The Gospel

©Thomas Dolhanty

Overview:

• To be born again by the Spirit of God is to be included in the "first resurrection" described in Revelation 20:5-6. Jesus referred to it in several different places as being raised from death to life (eg. John 11:25-26; 5:24, and He also referred to it as 'hearing His voice' (eg John 10:27) or 'hearing His word' (eg Luke 8:21). One evening thirty five years ago in a little cottage on a little island I 'heard' the word of the Lord and everything in my life changed from that moment on.
• The Gospel is the story of the grace of God from first to last. I was saved by grace, and by grace alone - Sola Gratia. God the Father chose me before the earth was created, God the Son bore the punishment that belonged to me and, by His own blood, delivered me from death to life. God the Holy Spirit "sealed" me with the guarantee that He would bring me home to God without fail.
• Who are the redeemed? To answer this question, as well as the question 'What must I do to be saved?' there is one place, and only one place, to look. That place is Scripture, and Scripture alone - Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone shows the way to salvation, and Scripture alone defines what it is to be saved.
• What does it really mean to be saved, and what is the way to salvation? To be saved is to be declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus Christ, and thereby to have peace with God. Those who are thus "justified" God adopts as His eternal children and makes co-heirs with Jesus Christ of all the riches of eternity. How, once again, do I come to this place? - by faith, and by faith alone - Sola Fide.
• There is only one single person who is able to save me and present me to God, and that person is Christ and Christ alone - Solo Christo. Anyone who comes to God through any other religion, or by any other name, or who attempts to make Christ something less than the sole mediator between God and man will be rejected.
• The Roman Catholic Church and others have robbed God of His rightful glory and have promoted a low view of God and a high view of man, by insisting that we have some part in our salvation, and that the Pope, or the Virgin Mary, or the Saints or the sacrament, or someone else or something else deserves veneration. In fact, though, salvation is entirely of God and only of God. For that reason God alone deserves the glory. That is why the Reformation included the saying Soli Deo Gloria - to God alone be the glory - as one of its key pillars.
• What must I do to be saved? To enter into an eternal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the simplest things a person can do, and yet the most profound act any human being could ever imagine. The Lord Jesus Christ taught His followers to count the cost, and to be very certain of the commitment before they took that step. He did not require them to be ABLE to follow Him - no one is able. But He requires all to give him absolute rights over their lives, even to the point of following Him to death if He should require it, as He has done from countless thousands down through the ages. Ability is provided day by day through the grace of our gracious Saviour.

"... the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 5:24-25

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:6

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, Hebrews 3:7-8

I was "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) until one glorious evening in a little cottage on a little island when I "heard" the voice of God and I came alive. Nothing has ever been the same for me since that moment on that evening thirty-five years ago. The astonishing grace of God reached out and saved a foolish agnostic for no other reason than it pleased the Lord to do so. Certainly there was nothing within me to recommend me, and certainly my faith had nothing to do with this resurrection from the dead except as a response to the revelation of God. I believed because it was given to me to believe. I believed because I "heard" the voice of God. I did not hear with my physical ears, but the hearing was no less certain and the word was no less real because of that. To the contrary, the word was more certain than any word I had ever encountered, and the hearing was more clear than anything I had ever heard. Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, said to me "LIVE" and in that moment I was delivered from death - never to die again (John 11:26).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ will be the marvel of God's people forever and ever. In its proclamation it is so eloquently simple that a little child can hear it and respond. It can be declared with just a few words:

... whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life ... John 5:24

... whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life ... John 3:16

...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved ... Romans 10:9

... believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved ... Acts 16:31

What could be simpler than this? Moreover, not only can a little child understand and obey the Gospel, but the ONLY one who will enter the kingdom which the Gospel proclaims is the one who receives it like a little child (Matthew 10:15). There is no performance required. There is no deep understanding of metaphysical realities necessary. There are no religious duties, no great or small sacrifices, no candles to light or rituals to perform or heights to be scaled or depths to be fathomed. One does not need any special ability or condition or setting to respond to the Gospel. One does not have to understand theology or Church history or psychology or anything else to to be delivered from death to life through the Gospel. One does not have to understand how the Gospel is possible, or to study the great truths of the Scripture, or anything else. One simply has to hear the Word of the Lord, and upon hearing one must believe. One must only be willing to trust God and not "harden one's heart" against God. Salvation truly is a free gift. It is all about the giver. It is all of grace - the free and unmerited - undeserved - gift of God. The focus is the deliverer. When one is delivered by the Gospel he revels in his new life, but as time goes by he more and more revels in the giver Himself. It is the giver of this marvellous gift of life that becomes the real treasure of the Gospel. And this Redeemer is the eternal treasure of the redeemed.

Yet there is something even more astonishing about this Gospel. It is a truth so profound that the believer is struck dumb when he first begins to grasp it. It is a revelation that takes one's breath away. I can only fall down and worship when I finally begin to grasp WHY I - ME - heard the Gospel and believed. The Word of God teaches the believer that his call to the Gospel was no accident. It was not some chance event that caused him to hear and believe. In fact, the call of God to the believer could not fail because God chose a people to be His own before the foundation of the world, and for these ones He sent His son to bear their sin and drink the cup of wrath which belonged to them. These ones, the Bible teaches, will surely be called and they will surely respond to God's love, and they will surely be saved to the uttermost, and they will surely become joint heirs with Christ Jesus of all the riches of the ages. They shall never die, but they shall live forever in the presence of God and in the love of God. God has decreed it. What I initially thought to be MY doing, I eventually discover to be nothing more than my necessary response to GOD'S doing.

There are many Scriptures which teach this truth, and whole chapters of the New Testament, such as the ninth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, are devoted to it . The first chapter of the letter to the Ephesians is another very clear statement of God's sovereign choosing of His people out of a lost humanity. Here we will consider 2 passages of the New Testament which set forth the doctrine of God's sovereign appointment of the names of those whom He would save - the doctrine of election. The first is given to us by the Apostle John and the second is from the Apostle Paul. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John there are two key statements describing who it is that God would save. They are:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44

and,

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:37-40

In the first statement Jesus teaches that the only ones who will come to Him for salvation are the ones that the Father has drawn to Him. In other words, no one will seek out Jesus except those whom the Father has drawn to Him. No man or woman will turn to the Saviour and begin to inquire about their own salvation unless God the Father gives them the ability to do so. This truth is reinforced throughout the New Testament. For example, speaking of His disciples in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus prays to His Father "yours they were and you gave them to me" (John 17:6). In the tenth chapter of the same Gospel Jesus refers to His disciples as those whom "My Father ... has given them to me..." (John 10:29). From these and many other passages we learn that It is never an accident when a person hears the Word of God and believes. It was ordained from before the foundation of the world. As we said, the believer is struck dumb and humbled when he finally grasps this truth about the Gospel. God alone has saved me - He has chosen me before I was born, has sent His Son to die in my place while I was still His enemy, has forgiven me and established His covenant with me, has given me eternal life and made me a joint heir with His Son of all the riches of eternity. No wonder the Psalmist wrote:

