Settled Salvation

Settled Salvation
What is the determining factor in salvation? Exactly what does a person have to do to be saved? The Bible doesn’t leave us in the dark. The answer is found in the Word of God. In Acts 16:30 and 31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” The jailer was asking, “What one thing is absolutely necessary for my salvation?” and the Bible answer was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
In John 3:36, Jesus divides the world into two groups: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Here you have those who are believing on the Son and those who believe not on the Son. Those who are believing have everlasting life, according to the promise of God; and those who believe not shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on them. In John 3:18, again Jesus divides the world into two groups: “He that believeth on him is not condemned [is not under sentence]: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Here again Jesus says there are two groups: those who believe and those who believe not. Those who believe have the sentence lifted. They are not condemned. And those who believe not are under the sentence of sin, which is the second death, because they are not believing on “the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Galatians 3:26 says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” This passage plainly says that everybody who is a child of God is a child of God by faith. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through out Lord Jesus Christ.”
Mark 16:16 says, “He that believeth not shall be damned.” So if the Bible is true, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the determining factor in salvation. I’ve heard or read a number of sermons on “saving faith”; but the Bible never puts the word “saving” before faith. Faith is not the Savior. Jesus is the Savior. Faith is an attitude of the souls through which Jesus saves. The Bible never tells us to believe and be saved. It is always careful to say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” or “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” or, “He that believeth on the Son have everlasting life.”
It is the Object of faith that makes faith important. Faith in the wrong thing could result in a person’s damnation. Now since faith is the determining factor in salvation, it is important to know what faith is.
So far as I know, there’s only one definition of faith in the Bible. It’s found in Hebrews 11:1. But while there’s only one definition, there are many illustrations of faith in the Bible. I think the best illustration of faith is found in Hebrews 12:2, where we find the expression, “Looking unto Jesus.”
Faith is not looking at Jesus—but looking unto Jesus. Almost everyone will admit that Jesus Christ existed, that He was a real person. Every time we date a check, we admit the existence of Christ because the year is measured from His birth. Faith is not looking at Jesus as a historical personage.
James 2:19 says, “The devils also believe, and tremble.” Even the demons admit the existence of Christ. In Acts 19:15 the evil spirit in the man said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” No, faith is not looking at Jesus; it’s looking unto Jesus, which is another way of saying depending on Jesus.
Suppose someone cosigned for you to borrow money, and you didn’t pay, the authorities would put you in jail. And suppose the money came due and you had nothing in which to pay. You called your cosigner and said, “Doug, I’ve got problems. You know that note you signed for me—well, the money is due, and I can’t pay it.” Your friend replied, “Don’t worry about it. Just look to me!” He means by that, “Just depend on me. I’ll pay it.”
Jesus Christ says we owe a sin debt. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” To pay what we owe, we would have to die and go into Hell and stay there forever. But He says, “Don’t worry about it. You just look to Me.”
Isaiah 53:6 says, “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Two thousand years ago God took every sin you have ever committed and every one you will ever commit, and God Almighty laid those sins on Jesus Christ. While Jesus Christ was bearing your sins in His own body, God punished Him in your place to pay the debt that you owe as a sinner.
Jesus uttered several things while He hung on the cross. Just before dying He said, “It is finished.” Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. It’s complete!
His death on the cross made full payment for your sins. And now He says to you, “Look to Me! Believe that I did die on the cross for you. Believe that I did pay your sin debt and look to Me. Look to Me, and all is well.” Faith is not looking at Jesus; it’s looking unto Jesus, depending on Jesus, relying on Jesus, putting the matter of your salvation in His hands and trusting Him to get you to Heaven.
Faith is looking away from everything else and looking only to Jesus. Look away from your works. How long do you think you would have to work to earn Heaven? Read the description of Heaven in Revelation 21 and 22.Why, the Bible says the street in Heaven is made of pure gold. The gold is so pure, it’s like transparent glass. You can see through it. Earth has no way of refining gold that pure. If you worked ten million lifetimes, you couldn’t begin to earn Heaven.
And the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 and 9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not that of yourselves: it is the gift of God” “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
And consider this: If a man worked to stay out of Hell, the very motive would render the work ineffective. He would be working from a motive of fear. According to 1 Corinthians 13, all work must be motivated by love. Verse 3 says, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity [or love], it profiteth me nothing.” So if a person worked to stay out of Hell, the motive would render the work ineffective.’
A boy once asked an old preacher, “Sir, what can I do to be saved?” The preacher replied, “Son, you’re too late.” “What! exclaimed the boy, “too late to be saved.” “No,” said the preacher, “too late to do anything. You see, son, Jesus did it all two thousand years ago.”
