and precious promises” (2 Pet. 1:4).

3. Be Filled With The Holy Spirit. The Spirit filled life is the normal Christian life. Learn to depend on the Holy Spirit to help you (Rom. 8:26), to teach you (1 Cor. 2:9-12), and to produce His wonderful fruit in your life (Gal. 5:22,23).

4. You Must Learn to Pray. Prayer is the breath of the soul. You cannot live without constantly breathing; you cannot live the Christian life without constantly praying. We must practice constant prayer, and closet prayer (Matt. 6:6). Prayer is not an exercise; it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that hinders prayer.

5. We Must Praise the Lord. “Oh, that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” (Ps. 107:8)! We are to offer the sacrifice of praise continually (Heb. 13:15).

A bird flies with two wings. As Christians we are “to fly” with the two wings of petition and praise. If one wing of the bird is injured, it cannot fly, but will flounder. If we do not balance our petitions with praise, we will flounder. There are too many floundering saints.

6. We Must Keep Short Accounts With God. Do not let your sins pile up. Apply 1 John 1:9 if and when you sin.

There are those who teach that practicing 1 John 1:9 is the normal way to live the Christian life, but if you live on this basis, you will live an “up and down” Christian life. As you learn to apply the truths of Romans 6, 7 and 8 to your life, you will be able to live without the constant application of 1 John 1:9.

7. We Must Put on The Whole Armor of God (Eph. 6:11). If we do not learn to put on the armor of God, we will be casualties.

8. We Must Live by Faith. We are justified by an act of faith, but having been justified by faith we are to learn to live in a constant attitude of faith. “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). There is absolutely no other way to live the Christian life. All else is sham and counterfeit.

We were justified (declared righteous) by an act of faith when we discovered there was nothing we could do to save ourselves. We looked away from all manner of self-effort, and looked to Christ on the Cross, and received Him as the gift of everlasting life.

In the same way, when we discover it is utterly impossible to live the Christian life in our own strength, we look away from all self effort and look to the Holy Spirit to enable us to live the life Christ has provided for us, and for the first time we begin to live the Christian life.

I am going to write the same message using different words.

It is the will of God for all Christians to keep their eyes constantly fixed on Christ.

The Christian life begins with a look. “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22 NKJV). But, we are not to take just one look, we are to “live looking” (Titus 2:12,13). We are to “run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:1,2).

Isaiah 26:3 tells us “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.” “Stayed on” is the same as “looking to Jesus.” God wants us to continually enjoy His peace, “the peace of God that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:6,7).

The devil’s job is to destroy the peace God has given to us. His chief task is to get us to take our eyes off of Christ.

He uses many methods to accomplish his purposes.

One of his main methods is to get us occupied with our problems. God permits us to have problems, so we will learn to trust Him. We can choose to look at our problems or we can choose to look to Christ. Our old sin nature, through which Satan operates, wants us to give in the sin of self pity and be occupied with self.

As Christians we can choose to look constantly to Christ or we can look at our difficulties.

Peter did wonderfully well walking on the water, as long as he kept his eyes on the Lord, but when he looked at the waves, he went down (Matt. 14:30). Every Christian can testify he has “gone down” every time he has taken his eyes off of Christ, and looked at his problems. It is just as impossible to live the Christian life without looking to Christ as it would be to walk on water.

One of the greatest secrets of the Christian life is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.

9. Our Faith Must Be a Tried Faith. All of our problems do not come to us because we have sinned. Testings, trials, heartaches and other forms of suffering are part of the means God is using to conform us to Christ.

A sculptor was asked how he went about making an elephant. He replied, “I take a block of marble, and start knocking off everything that does not look like an elephant.”

That is what the heavenly Sculptor is doing with us. He is knocking off un-Christlike things in our lives. And it hurts!

We can choose to whimper and give in to self pity, or we can confess the un-Christlike things and be cleansed and delivered from them.

The Apostle Peter tells us, “The trial of your faith is more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire” (1 Pet. 1:7). The trying of our faith will be found to be to the praise of His glory.