This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalms 118:23

But here is the other great truth from the sixth chapter of John's Gospel which we've quoted above - not one of those who are called will fail to come, and everyone who does come will be saved. That is, every single one of those whom the Father has chosen "before the foundation of the world" will come to Jesus - not one will fail to come. Furthermore, every one of these who come will be saved. Jesus states it this way "... this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day...". Not one of those whom the Father has elected (chosen) from before the foundation of the world will fail to come. The moment will come for each and every last one of them when they will "hear" the call of God, and when they hear, they will come to Jesus Christ. Moreover, every last one of them, when they do come to the Lord Jesus Christ, will be saved to the uttermost.

Now, when we put these two truths together we understand that the only ones who will come to Jesus Christ are the ones who are sent by the Father. No one else will come to Him, though all are invited. The ones who are sent to Him by the Father, though, will surely come - every last one of them, and when they come they will surely be saved. All will be delivered from judgment and wrath, will receive the gift of eternal life, and will become joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ of all the riches of God. Here is how the Apostle Paul states the same truth in the Letter to the Romans:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30

This passage of Scripture is known as the "golden chain" (verse 30 in particular). The word "foreknew" in the Greek has the sense of "entered into relationship with", rather than just "know" in the cognitive sense. For example, the same Greek word in used in Romans 11:2 which is translated:

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew... Romans 11:2a

The sense is that God had committed Himself to relationship with His people and therefore He would not reject them. Those who were rejected, whether from Israel or from the nations were those whom God had not "foreknown". Thus, in the "golden chain" we read that there is a people who are "foreknown" by God. These are the same people whose names are said to be written in the "lamb's book of life" before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), and who are said to be "chosen before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). What, then, does the Apostle Paul tell us about these "foreknown" people? We are told that they are the ones who "love God", and that they are the ones whom God has "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son". That is, they will be sanctified and made righteous. They will be molded into the image of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, these same ones will be "called", and "justified", and "glorified". This is the "golden chain" part (Romans 8:30). Whoever is foreknown will surely be predestined, and whoever is predestined will surely be called, and whoever is called will surely be justified, and whoever is justified will surely be glorified. So we have exactly the same truth as that which the Apostle John taught us. All who are called will come, and all who come will be saved. This truth is known as the doctrine of election. If I am foreknown then it is certain that I will be called. If I am called then it is certain that I will be justified. If I am justified then it is certain that I will be glorified.

To be called in this sense, then, means the same thing as 'drawn by the Father' in John's language. It is what Jesus means when He says "My sheep hear my voice" (John 10:27). It means that I will certainly grasp what the Word of God is saying to me, and I will be drawn to Jesus Christ. To be justified, means that because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on my behalf, I am declared righteous by God. All my sins are forgiven. I am no longer under the wrath of God, but I have peace with God. God has become a loving Father to me, and has determined to mould me in the image of His Son and to love me forever as His child. To be glorified refers to the time when my body will be resurrected from the dead with a glorious and immortal like the resurrected body of Christ (1Corinthians 15:35-54; 1John 3:2). In the Greek the word translated "glorified" is in the past tense, like the others in this verse. Thus God regards it as an absolute certainty that all who are called will be part of the "resurrection of the just" (Acts 24:15). It called the "prophetic past tense" and it is how Scripture describes an event which MUST come to pass.

Before I go on to consider the awesome truths of the Gospel in a little more detail, I must pause a moment to give thanks for the "glorious Gospel of the blessed God" (1Timothy 1:11 NASB). Before that evening in that little cottage on that little island 35 years ago I thought that I 'had a pretty good handle on life'. As an educated and well-read man I thought that I was on the right track, and that religion was the stuff of the foolish and the weak and the superstitious. The Lord, however, intervened in my life and I "heard" the Word of God and "saw" the kingdom of God - and so I believed and was saved. I was transformed in a moment and my life changed radically and forever. For weeks and weeks after that time I could not stop singing the praises of God if I tried! I was simply overwhelmed by the goodness of God, and the wonder of the Gospel. I often sang out with the Psalmist:

Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! Psalms 150:1-6

Of course, I thought that it was MY faith which was responsible for my salvation and perhaps even something of MY goodness that made me a candidate for salvation. I was, after all, quite an honest chap (or so I imagined). I did have this good quality and that good quality - right?. I could easily imagine why God chose ME - although even here I rather thought that it was ME who chose God. With many years of bad teaching, I persisted in much of this error for a long time - thinking that the reason for my salvation was MY faith. Finally, though, the Holy Spirit began to reveal yet more to me of the marvel of the Gospel. Finally, I began to grasp that this was not about me at all, but about the breath-taking love and mercy and wisdom and counsel of God.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36

Before the earth was formed, God ordained a particular company of people for whom His son would die. This would be a company of people who would glorify God forever as the children of His free grace and mercy. The cup of God's wrath would be taken out of their hands and put in the hand of Jesus Christ who would drink it to the last dregs on their behalf. Because of this, God would declare their debt to be fully paid, and would declare this company of people to be righteous, and would mould them in the image of His own dear son. They would be born again of the Holy Spirit. They would be new creatures in Christ Jesus. They would forever glorify God for His astonishing mercy and kindness towards them. They would forever be His people, and He their God. Yes - but -

HOW COULD I BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE?

HOW COULD I - EVEN I - BE HEIR TO ALL THE RICHES OF HEAVEN?

HOW COULD JESUS HAVE TAKEN MY PUNISHMENT AND FREELY GIVEN ME ETERNAL LIFE?

