A lesson by Pastor John Skaggs

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

P.O. Box 1447, Claypool, Az. 85532

520-425-8345 or 520-402-9134

pastorjohn@gila.net

Date: 03-25-00

Text: Various

Topics addressed in this lesson

(This lesson answers the question, "What must I do to be Saved"?)

The message from the Church of Jesus Christ has been the same for two thousand years. "Repent for the kingdom, of Heaven is at hand". "Believe on the lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Sinners who understand and respond to this message can say with the old prophet that, ". . . lovely on the mountains are the of him who brings good news, Who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

The message begins with a call to repentance from ones sin. This repentance is needed because "Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". Jesus is about to come the second time to judge the living and the dead. His sheep will be gathered and taken to heaven while the goats, unbelievers, will be cast into an everlasting hell. You must turn from your sin now! However, one is not saved by bare repentance but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must repent and believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ the Son of God if we hope to have our sins forgiven. "Repent for the kingdom, of Heaven is at hand". "Believe on the lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved from the wrath to come".

The message is brief and simple, at first glace, but it is seldom understood right away. Even after the explanation the question continues to be asked, "What must I do to be saved?" "How may I be rescued from eternal punishment for my sins against God?" "What does it mean to believe in Jesus?" The answer to these questions is found only in the Bible. The answer is worded in many different ways the most familiar being the phrase we deal with this morning. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved". It is good to ask this question and it is good to answer it from time to time, for the sake of the unbeliever and the Christian as well. And so for the rest of the morning we will try to make as clear as possible how men may go to God and find themselves saved from the wrath to come.

First I declare that if you are to be saved from the coming wrath of God about to fall upon all unbelievers you MUST BELIEVE. This statement is repeated over and over in the Scriptures. Perhaps the most familiar text is John 3:16-18 NASB.

Faith is the issue dear ones, not works of any kind. Consider also John 6:47 NASB. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who BELIEVES has eternal life." (Rom 3:24-26 NASB) "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; {25} whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through FAITH. (We are justified or made clean and sinless in the eyes of God through faith which is itself a gift form God.) This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; {26} for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has FAITH IN JESUS." Saving faith has as its object Jesus, the Son of the Living God, the Christ spoken of by the prophets.

(Gal 2:16 NASB) "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law (One cannot be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments.) but through FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS, even we have BELIEVED in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by FAITH IN CHRIST, and NOT by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." No one ever has been or ever shall be made right with God, saved from the coming wrath by keeping the law. One group of Jews asked Christ what they must do to work the works of God. They thought one would be saved by his performance or lost for the lack of it. Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:29 NASB)

The language is plain. To be saved ONE MUST BELIEVE or have FAITH IN CHRIST in order to be saved.

It is important to understand at this point that their are two kinds of faith, one saves and the other does not. One is a living, life giving, faith while the other is a dead faith, leading to eternal separation from God. One is the faith GIVEN to the Elect for salvation the other is of human or satanic origin. Both unbelievers and demons possess this dead faith which brings only eternal death and never ending punishment. The faith in God and in His Christ that leads to eternal death is described in James 2:19 NASB. "You BELIEVE that God is one. You do well; the DEMONS ALSO BELIEVE, and shudder."

A person with this kind of faith understands REAL TRUTH. He believes that God is the God the Bible says He is. That Christ is who the Bible says He is. This person knows and believes, with the Devil, that God's word is true, yet, like the demons he is not saved from the wrath to come. He is not saved because the faith he has is a DEAD FAITH, it is a faith of the mind and NOT of the heart and soul. This faith springs from a collection of data, it is logical, the offspring of human reason. It has often been called, "intellectual assent". Such faith is made evident when it produces NO CONVERSION, NO CHANGE OF LIFE, in it's owner. True, the Devils are said to tremble before these truths but that is as far as it goes. They fear the judgment promised but are NOT INCLINED TO REPENT, to turn from their wicked ways to serve the living God. These Devils and people are NOT ASHAMED of their sin, they are JUST FEARFUL OF IT'S CONSEQUENCES. They DO NOT HATE THEMSELVES OR SIN, quite the contrary, THEY LOVE THEMSELVES, AND THEIR SIN. Such people are NOT MOVED TO CRY OUT FOR FORGIVENESS AND MERCY. They just want to avoid the promised consequences.

Sadly this is often the kind of faith a man comes to on his death bed. This man has refused to believe in God through Christ Jesus all his life. Perhaps he has even denied God's very existence. But as he faces eternity all the arguments, and objections flee his mind. His conscience is awakened. Suddenly there stands before him the awesome, condemning truth. There is a God, He is Holy and just. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. At this moment he would give anything if these things were not true. But they are and he TREMBLES LIKE THE DEMONS TREMBLE. But he does NOT cry out for forgiveness. He does NOT weep in sorrow for having sinned against the Holy God. He just TREMBLES before the truth, before the judgment he is about to face. He has FAITH but it is the FAITH OF DEVILS, it is DEAD and leads to eternal death. Don’t get me wrong, there are real death bed conversions, but, I fear, they are few and far between. Today, dear friend, is the day of salvation. I warn you do not presume that you can make things right with God in the last moments of your life. There have been few who have.