When the three Hebrew young men were cast into the burning fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?… I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire,… and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Dan. 3:24,25 NKJV). It is in the fiery trials of life that the Lord Jesus becomes real to us.

10. We Must Obey God. Some of us, who magnify the grace of God, are afraid that if we teach obedience, some will think we are teaching salvation by works. Faith and obedience go hand in hand (Ps. 37:3). The faith that saves will result in obedience. “He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). The commands that Christ is talking about are not the commands in the mosaic law. How many commands of Christ can you think of? How many of them do you obey?

Trust and obey, there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. This is not talking about salvation, but about living a happy, victorious Christian life. “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Chapter Fourteen: GOD’S METHOD FOR LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

The sixth and eighth chapters of the book of Romans are the two greatest chapters in the Bible on how to live the Christian Life. We should not need to be reminded that what is commonly called the “Christian Life,” and what the Bible calls the “Christian Life” are two very different things.

None of us can improve on any of God’s methods. God’s method for living the Christian Life is believing and obeying Romans chapters 6 and 8.

Since Romans does not start with chapter six, it will help us to glance at the five natural, logical divisions of this book.

1. What man is by nature (1:18 – 3:20).
2. How to become a Christian (3:21 – 5:21).
3. How to live a Christian life (chapters 6, 7 and 8).
4. Why Israel is temporally set aside (chapters 9, 10 and 11).
5. How to serve God (chapters 12-16).

For the first 20 years of my life I went to a Bible believing Church. I learned that I was a sinner and that I needed a Savior. I received the Savior and was baptized. I surrendered my life to God as taught in Romans 12:1,2. About every six months in a “revival meeting” I, along with others, rededicated my life to Christ.

I thought I was living the Christian life because I went to church every Sunday and I was active in “Christian service.”

In all of those years, I never remember a preacher explaining the meaning of Romans 6, 7 and 8. No one seemed to know that Romans 6 comes before Romans 12.

The sixth chapter of Romans is the foundation for Christian living. If you do not build on this foundation your spiritual life will crumble. The Cross is the foundation on which we must build our lives.

The Cross has two arms. One side represents the truth that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3). This side is the foundation for our justification. The other side of the Cross represents the truth that we died with Him (Rom. 6:6, Gal. 2:20). This side is the foundation for living the Christian Life.

It is often said, “we live the Christian Life by allowing Christ to live His life through us,” but there is a “catch;” we still have an old sin nature that must be dealt with.

Many suggestions have been made as to how to deal with the old sin nature. Some teach reformation, but that is like trying to reform a pig. You can wash him ever so clean, but he will still love to wallow in the muck and mire.

Others suggest “self control,” but that is like trying to keep “Jack-in-the-box!” He is always jumping out at the most embarrassing times.

Others suggest eradication of the sin nature, but this doctrine is not taught in the Word of God.

Death to self is the Biblical way of dealing with the old sin nature. The old man must die, and he did die when Christ died on the Cross. We were crucified with Him (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20).

There are four key words in the sixth chapter of Romans:

Know (6:6),
Reckon (6:11),
Yield (6:13),
and Obey (6:12).

Though victory is not found in chapter six, this chapter is the foundation for victorious living, and 6:6 is the foundation of the entire chapter. We died when Christ died; we were crucified with Him.

The eleventh verse of chapter six is the first command in the book of Romans. We are commanded to reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God. The Greek word for “reckon” is “Logizesthe.”

In the fourth chapter of Romans this word is translated “count,” “impute” and “reckon.” It is an accounting term. Abraham’s faith was “counted” for righteousness (Rom. 4:3,5); God imputes righteousness to us without works (Rom. 4:6).

After his sin with Bathsheba, King David said, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Rom. 4:8). Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness (Rom. 4:9).

There are three prerequisites that must be met before we can obey the dual commands to reckon ourselves dead to sin, and alive to God.