These are the questions which will astonish men and angels forever. No wonder Isaac Watts wrote:

"Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood." Isaac Watts

and,

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

There simply are no words to express the love and thanksgiving and the wonder that overwhelm the soul of the redeemed when he or she begins to grasp what God has done for us in the Gospel. All we can do is fall down before Him and worship Him. What is more, the redeemed of Christ continue to fathom more of the marvel of their God as they mature, and so shall they continue for all eternity!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:3-14

The first chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians conveys such profound information about the nature of redemption that one may read it many times and contemplate it much and yet hardly begin to fathom its depths. If I am redeemed by God (see below - "Who are the redeemed?") then God the Father has taken thought for me before the world was created. The Father determined not only that I would be created, but that I would be redeemed by the blood of His Son, forgiven for all my sins, and made a co-heir with Jesus Christ of all the riches of the ages. The Son of God - the Lord Jesus Christ - took upon Himself the wrath of God that was due to me for my sins, and paid the full price for my offences so that I might be declared righteous forever in the heavenly court. In fact, God has 'placed me in Christ' so that I am partaker with Him of all things. God the Holy Spirit has "sealed" my redemption so that my pilgrimage on earth will not fail to bring me home to God, and He has ensured that I will be formed and fashioned in the image of Jesus Christ. By this "seal" of the Spirit my redemption is guaranteed. I will not - cannot - fail to inherit eternal life with all that God has promised to His redeemed children.

Salvation is, from first to last, the work of God. Even before the world was created, the Father determined that I would be redeemed. Even when I was "dead in trespasses and sins" the Son drank the cup of wrath that belonged to me. Even though I might stumble and fall and struggle, the Holy Spirit has guaranteed that I will prevail in the end. He - God the Spirit - has undertaken to bring me to the Father "holy and blameless". This is the most wonderful news that I could ever imagine. Is it any wonder that the news of my salvation is called "Gospel" which means "good news"? Out of the mass of ruined humanity God has chosen me to be delivered from His wrath even before I was born. How could I claim any glory for that? When I was yet an enemy of God, Jesus Christ took my sins upon Himself and suffered my punishment. How could I claim any merit from that? The Holy Spirit undertakes to renew me and refresh my faith and to establish Christ in my life even though I have no strength within myself to complete the journey. What credit could I take from that? That is why the Reformers declared that salvation is "by grace alone" - Sola Gratia.

Of course I pursue God with my whole strength and seek to fulfill the call of God in my life with all of my energy. How could I do any other? Of course I labour to grow in the grace of God and to "make my calling and election sure". How could I do anything else? If a man of the world won the lottery would he fail to travel to the lottery centre to collect his prize? And would we give him any credit for traveling there? If a drowning man was thrown a life line would he fail to grab it and hold on with all his strength? If a blind man were given back his sight would he fail to exercise his sight everywhere and to walk according to the light rather than groping in darkness? But the awarding of the prize, the extending of the saving hand, the granting of sight is altogether the work of God. I LIVE because God has given me life. What else would I do except take hold? I believe because I have been given faith to believe. It is a gift from God. It is part of the very salvation which God has ordained for me from before the creation of the world:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

I am saved "by grace" - Sola Gratia - and I take hold of my salvation "through faith" which is "not of [my] own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works..." In these evil days so many who profess Christ imagine that they, by the strength of their faith, are saved. They have a low view of God and a high view of themselves. They may or may not be saved in truth, but they certainly hold a very wrong view of the Gospel and a very wrong view of God and a very exalted view of themselves. Those professors who were never saved - and I fear there are great multitudes of these ones - are simply the "foolish virgins" of Matthew 25. They will one day be rejected by Christ and driven into the darkness of hell.

Those who are truly born again of the Spirit, however, and yet do not give God the glory which is due Him, are bound to languish in ignorance and suffer great loss even though they themselves will be saved. One cannot give God the glory which is His nor can one come to real maturity in the faith until one comes to a true understanding of Sola Gratia - grace alone. For me, personally, there was a long, long season (about 30 years) when I was truly saved by the Gospel, and yet I did not understand the true nature of the Gospel or of grace or of faith. I had a wrong view of God and a wrong view of myself. I lost many many precious years of walking fully in the light because of wrong teaching, and a wrong understanding of the "Gospel of Grace". It is only when I set aside several years to read the giants of the faith for myself, and to study the Scriptures afresh that I began to grasp the marvel of the Gospel and the glory and wonder of God who instituted the Gospel.

In the words of Jesus I would say to any who thinks that they somehow share with the Saviour a part of the merit for the Gospel "let these words sink down into your ears" - Salvation is by grace alone - Sola Gratia. The only boasting I can do is to boast of my Saviour. There is nothing in me - not my faith, not my goodness, not my good works - which contributed anything at all to my salvation.

Sola Scriptura - Who are the redeemed?

The term "Sola Scriptura" means by Scripture alone, and it refers to the proclamation of the Reformers that the basis for salvation is to be found in Scripture alone. No special revelation or tradition and no authority outside of Scripture - including the authority of the Church - can add to or take away from the Scriptural witness to the way of salvation. The Roman Catholic Church and other religions have claimed that they have authority from God in addition to - and even above - the authority of Scripture, but Scripture itself does not permit such a position. The way of salvation is the way that is proclaimed in Scripture. The Bible is the "foundation of the prophets and the apostles" (Ephesians 2:20) upon which the confession of the true believer is based and nothing can add to or take away from that foundation.

Because Scripture - and Scripture alone - can teach us the way of salvation, Scripture can also show us who the redeemed are. When we ask, 'Who are the redeemed of God?' then we must look to Scripture for the answer. In the same manner, if I should ask, 'Am I redeemed?' then I must look to Scripture and only to Scripture - Sola Scriptura - for the answer. Scripture teaches us the WAY of salvation and it also explains to us what is the FRUIT of salvation. Scripture tells us how we are to be saved, and it teaches us what a saved life will look like - or what is the fruit of salvation. Jesus taught that a tree ALWAYS bears fruit true to its genre. Even though there are many false professors and many false works, one has only to examine the fruit of their lives in the light of Scripture carefully to discern the true from the false.

Who then are the redeemed? The simplest answer is that the redeemed are those who believe in Jesus Christ - they are the "believers". But then we find that there are many many who profess to be believers and still others who agree with the major doctrines of Scripture even though they would not refer to themselves as Christians or as believers. Thus we must look more closely at the Scriptural concept of "believer". When we do so, we find that a "believer" in the Scriptural sense is one who has received a revelation of the kingdom of God in the same manner that the Apostle Peter knew - by the revelation of God - who Jesus was (Matthew 16:16-17. The Scriptural believer is one who has "seen" the kingdom of God and "heard" the Word of God within his being, and he responds to this 'hearing' and this 'seeing' with faith.