Now wait a minute! I believe in good works, but not as an instrument of salvation. You don’t work to be saved; you work because you are saved. “Looking unto Jesus” means I look away from my righteousness and only to Jesus. I’m for living right. You ought to live as clean, as moral and as pure as you can. But Titus 3:3 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteousness are as filthy rags.”
Now just a minute, friend. The Bible doesn’t sat the worst you do is like filthy rags, but the best you do. There is no way that anyone could ever be righteous enough to go to Heaven. You would have to be perfect, and there are no perfect people. Jesus said, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17).
Faith is looking away from our righteousness and looking only to Jesus. You don’t get better to get saved. You get saved to get better, and you can’t get better until you do get saved.
“Looking unto Jesus” means looking away from our church membership and looking only to Jesus. Everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior should join church. But you don’t join the church to become a Christian. Being in the church won’t make a Christian out of you any more than getting into the garage will make an automobile out of you.
On the other hand, if you’re depending on the fact that you belong to the church to get you into Heaven, you’ll go to Hell through the church. In Matthew 7:22 and 23, Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?” “And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
According to the Bible, many will miss Heaven even though they were church members and worked hard, even preaching or prophesying in Jesus’ name. But they will miss Heaven because they did not totally, fully, completely trust Jesus Christ. They trusted their works.
“Looking unto Jesus” means you look away from your baptism and look only to Jesus. I’m for baptism. Every person who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior ought to be baptized, but baptism is not an instrument of salvation. It’s an outward expression of an inward experience. It’s like putting the wedding band on the finger after you are married. It doesn’t marry you, but it shows everybody that you are married.
Being baptized doesn’t save you. It’s an outward symbol telling others that you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The man who’s depending on his baptism to get him to Heaven will go to Hell through the baptistery. Now why do I say that? Because John 3:36 says, “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Wait a minute, friend, Jesus Christ says if you’re not depending on, believing, trusting, relying on the Son, you “shall not see life; but the wrath of God” abides on you. The man who’s trusting his church membership or his baptism or his reformation or anything else other than Jesus Christ, will not go to Heaven.
John 3:18 says, “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” There is no promise to those who partly believe on Christ and partly on something else.
Someone asked me, “But doesn’t the Bible say in Mark 16:16, ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…’?” “Yes” I replied, “but the next expression says “…he that believeth not shall be damned.” You see, believing is the determining factor, not being baptized. If you trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, you ought to be baptized. But you should not be baptized thinking that baptism saves you. If you do, you’re not trusting Jesus Christ; you’re trusting baptism. Faith is looking away from everything else and looking only to Jesus Christ.
Faith is not experiencing a feeling, but replying on a fact. I’ve dealt with people who doubted their salvation because they did not think they had the proper feelings at the time of conversion. There is not a verse in the Bible that tells a man exactly how he has to feel in order to be saved. As a matter of fact, the Bible never says you have to feel any way to be saved. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
I remember when I first got married. We drove back to my wife’s house, and there were some friends in the yard. Someone asked me, “How does it feel to be married?” I said, “I feel exactly like I did a few minutes ago.” But you know something? I was just as married as the fellow who had some great feeling.
Not everyone reacts the same way to the same experience. I’ve seen people cry when they trusted Christ as Savior. I’ve been with others who smiled, while others laughed and some even shouted; but they all had the same experience. They all trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. No, faith is not having some particular feeling. Faith is depending on a fact.
Now here’s the fact: Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ died for you. He bore your sins in His own body. God punished Him in your place to pay the debt that you owe. That’s a fact. Whether you ever do anything about it or not, it’s still a fact.
What you must do is believe that fact and not only believe in your head that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay your sin debt, but depend on, rely on, trust Him and what He did you’re your salvation.
If I were not a Christian and wanted to be, I would simply pray this prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I do believe that You
died for me. And here and now I do trust You as my Savior. From
this minute on, I’m depending on You to get me to Heaven. Help
me to live for You and to be a good Christian.
After praying that prayer, I would accept what God says in the Bible—that I do have everlasting life because I’m trusting Jesus Christ for my salvation: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:26). I mean I’d accept what God says, whether or not I ever had any feelings.
Once you make that decision and trust Christ, perhaps there will be some feeling. But whether or not the feeling comes, the Word of God is still true. God cannot lie!
When you trust Him, you will have everlasting life. The determining factor in salvation is believing, trusting, depending on, relying on the Lord Jesus Christ. F.F. Pentecost said, “Two and two is four—that’s mathematics. Hydrogen and oxygen form water—that’s chemistry. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”—that’s revelation.
“Well,” he said, “the burden of proof lies with you. Put two and two together and see if you don’t have four. Put hydrogen and oxygen together and see if you don’t have water. And believe on Lord Jesus Christ and see if you won’t be saved.”
Won’t you trust Him now?