First, we must believe verse six before we can obey verse eleven. If we do not believe the old sin nature died when Christ died, there is no point in pretending that He is dead.

Second, we must believe that self deserves to die, or we will not reckon him to be dead.

If we say something like this, “I know I am not perfect, but after all I am not so bad,” we will never be so severe as to reckon self to be dead.

Third, we must experience something of the agony of defeat, as found in chapter seven, before we will reckon self to be dead.

The command of verse eleven is both negative and positive: we are to reckon ourselves to be dead to sin, and alive to God. God is not interested in death. He wants to bring us through death in order to give us spiritual life. He is the living God.

It will probably take a spiritual crisis in your life before you will obey the command to reckon self dead for the first time. But, we are not do this one time and then forget about it. We need to learn to live on the basis of continually reckoning our selves to be dead to sin and alive to God.

If we daily reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God, we will not likely need to apply verse eleven when the old sin nature is strongly tempted to come to life.

Perhaps an example from my early ministry will help you understand what I mean by this last point. I was just beginning to learn the truths I am discussing in this chapter when a young woman, who was one of my parishioners, was giving me “a sound cussing.” More than that, she was blowing cigarette smoke in my eyes while she vented her wrath on me. My “old man” was strongly tempted to come to life, but by reckoning him dead, self was kept under control.

The second command in the sixth chapter of Romans is found in verse twelve, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.” We may slip and fall into sin, but we are not to let sin reign as king in our heart.

The third twofold command is verse thirteen, “Do not yield your members (eyes, ears, hand, feet, etc.) to sin, but yield your members to God.”

Then Paul, the great champion of grace, exhorts the believers to be obedient.

J. H. Sammis wrote, “Trust and obey, there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

Chapter seven gives the conflict between the two natures. It is a picture of a person who is trying to live the Christian Life in his own strength.

The eighth chapter of Romans is the greatest chapter in the Bible on the Holy Spirit. The victory we long for is found in this chapter.

In chapter seven we have the big “I” 33 times; the Holy Spirit is mentioned 19 times in chapter eight.

Since the ministry of the Holy Spirit was discussed in chapter eleven, we will not repeat the material here, but I will give an illustration to help you understand verse two. “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

Suppose I am holding a book in the palm of my hand. Two laws are in operation on this book. The law of gravity is constantly pushing down on the book, and it will go down unless my hand holds it up. The second force or law is the physical strength of my arm which holds the book up against the law of gravity.

In the same way the law of sin and death is constantly pushing down on each one of us, and we will go down unless some other power overcomes the law of sin and death. This other power is the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

The righteousness which the law demands is met when we walk in the Spirit (Rom. 8:4).

It is utterly impossible for us to live the Christian life without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Bill Gothard has written, “When we enter into Christ’s victory and engraft Romans 6 and 8 into our minds, wills, and emotions so that we can instantly quote it as we go to sleep at night and whenever we meet temptation during the day, we will experience the principle of moral freedom in our lives.”

Chapter Fifteen: THE GOAL OF THE GOSPEL

If the greatness of God’s salvation has gripped your heart as you have read this book, you will have a strong desire to share the unsearchable riches of Christ with others.

The Great Commission can be found in the first five books of the New Testament. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus states the Gospel in this way, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” “Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world [age]” (Matt. 28:19,20).

Since Jesus has all authority, He commands us to go with the Gospel. We are to be in the “going business” for God. We have the greatest message in the world, and we are to proclaim this message to every person in the world.

The King James Version of the Bible uses the words “teach all nations.” This translation has caused much misunderstanding. Christ’s command is not to educate, but to tell others of Christ. The word “teach” is better translated “disciple” or “to make disciples.” Some missionaries have thought the unconverted must be educated and civilized before they could be evangelized, but through years of fruitless labor they discovered that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16).