'Yes', someone might say, 'But there are many who claim to have heard and seen. Are all of these ones "believers" in the Scriptural sense?' Many, indeed, claim to believe - perhaps even have persuaded themselves or been persuaded that they believe. However those who truly believe will always bear the fruit of true believers. The Lord Jesus, with eloquent simplicity, explained to His disciples that you only find grapes on a grape tree and figs on a fig tree. You do no go to a "thorn bush" if you wish to find grapes (Matthew 7:16). Only a grapevine can produce grapes and only a fig tree can produce figs - and only a true believer can produce the fruit of the kingdom of God. This is so important that it bears repeating - no one except a true believer - a "new creature in Christ Jesus" (2 Corinthians 5:17) can produce the fruit - do the works - of the kingdom of God.

What then is the fruit of the kingdom of God? What works identify a believer as a true believer? Once again, the answer is eloquently simple. Jesus said to His disciples that "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15). If you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, then you are already bearing the fruit of the kingdom of darkness - you have rejected God's Messiah. If you do love the Lord Jesus Christ, however, then you will obey His commandment - and His commandment is:

... "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40

The fruit of the kingdom of God is a life which is marked by love for God and love for one's fellow man. It begins with believing the Word of God - trusting the Scriptures rather than the ideas or reason or revelations of men. It is a life that is marked by a desire to please God, and to walk by faith, and to "put to death the deeds of the flesh" (Romans 8:13). The fruit of the kingdom is borne by the one who confesses Christ with his mouth, and believes the Scriptures in his heart, and sets His life to follow after Jesus Christ. It is to prefer the interests of Jesus Christ above my own interests, and to "seek first the kingdom of God". It is to love my neighbour as myself, and to make love the law of my life rather than anything else. No one except true children of the kingdom - true believers - will bear this kind of fruit.

"But who can do these things?', someone might ask. 'Who can love God like this?' 'Who, really, is able to love his neighbour like this?' The answer is that "with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26). But we must be very clear here that these are matters of the heart, first of all, and then principles of life. The true believer has a "new heart" (Jeremiah 36:26). This is not simply a lovely bit of poetry, but it is experiential truth. The true believer is one who has been re-created in his very being, so that his very affections are different in every way than the affections of one who has not been born again. Thus there is in the believer a "hunger and thirst" after God and after righteousness. Though this believer may stumble many times, his or her heart will continually cause them to seek after God and the will of God. His desire is for God and for Jesus Christ and for the Word of God. Where sin was once the dominant factor in this person, the Spirit of God now dominates. Where once this person enjoyed sin, and was willingly dominated by sin, now sin causes sorrow and regret and there is a deep need to be set free from the grip of sin. Sin no longer has free rein in the life of the true believer. Once he was a "slave to sin" but now he is a "slave to righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18), and he bears the fruit of righteousness.

For the new believer, it is sometimes difficult to discern the fruit of the kingdom, and for all believers it is possible to stumble badly and to fail seriously. Nevertheless, once the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the heart of a man or a woman, He will never let go of that one. The new believer may stumble and fall and experience much struggle and grief, but the deep desire of his heart will continually lead him back to repentance and to renewed fellowship with God. The mature believer who stumbles badly will suffer terribly for his betrayal of the truth and his sin against the light, but God will not ever abandon him though he may suffer great loss and sorrow under the Fatherly discipline of the Lord. The grape will always be found on the grapevine, though there might be a bad season, and there might be much loss due to lack of proper care. The thornbush, though, will never bear a grape, though there might be much effort to make it appear that it also is bearing the fruit of the vine.

In summary, then, the way of salvation is found in Scripture alone - Sola Scriptura - and the character of the saved is clearly described by Scripture. If one wishes to know how he might be saved, then he need only obey the commandments of Scripture to be saved. He is not bound to heed any denomination, or any vision, or any teaching, or any revelation, or any authority which adds to or takes from or corrupts the Word of God. Furthermore, if one wishes to know how to discern the true from the false - the true believer from the false professor - then one need only look to Scripture. It is Scripture alone - Sola Scriptura - which defines for us what the fruit of the kingdom of God looks like, and what will be the defining works of "new creature in Christ Jesus".

Sola Fide - Justification by faith alone.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and then to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is begin revealed, from faith for faith, even as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live." Romans 1:16-17 - Translation by Douglas Moo, "The Epistle To The Romans", The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, pg 63.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

The great rallying cry of the Reformation which set the Church free from a millennium of "captivity" was "salvation by faith alone" - Sola Fide. The "Babylonian Captivity" was the term used by Luther to describe the Church's long period of darkness under Roman Catholic tyranny. The "good news" of the Gospel was replaced by the hopeless drudgery of salvation by works. The glorious grace and goodness of God was replaced by the fickle and foolish actions of the Pope and his bishops. The free gift of God - salvation by faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary - was replaced by the appalling blasphemy of salvation by purchase of indulgences from Rome whose proceeds were used to fund the decadent lifestyle and grandiose ambitions of the Roman Catholic clergy. By an astonishing act of divine mercy, the Gospel was restored to God's people through the operation of the Holy Spirit in the heart of an obscure German monk named Martin Luther.

Now, almost 500 years later, the attack on the Word of God is fierce while the teaching of the Gospel of grace alone through faith alone is once again in great danger. One of the most disturbing characteristics of the Church of the 21st century is the sheer ignorance of its members. Even many modern Church leaders, it seems, do not have a clear understanding of the history of the Church, of the great debates of theology, of the teaching of the giants of the faith - and most important of all - of the essence of the Gospel. My personal experience is a case in point. I became associated with a dynamic Church of substantial size a few months after my conversion, and continued on with that Church for quite a few years. In time I was appointed as an elder of this Charismatic Church, and I taught in various settings such a small group meetings. And yet I was appallingly ignorant regarding the history of the faith, the teaching of the giants of the faith, and the nature of the Gospel itself. In fact, the centre of the teaching in that Church was not the Gospel at all, but a combination of signs and wonders, praise and worship, and Christian ethics. One might say that this was the failure of the neo-Pentecostal movement, but I have found modern Christians to be shockingly ignorant no matter what their denomination.

When we say that Scripture teaches justification by faith alone, therefore, it is essential that we understand just what the Bible means by these terms. We dare not assume that the modern Christian really understands the language, though he might think he does. First, then, just what does the Bible mean by the term "justification"? Secondly, what is the nature of the "faith" by which we are justified. I must confess with embarrassment that for many years my understanding of these terms was murky at best and quite unbiblical. For example, I considered justification as the act of God in wiping out my record of sin, and I knew that the cross was the basis for this, but that was pretty much the extent of my understanding. For example, I imagined that any "new" sins would be on my head, though I knew that God would forgive these also if I confessed them. My whole concept of justification was vague and confused, and therefore, of course, I was greatly hindered in my growth. One cannot mature properly unless one has a clear understanding of the nature of salvation.