Now what of living faith, what is it like? How is it identified? Living faith is that faith which is the product of the Holy Spirit's work of REGENERATION whereby the individual is RECREATED with a NEW heart, eyes, and ears TUNED to spiritual things. This is the re-birth spoken of by Christ in John chapter three. The changes wrought in this sinner enable his mind to reach beyond the facts of the Gospel message. He now sees the EXCELLENCE, BEAUTY, AND APPROPRIATENESS of the Gospel. This is what Peter calls the faith of the Elect. It is an insight given from above which causes God's Good News to glow with a heavenly beauty. When this happens to a person they understand for the first time that this is what they need. When this revelation is made to one he UNDERSTANDS his sin and for the first time REJOICES in the Gospel. For the first time he says, with confidence, "It is for me that Jesus died! This Good News is for me!" In that moment it all falls together. It is right and appropriate that sinners be condemned to hell. It is right and appropriate that salvation be by faith in the perfect Jesus. In the moment one is born again he believes in Christ with this living faith and is saved from the wrath to come. True saving faith lives and moves and breathes. Living faith takes action. It repents of sin, turns to trust in Jesus for salvation, and it spends all its days from that point on striving to please Him. The person with true saving faith trusts in Christ for salvation and is saved from the wrath to come.

In spite of the fact that men must believe to be saved we must not conclude that salvation depends on men. We must remember that salvation is of and from the Lord entirely. Even the faith by which one believes is a gift. (Philippians 1:29 NASB) For to you it has been GRANTED for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake". Salvation is entirely of the Lord. Hear the words of Romans 9:16 NASB. "So then it (This word, "it", refers to the whole of salvation, from eternal election, to faith, and the exercise of it for salvation. It....), does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." Therefore, when you see one trust in Christ for salvation you know that God has been merciful to another sinner. He must get the praise not the man.

Jesus said in Luke 10:21 NASB. ". . . I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst HIDE these things, (The saving truths of the Gospel.), from the wise and intelligent and didst REVEAL them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight." Saving faith has to do with a Divine revelation and a Holy Spirit application of Gospel Truth to our hearts and souls. It is from beginning to end, a gift from God.

Here is how it works. The external revelation, the word of God, the Gospel message as recorded in the Bible, is preached to every person in a congregation. However, some are given a spiritual understanding of these truths and some are not. These, and these alone, experience conviction of sin, a trembling at the judgment to come, then with eagerness and joy, they turn, by faith, to Jesus for salvation. Without this internal revelation man cannot see his sin or the life available in Christ. His eyes cannot gaze with joy upon the Risen Savior. Without this revelation the Gospel would neither appear beautiful nor appropriate. The message of Christ’s death for sinners would not be good news. Lets look at one more reference for this section.

(Luke 10:22 NASB) "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and ANYONE TO WHOM THE SON WILLS TO REVEAL HIM." In Matthew's Gospel, after Peter had made his confession of faith in Christ as Savior Jesus declared, ". . . Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did NOT reveal this to you, BUT MY FATHER who is in heaven." (Mat 16:17 NASB) The understanding of spiritual truth, along with true saving faith, is a result of an internal revelation, a Divine insight given by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul, one whom we recently saw witnessing and approving of the murder of Stephen, experienced this internal work of grace. All his life, Paul, then known as Saul, had believed in God. He believed to the extent he trembled before the law and made every attempt to conform to its requirements. But Saul was a lost man, an unredeemed sinner. He was a Jew of Jews, a Pharisee of Pharisees, RELIGIOUS to the extreme, but he was NOT A CHRISTIAN! Rather, he persecuted and murdered Christians at every opportunity. But God, mercifully, chose to reveal Himself and His Son to Saul. Saul did not seek God for no man seeks God, properly, on his own. (See Romans 3:9 ff) Rather, Saul was apprehended by Christ on his way to Damascus, to continue persecuting the Church. God, by Christ, stopped Saul in his sinful tracks and saved him to the uttermost. In that moment he was given new ears, eyes, AND DESIRES, Saul understood for the first time his sin against God. He saw the judgment to come and his need of forgiveness. He saw Christ through NEW EYES. He saw the excellency, the beauty, and the appropriateness of salvation by FAITH in Him. Paul believed in Jesus, was saved from the wrath to come, and he immediately began to OBEY or follow the Savior. In a very short time he became a preacher of the faith he had so faithfully opposed.

This CHANGE of life style, this COMPLETE TURN ABOUT is something that ALWAYS goes with life-giving faith. When God the Holy Spirit opens our eyes so that we really see the truth WE RESPOND with joy and love. We are CHANGED internally, we are NEW PERSONS, from the inside out. This change carries over into our lives in the form of good fruit, works of righteousness, or simply put, obedience. Living faith, saving faith, ALWAYS bears the fruit of obedience.