After people are saved they are to be taught the things of Christ. Then they are to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus commands us to, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

In the Gospel of Luke the Gospel is expressed in this way, “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “As my Father has sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). The last words of Jesus before His ascension are, “You shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

During the 20th century Satan has seen to it that the meaning of the Gospel has been badly clouded. You can find the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation. We have seen it is given to us in the first five books of the New Testament, but it is most clearly stated by the Apostle Paul. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; by which also are you saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

The Gospel is the Good News the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross for the sins of the whole world; that He was buried and that He was raised from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. It is the Good News since Christ has paid our sin debt, we will not have to pay too. It is the Good News that Christ is the Lord of Life, and that He will give spiritual life and eternal life to all who will trust Him.

The Gospel does have social implications, but they pale into insignificance when compared with the spiritual aspects of the Gospel.

Some have thought the goal of the Gospel was to “win the world to Christ,” or “to make it a fit place in which to live,” but Acts 15:14 is a clear statement of the goal of the Gospel. “Simeon has declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name.” God is seeking to “call out” a people for His name.

The Greek word for “church” is “ekklesia.” It means “a called out, separated assembly.”

THE WHITENED HARVEST

Some say that half of the people in the world are Christians. This is difficult to believe when ninety percent of the people in America can not tell you the Gospel. If they do not know what it is, how can they be saved by it?

According to “Operation World” there are 1 billion, 35 million Muslims in the world. None of these people are saved. There are 716 million Hindus in the world, none of which are saved. There are 613 million Buddhists and other oriental religions, none of which are saved.

THREE TRENDS

The first major trend is the sweep of worldwide apostasy. Entire denominations are turning from the faith of our Fathers.

The second major trend is the resurgence of pagan religions.

The third major trend is that the Gospel of Christ is going forth as never before in the history of the church.

Patrick Johnstone shares the following good report with us.

1. “That 200 years ago only 0.7 percent of the world’s evangelicals were found outside the West, while today 58 percent are found in the non-west!
2. “That evangelicals are growing at three times the rate of population growth!
3. “That only 29 countries have a population less than one percent Christian!
4. “That there are 10,000 Christians in Iran…and 75 million Christians in `closed’ China!”

SOME PROBLEMS WE FACE

1. The Lord Jesus gave us the Great Commission nearly 2,000 years ago, but the church as a whole has never taken the Great Commission seriously. The Bible says, “Where there is no vision the people perish” (Prov. 29:18).

2. It is the will of God for every Christian to be a witness for Christ; but very few are consistent witnesses.

3. We have already seen that many missiologists do not understand the goal of the Gospel.

WHAT MUST BE DONE?

1. We must publish information about the missionary enterprise. “Facts are the fuel with which missionary flames are fired and fed.”

Sixty years ago God gave me a missionary vision when I read “The Progress of Worldwide Missions,” by Robert Hall Glover. This book has been revised and is now published under the title “A Global View of Christian Missions,” by J. Herbert Kane. (*check this info auth HD)

At the present time the most valuable book to create missionary interests is “Operation World” by Patrick Johnstone.

2. The one main thing God tells us to do about world evangelism is to pray (Matt. 9:38), but most of us know very little about prayer.

Major missionary conferences have been conducted without prayer being mentioned.

3. Mass media must be utilized.

4. We are responsible. If a plague is killing thousands of people, and we have the remedy that can save the lives of these people, we must share it with them.

5. We will be held accountable. “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. If you forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain: if you say, Behold, we knew it not; does not he that ponders the heart consider it? and he that keeps your soul, does not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Prov. 24:10-12).

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12).

EPILOGUE

As you have read this book on the greatness of God’s salvation, your heart should be filled with praise.

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works for the children of men! (Ps. 107:15).

“He who offers praise glorifies me” (Ps. 50:23). We sin when we fail to praise God.

Fix your eyes on Him and on the wonders of His salvation.

If we really believe what God has done, we will want to tell others about Him.

If you never have received Christ, why not receive Him now? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). “Boast not your self of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1). God has provided perfect salvation for us, through His Son, but if we are to be saved, we must enter in by faith. God has given; we must take. Everything that God has for us is in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we receive Him, He receives us (John 1:12; Eph. 1:6).

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