Concerning the biblical concept of "faith", my understanding was that I was saved by MY faith. At some point, I imagined, I decided to believe the Gospel and I was "saved" on the basis of this "faith decision". I was "saved", that is, until I ceased to exercise MY faith. Then my salvation was lost, because MY faith had failed. Once again with embarrassment I must confess that I really did not have a clear idea that any other teaching existed concerning the concept of faith. I assumed that my understanding was in line with the teaching of the Church from the Reformation on down. I am quite certain that I was indeed born again of the Holy Spirit on that evening in that small cottage on that small island so many years ago. But I suffered much because of wrong teaching, and I did not come to real maturity as a Christian for many many years because I did not understand the foundation of my faith, nor did I fully grasp my basis for confidence in my Saviour. I thought that it was all about ME and that I would have to "hold on" by MY faith or else be lost once again.

What, then, does the Bible mean when it speaks of the justification of the redeemed? What do I mean when I say that I am "justified"? The Greek word used for "justified" in the New Testament is "dikaiow". The word is a judicial word and it has the sense of "to declare innocent", or "to declare free from all guilt". The idea is that of a court sitting to consider the guilt or innocence of a person, and the court, after due process and examination, declares the defendant to be "free of all guilt". He may rise and go out as he chooses. He is a free agent. The court has declared that it can find no charge against this man. He is declared to be "righteous". What is important - critically important - for the believer to understand is just what is the basis for this "justification", what is the extent or the 'reach' of the declaration, and just what are the implications of being "justified".

First of all, the basis of my justification is that another one paid the price for my crime and he paid it totally - he satisfied justice to the full. The punishment for my crime was to drink the cup of God's wrath, and to drink it to the very dregs. The one who paid my punishment took that cup for me and he drank it - all of it. But there is more; the reason the Lord Jesus Christ took my punishment upon Himself was that I was chosen by God before the foundation of the earth to receive His mercy, to be forgiven of my crimes, and to be made an eternal son of the eternal God. This is most important for a thorough understanding of salvation because it puts my salvation in context and gives me great confidence in Christ my Saviour.

If I were to be completely honest I would have to admit that my concept of salvation was that by a great act of mercy through Jesus Christ God "gave me a shot at" eternal life. By good fortune - thought I - I came to the place where MY faith had gotten me saved, and now my sins were forgiven. All I had to do now was stay true - hang on - for the rest of my days, and I would be home free. And if I backslid and then repented, then it was as if God "gave me yet another shot at it". This is a cruel and pitiful picture of the Gospel, based on an exalted concept of my ability and a very low concept of the glory of God and the glory of the Gospel. By the great mercy of God I came to realize after many years that if it depended on me, then I didn't stand a chance. And it was only then that I was in a place to truly understand the Gospel of grace.

Jesus did not drink my cup of wrath to "give me a shot at" salvation. Jesus did not endure the horror of God's wrath to "make me an offer" of eternal life which depended on my ability to "take hold" and then to "hold on". Jesus did not offer me an "opportunity" to be saved. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAVED ME. The grace of my glorious Saviour swallowed up ALL OF MY GUILT because the Father - my heavenly Father - drew me to Him. Before the foundation of the world it was decided that God would save me, and that is precisely what He did through the sacrifice of my Saviour. And (remember the "golden chain") the salvation of God is complete. Whom He foreknows He calls; whom He calls He justifies; whom He justifies He glorifies. It is when I grasp this great and wonderful truth that I fall on my face and worship my Saviour and Lord. It is then that I cannot help but put my entire being at His disposal. His love captivates me and overwhelms me.

"I am sick with love." (Song of Solomon 2:5)

In the first passage of Scripture quoted above we find the following statement:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

In this brief statement we learn the power and the wonder of being "justified". Because I am justified, I have peace with God and, furthermore, I have access to God. God is no longer my enemy. I no longer fear God and hate Him. He is my loving Father and I come to Him "with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16). When I have a need (and when do I not?), I bring that need to my Father. When I have stumbled I come to my Father for forgiveness and strength. When I am full of joy, I come to my Father in praise and worship and rejoicing. When I am full of sorrow, I come to my Father for comfort. When I wish to know the Lord's will about a matter or to find strength to serve or to find grace to be conformed to the image of Christ - I come with confidence to my heavenly Father. I HAVE PEACE WITH GOD. This is what it means to be justified, and this is my status FOREVER. Such is the wonder of the Gospel.

So what about "faith"? What is the nature of the faith through which I am justified? The very first thing we must remind ourselves about this faith is that it is not something which I produce - it is "not of works" but this faith, itself, is a gift:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

So the first thing I must realize is that salvation is entirely of God - including the faith by which I take hold of my salvation. What is more - and this is most important - this faith which God provides is also guaranteed by God for all His elect - it will never fail to bring the saint home to God. Just as Jesus Christ prayed for Peter that His faith would not fail (Luke 22:32), so also he intercedes for ALL whom God has given Him. This does not mean, of course, that I am to become passive. Not at all! I must strive with all my might to obey all the commandments of God. I am exhorted to believe God, and I am warned of the consequences of not believing God. But the "called of God" will respond, and they will do so because God enables them to do so:

Therefore, my beloved ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13

I work because God works in me. I believe because the grace of Jesus Christ enables me to believe.

'What, though', we might ask, 'is faith itself?' One definition of faith in Scripture is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is the ability to have confidence in the Word of God even though I cannot experience it directly with my physical senses. It is the ability to trust God. It is an assurance that what God said He will accomplish. With respect to salvation, faith is the ability to respond to the call of God. Jonathan Edwards defined faith as that faculty or ability by which we are united to Christ. When we say that the redeemed "hear" the word of God and "see" the kingdom of God we mean that, by faith, the redeemed have an assurance that Scripture comes directly from God and is trustworthy, and it is an awareness of the spiritual kingdom, even though the saint cannot verify that kingdom through his senses during his time on earth.

When we understand the true nature of faith then we begin to understand the importance of the Reformation insistence on salvation by faith alone - Sola Fide. When my performance is assigned any place at all in the earning of my salvation then I have horribly corrupted the "glorious Gospel of the blessed God" (1Timothy 1:11). I, who was "dead in trespasses and sins" have ascribed to myself the ability to save myself, and have sinned terribly against God's grace and mercy and glory. Furthermore - and this is important - when I make faith my own work, and when I make MY faith the key element in my salvation, then, once again, I attempt to steal the glory that belongs to God and assign it to myself. What is more, I put myself in the terrible and cruel place of somehow having to "hold on" to my salvation by my own power and goodness. This would be comical if it were not such a real tragedy in the lives of so many Christians. I, personally, suffered under this delusion for years, and it was very cruel suffering indeed. Let us never separate Sola Fide from Sola Gratia - by faith alone through grace alone. The faith comes to us through the grace.