So, there is a DEAD FAITH in God and His Christ that produces fear, but not salvation. Then, there is a LIVING FAITH which is the RESULT of an internal illumination whereby one sees not only the truth of the gospel but its BEAUTY, EXCELLENCE, AND APPROPRIATENESS for meeting his need of cleansing and salvation. Salvation is of the Lord!

Have I succeeded in answering the question, "What must I do to be saved?" The answer remains, "BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved". BELIEVE that Jesus shed His blood FOR YOU. BELIEVE the promise of salvation through faith in Him. Receive it with joy!

When your mind is perplexed and anxious because of the guilt of sin. When your troubled spirit looks around for some way of escape from the just displeasure of God, listen then to the voice of grace and mercy from the lips of the Son of God. He says to everyone in this condition, "Come to Me, Believe in and upon Me!" Till this is done my friend all is lost.

There is another way of answering this great question, "What must I do to be saved? The sinner must RECEIVE Christ as Savior and Lord. (John 1:12-13 NASB) "But as many as RECEIVED Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, {13} who were born NOT of blood, NOR of the will of the flesh, NOR of the will of man, BUT of God."

To RECEIVE Jesus Christ is to BELIEVE He is the Son of the Living God. That He is the Savior of all who come to Him by FAITH. That He alone can satisfy the demands of God's justice on your behalf. That He is the ransom for our souls. That He is all the Bible says he is. You must RECEIVE Him as He is, otherwise, you will perish forever.

Another simple illustration of the nature of saving faith is found in John 3:14-15 NASB. "And AS Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; {15} that WHOEVER BELIEVES MAY IN HIM HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." This is a reference to the event recorded in Numbers chapter twenty-one. The Israelites had disobeyed God. As a result, He sent poison snakes to KILL them. However, He also made PROVISION FOR THEIR SALVATION from the judgment they DESERVED. But, as is the case with our spiritual salvation, it had to be on God's terms, not ours. God told Moses to set a brass serpent on a tall pole and promised that all who LOOKED to this brass serpent would be saved from death. In this case there was NO QUESTION in the Israelites mind as to what he must do to be saved. If he looked to the right for help he would die. If he looked to the left for deliverance he would die. If he looked to himself for help he would die. But, if he looked only to the brass serpent, that is, if he believed the promise of God for salvation and sought deliverance as directed, he would not die.

Here is the answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" Friend, you have been bitten by the serpent of sin. It's poison flows in your veins and you are about to die. However, it need not be so. For Jesus has been lifted up for all to see. He has promised that all who look to HIM will be saved. But I tell you this, if you look to the left, the right, or to yourself, for deliverance, you will perish forever. Look exclusively to Christ and you will be saved from the wrath to come. The serpents bite will not kill you. Can anything be more simple than this, "LOOK TO CHRIST AND LIVE".

Further, in reference our question, I say, "YOU MUST COME TO CHRIST". You must believe, you must receive, you must look to Him in faith and you must COME to Him. (John 6:37 NASB) "All that the Father gives Me shall COME to Me, and the one who COMES to Me I will certainly not cast out." (Mat 11:28-29 NASB) "COME TO ME, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. {29} "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS."

Coming to Christ is the way men, women, boys, and girls are saved. We are NOT told to come to an altar, the Baptismal waters, or to the Preacher for salvation. Rather, sinners must COME TO CHRIST. All who come to Him will be saved.

It is so simple and yet men convicted of sin continue to ask, "What does it mean to come to Christ?" I have tried to do all these things but I still have no sense of God’s forgiveness. With Job they say, (Job 23:8-9 NASB) "Behold, I go forward but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; {9} When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him." To this person the new Testament answers, in Romans 10:6-9 NASB. "But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down), {7} or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." {8} But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, {9} that if you CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH JESUS AS LORD, AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU SHALL BE SAVED." This dear sinner is what is means to come to Christ.

Sometimes it is the simplicity of the requirement that throws the sinner off. WE THINK WE MUST DO SOME GREAT THING. Something like ascend into the heavens or descend into the depths to find Christ. Men often refuse to accept that it is simply believing in, receiving, looking to, and coming to Christ that will save the sinner. Reject it if you wish, but, this is God's way of saving sinners.

I offer one last answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved". You MUST SUBMIT to God's way of saving you. You MUST GIVE UP all excuses for your sin. You MUST DENOUNCE all dependence on your own righteousness. You MUST SUBMIT to the righteousness which God has provided for your salvation thorough faith in Christ.

My dear unbelieving friend, if you will gain heaven and shun the eternal torments of hell. You must believe in, look to, receive, and come to Christ for salvation. You must abandon all other hopes and trusts and submit yourself to God's way of salvation as I have described it to you today. This is, "What one must do to be saved".

Let us hear the last scripture of the day. (2 Cor 6:2 NASB) "for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU"; behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION" Look to Him and be saved from the wrath to come!