Solo Christo - "There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6-7

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:11-12

If one wished to demonstrate the wickedness of fallen humanity, he would have to go no farther than to examine the complicated morass of mediators and mediations that men have invented to replace the mediation of Jesus Christ between God and man. With many, such as the Mormons there is special revelation and special angelic beings. Down through the ages many many different movements have appeared which are based on a vision or revelation received by one person or a small company of people which either totally replace or greatly diminish the role of God's Messiah. In other religions, such as Judaism, the laws and rituals and the traditions of men have been put forward as the way to God while the Son of God who was sent by the Father as the Mediator was 'thrown out of the vineyard and murdered' (Luke 20:13-15). For the Muslims it was the Koran which came down out of heaven rather than the Son of God, and it is the Koran which is revered. The list of substitutes goes on and on.

I grew up in a Roman Catholic home, and I can say that in that Church Jesus Christ was honoured as true man and as true God. However, a whole host of other intermediaries also exist in that religion, so that, in the end I had no idea who Jesus Christ really was nor did I have any idea that He - and He alone - was the way to God. This is why the Reformation's demand of Solo Christo - by CHRIST ALONE - was so important in the sixteenth century and why it is no less important today. If I create any other mediator than Christ Jesus then I am guilty of idolatry and I am rejected by God. In my Roman Catholic childhood, one did not "go to Christ". Instead one went to the Virgin Mary, or to an innumerable company of saints. One did not, in the end, trust Christ for salvation - certainly not Christ alone. One trusted the "sacrament of confession" and the "sacrament of communion" and the forgiveness of the Pope through the priest, and prayers to the saints to be freed from purgatory, and the lighting of candles, and a thousand other mediations to placate the wrath of God. This is an abomination. It is just as evil now as it was 500 years ago, and it is most disturbing how modern Protestants treat this whole system of idolatry with such careless disregard, if not outright acceptance.

Every man, every woman, every child who wishes to approach God need only approach Him through Jesus Christ our Messiah. This is the clear teaching of Scripture, and this was the jubilant cry of the Reformation. In fact, this was the jubilant cry of the Apostles when they first proclaimed the Gospel to a weary and burdened nation of Israel. For their trouble they were put to death just as their Lord was put to death. In the same way the Roman Catholic Church in the name of Christianity murdered many for no other reason that that they rejoiced in this wonderful revelation of the Gospel. Anyone who hinders men and women and children from coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and putting their trust in Him, and in Him alone, is guilty of the gravest of sins. He is a perverter of God's gift of salvation to desperate humanity and as such he will incur all the terror of God's wrath. Any system which throws up complications and barriers and discouragements to simple trust in Jesus Christ for salvation has corrupted the Gospel, and has perverted the only message by which men and women may be saved.

If anyone is willing to trust the Scriptures above the voice of men and the voice of religions and the voice of demons then he or she will have no difficulty seeing that the Bible announces the way of salvation with the most beautiful simplicity and majesty which one could imagine. The "WAY" to God is a person. The "TRUTH" about God's salvation is a person. The "LIFE" that salvation brings - eternal life - is a person. And that person is the Lord Jesus Christ - Son of God and Son of man. Roman Catholics, Jews, and persons from countless other complicated religious systems find it very difficult to imagine that one may simply approach God's Messiah - Jesus Christ - put his or her trust in Him and in Him alone - Solo Christo - and be gloriously and wonderfully saved. It all seems too simple. It all seems too easy. There must be some duty or ritual or human authority to go through There must be some set of religious observations, or some basic moral performance or personal atonement for sins. These ones have not yet understood their own depravity, their own lostness, or the hopelessness of their own efforts, or the wonder of the free gift of God through Christ Jesus.

Scripture provides one way to approach God - Solo Christo - by Christ alone. If anyone desires to approach God, and he or she needs to be convinced about the way, then that person should study the New Testament carefully. It will not take long to see that the Bible leaves no doubt about the way to God, and the only way to God. Moreover, this way was declared in the Old Testament by the "law and the prophets" from the very beginning of creation (Romans 3:21). The Messiah was promised in paradise itself, and the rest of Old Testament Scripture is centred around this promise. Jesus Christ is God's way - and He is the only way - to escape the judgment of God. No other way will lead to salvation. No other person can give a human being access to God then the man Christ Jesus. One comes to this mediator by simple faith and trust. This is the glory of the Gospel. This simple faith and trust will bring down upon the repentant sinner all the blessings of God.

Soli Deo Gloria - To God alone be the glory

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11

…  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." Revelation 7:11-12

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

The final "Sola" of the "five Solas" proclaimed by the Reformation is Soli Deo Gloria - "to God alone be the glory" (or "for the glory of God alone"). In order to understand why the Reformers considered this truth to be an essential part of the Gospel, it is necessary to remind ourselves of the particular corruption of the truth they were facing. The Roman Catholic Church held that men are saved at least in part by their own merit, and that the Roman Catholic Church, and thus the Pope, were in the place of Christ on earth - and thus the intermediary between God and men. The Roman Church exalted itself above the Scriptures and, in many ways, above Christ Himself as far as the daily lives of men and women are concerned. Thus the Romish Church took a very large part of the glory for the salvation of men and for the goodness of God on the earth unto itself. The Pope and the clergy and the instruments of the Church and the saints of the Church were venerated. Indeed, anyone who knows anything about the Roman Catholic Church will understand that this veneration of the Pope and the Church is built into its very ordinances.

A second and related corruption of the truth which the Reformers faced was the monastic separation of the sacred from the secular. The Roman Church held that the secular was somehow profane and was to be separated from the sacred. Thus, for example, priests were not to marry because marriage and sex was thought to be secular rather than sacred. Of course, this was never taught in Scripture, nor was it practiced by the disciples of Christ nor the Old Testament priests. Moreover this evil teaching has caused terrible devastation through the ages because of the sexual molestation of innocents by the clergy right down to the present. It is the same teaching that venerates self-immolation and separation of the Roman Church's "holy ones" - Roman Catholic saints. The predictable outcome of all of this is that much glory - great glory - is ascribed to the clergy and to monks and and to "saints" and so on, while real sanctity and nearness to God is thought to be unattainable for those who go about the ordinary business of life - raising a family, earning a living and so on.

Anyone who was raised a Roman Catholic in a serious Catholic home will understand in a moment how all of these realities affect the one who wishes to seek God. One venerates the Pope and his clergy and the Virgin Mary and the saints and the ordinances of the Church - and Jesus Christ. The holy man is venerated because of his self-immolation; the Pope is venerated because of his personal holiness (supposed) and his office, the Virgin Mary is venerated because of her (supposed) access to Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ becomes simply one of many, many who are venerated. This is altogether wrong and altogether evil. This is a horrible affront to our glorious God and Saviour Jesus Christ who ALONE deserves to be glorified. How terrible that the modern Christian has all but forgotten how perverse this wicked Roman Catholic system is. How could the true Church ever be joined to such abominable doctrines? Those who promote "unity" with this corruption of the truth are no friends of the true Gospel.

For the redeemed one who has come to know and love his or her Redeemer there is only disgust with this whole panoply of pretenders who attempt to arrogate to themselves the glory that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Where were they on the night of Gethsemane when the horror of God's wrath began to settle on the Son of Man? Where were they when all of the forces of hell and of men lined up to destroy the Prince of glory? The Roman Catholics boast that the Apostle Peter was their first Pope (a foolish and errant idea which would horrify Peter). Where was Peter when Jesus Christ entered the courts of the ungodly to be crushed as our Sacrificial Lamb? Peter, after denying his Lord and Saviour, was hiding? Where was the Virgin Mary or the vaunted saints when God called for the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of His people? None of them qualified. All were in need of deliverance from the bonds of sin.

ONLY ONE DESERVES THE GLORY - THE SPOTLESS LAMB OF GOD

So then, for those who love God and love His Word - the glory belongs to Him and to Him ALONE - Soli Deo Gloria. Moreover, we are to live out every aspect of our lives for His glory. in our marriages, In our professions and our work, in our homes and in our communities, in all things we are to live for the glory of the One who alone deserves glory. This is our calling and this is our joy and our fulfillment. This is the commandment of God for us. When God is glorified, as He ought to be in all things, then we are fulfilled and the blessing of the Redeemed is our portion.

What must I do to be saved?

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:35-40

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8

But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:6-13

But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Acts 16:28-33

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Luke 14:25-28

As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." Hebrews 3:15

What does it mean to "hear his voice"? What is Jesus saying when He says "My sheep hear my voice"? (John 10:27). What is the Word of God talking about when it says that the Father "draws" all who truly come to Christ, or that those who have been foreknown will be "called"? What is the nature of this " calling", this "drawing", and what does it mean to "hear" God's voice? The answer, which is of the utmost importance, is both eloquently simple and magnificently profound. God calls as only God can call. God calls a man or a woman from the very centre of his or her being. Moreover, for those whom God has called to be His own, He gives the ability to hear His voice. This is the profound part! God, in the most real sense, re-creates the man or the woman whom He has called so that they have "ears to hear" his voice, and a "heart" to respond to it.

The simple part is that this all seems so natural to the one who is called - or at least to almost all who are called. There are a few, such as the Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-9) whom the Lord chooses to call in a most dramatic fashion. But even then we understand from Paul's own testimony that Christ had been calling him before this and he had been resisting the call of God. For almost all of us, though, the call of God is perceived in us as a new interest in seeking God or knowing God, or a new openness to the Scriptures. My own experience was that I found myself with a whole new interest in the Bible, and a whole new desire to know the truth about God. Often the call of God begins with a tremendous sense of guilt about the sins of my life. Indeed, this new awareness of one's guilt is often present no matter how one is called, and sooner or later it is the necessary first step in coming to God to repent of my evil and to seek forgiveness.

God is a person, and He comes to each individual in a personal way. The way God chooses to open a person's heart to the Gospel has everything to do with the person himself and his particular situation and also with the purpose of God for the life of the one whom He has called. The Apostle Paul was to be the great Apostle to the gentiles, was to write much of the New Testament, and was to be a particular example of the awesome grace of God. Thus his dramatic conversion was in keeping with God's purpose for his ministry. For most of us though, there is a strong dissatisfaction with our lives, and there is an openness to hear the Gospel. Perhaps it is through an evangelist or perhaps it is through reading the Bible, or talking with a friend or a Pastor. Perhaps we are struck by some passage of the Bible which we cannot seem to get out of our head.

The question is, 'How do I respond?', or as the Philippian jailor asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" So what was the Apostle's answer? "... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." Let us remind ourselves what it means to be "saved". It means that I have been "justified" - that is, I have been declared righteous by the courts of heaven - indeed, by God Himself. Therefore I "have peace with God". God is no longer my enemy but my friend. God is no longer against me, but for me. God in fact is my protector and my heavenly Father, and He has promised that He will keep me all the days of my life, that He will discipline and correct me and form me in the image of His son so that, in the end, I will be presented before Him "holy and blameless". But this is not all that Paul means when he speaks of being saved. God has not only become my friend, but He has adopted me into His family - made me His son - and as a son, God has made me a "co-heir with Christ" (Romans 8:17) of all the riches of the ages. I have been given eternal life and made an eternal son and heir of almighty God.

'Just by believing?', someone might say! 'All this happens to me just by believing?' YES! THAT'S WHY THE GOSPEL IS CALLED "GOOD NEWS". It is all of God - it is all God's doing.

Let us be certain, though, that we understand what the Apostle means when he says "... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...". To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to recognize that I am at odds with God and that I am under condemnation for my sins. It means that I understand that there is no way for me to find peace with God except through God's Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. it means that I understand that Jesus Christ has poured out His own life to deliver me from the wrath of God and eternal punishment. It means that I have placed all of my trust in Jesus Christ for my salvation - that I have placed myself in His hands to deliver me from the punishment that is justly mine. It means that I have abandoned all else and made God the centre of my life instead of myself. Up until now I decided where I would go, and what I would do, and how I would live. From now on I relinquish that right to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have counted the cost, and I have agreed that from now on I will honour Jesus Christ as Lord and I will put His interests ahead of my own, and that I will be faithful to HIm - even to the point of losing my own life.

Many have wanted to be followers of Jesus Christ while retaining their right to be Lord of their own lives and owner of their own wealth. Jesus Christ repeatedly warned these ones that this is not possible, and that anyone who attempts to do that will be rejected on the day of judgment. On that day Jesus Christ will say, "I never knew you". Does this mean that the real disciples are earning their salvation? Not at all. They have no ability to earn anything from God. What it means is that the true disciples have entrusted themselves to God to empower them to follow Christ, and that they have committed themselves to follow Him wherever that leads - even up to death itself.

Not only is it impossible for anyone to save himself by his own efforts, it is also impossible for anyone to follow Jesus Christ by his own efforts. Grace must flow from God continually, or the disciple would fall away in a moment. The one who receives this grace, the one who is truly saved, is the one who has made Jesus Christ Lord of his life, and has trusted God in every part of his life great and small and in every situation whether blessing or adversity. He is the one who says with Job, "though he slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 13:15 KJV). This is what the Lord Christ is calling His disciples to when He says:

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. John 12:25-26

Each one must count the cost. It is very foolish to enter in without counting the cost, because to do so is to guarantee that one will fail, and eventually turn back. All will be tested. Far better never to enter in at all, then to enter and then turn back. Those who are truly called of God will find that no matter what, they MUST have Jesus Christ. Nothing else will satisfy them, and, in the end, no cost will deter them.

If, however, I have counted the cost, and understood the calling of God, and still desire to follow Jesus, what actually do I do? How do I become a disciple of Christ? Following are the simple steps associated with entering into eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. Let us be clear, though, that it is believing that Jesus Christ died for my sins and arose from the dead for my justification that is the centre. It is very simple - Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - and yet it is the most profound act that any human being could ever understake. What I give below is a simple a guideline which provides concrete steps to follow through on a decision to seek the salvation of God through faith in Jesus Christ:

• The seeker should begin by asking God to help him or her to come into a true relationship with Jesus Christ. This can be a very simple prayer to God, which the seeker may repeat from time to time over a period of days or weeks. It is very helpful to pray specifically. For example, one might pray for help to understand certain passages of the Bible, or other issues that arise. Certainly the seeker ought to ask God for the ability to grasp the Scriptures and the ability to perceive the truth of the Bible


• If there is a friend or a Pastor or a relative who is a trusted Christian, then it is enormously helpful to discuss relevant issues in an honest and open manner with that person. For most who come to Christ this is a critical step, and it is very helpful because this person will be praying for the seeker also. Here I must issue a sad warning though. In these evil days there are many individuals and Churches and denominations which claim to be Christian, but which really live just like the world and do not follow Christ at all. What is trustworthy is the Scriptures. Anyone or any institution which does not believe in the Scriptures in their entirety as the very Word of God should not be trusted.


• There are a number of helpful books and resources which can assist the seeker to come into relationship with the Lord. There are also, of course, great piles of books which are misleading, so again one must be wise. I would recommend without hesitation the following - but with the caveat that no book should replace the Bible. No mere book, no matter how helpful, can replace the Bible. Scripture alone is able to enlighten and guide the Christian as the direct and living Word of God. It is through Scripture that the Holy Spirit speaks directly to the believer. Nevertheless, the following are based squarely on Scripture, and may be very helpful:
  • "Knowing God", J.I. Packer
  • "What Jesus Demands From The World", John Piper
  • "Redemption Accomplished and Applied", John Murray


• The Bible is unique among all the writings of mankind. This book comes from God Himself, and is to be trusted explicitly. The Bible is not just a compendium of information, but it is a living book which is overseen by the Holy Spirit. All of God's people who have matured in the faith have done so through their knowledge of, and obedience to, the Word of God. When the seeker reads the Bible, the Holy Spirit will enable him or her to seek clearly the things necessary to draw close to God. I would recommend reading the Gospel of John as a start, and then other portions of the New Testament and the Psalms as one is inclined.


• When the seeker is ready, he or she should pray a prayer of commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is, for most, the moment of no turning back, and it is typically a moment of great joy and blessing. It can be a very simple prayer such as the following:

  Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you were put to death for my sins and that you rose from the dead for my justification. I ask you at this time to forgive me of my sins, and to receive me to yourself. I ask you to deliver me from the just wrath of God, and to fill me with your Holy Spirit and to enable me to follow you. I commit myself, Lord Jesus, to honour you as Lord over all of my life, and I commit myself to honour and obey you with all that I am and all that I have.

Many times it will seem like a very simple matter - a prayer of commitment to trust the Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation and a prayer of commitment to establish the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord over my life. There may be great joy and relief at the moment of praying this prayer, or there may be no apparent effect at the time. Often a few hours or even days later one is inextricably filled with joy. For others there is a tremendous outburst of joy and blessing at the very moment of commitment. For some, the whole matter is a very quiet and matter-of-fact transaction with no fanfare, and yet slowly and quietly these ones becomes aware of a new reality in their lives - new desires, new aversions, new interests. The salvation of God, like everything with God, is very personal. God meets each person as an individual.

• It is important to tell someone when you have committed your life to Christ. Ideally this will be the one who has been counselling you and praying for you, but whoever it is there is great spiritual power in confessing Christ as your Saviour. If one has prayed the prayer of commitment in a Church or with one's counsellor then this helps because there is already a public witness of one's step of faith.


• It is very important at this stage to come into relationship with a true Church which preaches the Gospel in its simplicity and which teaches the Bible consistently as the Word of the living God. Sadly, once again, many Churches have partially or wholly abandoned the Scriptures, or give lip service to them while their members live just like the people of the world, so this is a matter for prayer. The Lord will bring the new believer into fellowship with other true Christians, and he or she should pray earnestly to this end. As we have said, this fellowship with other true believers is most important. It is in the fellowship of believers together that the Christian matures and comes into a deeper understanding of his or her salvation. It is perilous and foolish to attempt to follow the Lord Jesus Christ outside of the Church which He has ordained as the fellowship of His people.


• It is very important for the new believer to establish a pattern of daily communication with the Lord. Serious Christians set aside a portion of the day - many choose the first part of the day - for prayer, and reading of the Scriptures and meditation. This can begin with say 15 or 20 minutes each morning where the believer brings his or her thanksgiving and prayers before the Lord, followed by the reading of a chapter of the Bible. This simple commitment, when established as a routine, will make a huge difference in the new Christian's growth and relationship with the Lord. Many new Christians will find that this will soon expand to a much longer time, as they have a hunger for God and for the Word of God. However, it is much better to keep the time shorter and the routine simpler than to expand it and then begin missing days.


• Now the walk with the Lord Jesus Christ has begun, and what a glorious walk it is. No person is able to walk this walk, and the best of us would fall away in a day if it were left up to us. But God provides grace and strength for his children. At times it will be filled with elation. At other times there will be great trails and difficulties. There will certainly be persecution and suffering and loss. This is a promise. But for those of us who have "tasted" the Lord Jesus Christ, everything else pales to insignificance. God will order all things in the life of the Christian, and as a true Father He will discipline and chasten just as He will encourage and strengthen. Some He will call to great sacrifices on behalf of the Gospel, others He will keep in relative peace and quiet. For all though, God will work in His children to form them in the image of His Son, and He will bring everyone safely home to Himself in the end.