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The Apostle Paul firmly believed that when Jesus comes back, he would be resurrected and would dwell with Jesus forever. Therefore, he possessed GREAT HOPE! But while he was still physically alive on earth, he did not merely assume that he would receive this salvation. Rather, his faith caused him to run with all his might (spiritually speaking) towards the finish line. He took nothing for granted.

Paul taught that it is very important for all of us to have a strong hope of salvation. While I could point to many passages, let me illustrate using Romans chapter 8.

If we are believers, then we are already fully convinced of the gospel’s promises. Like Paul said, we believe that there is now NO CONDEMNATION to all who are IN CHRIST. (See Romans 8:1.)  But our hope of salvation increases or diminishes depending on how much evidence we observe of Christ’s life in us (proof that we actually believe in the first place). Nevertheless, our hope of salvation is extremely important. Without it, our faith will not endure. So, Paul gives us instruction to help us in our hope.

In Romans 8:1-14, Paul teaches how the believer thinks, feels and lives compared to those who have not been born again. This instruction can help us determine which group we are in. If we cannot identify with Paul’s instruction, then we have reason to be concerned. But if we can identify with Paul’s instructions, then we automatically have reason to hope. Consider Paul’s acclamation of truth that is designed to bring hope and encouragement to all those who can identify with Paul’s instructions in the preceding verses:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,   and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

No matter how poorly we have fought the battle of faith in recent days, let is stand firmly on this truth and rejoice that we are God’s beloved children. As we do, we will be able to face the trials that will come our way with great hope that we will soon be delivered and be with Jesus forever more as Paul explains in the next part of Romans 8:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;  because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

For the rest of Romans 8, Paul feeds the fire of our hope with truth that is rich with encouragement. First, he reminds us of the fact that the Comforter is always interceding for us no matter how confused we might be at the moment.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Then Paul goes on to make glorious statements about God’s loving involvement in our present lives and the glory of our future:

 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

In light of these things, we can be at peace fully knowing that God loves us deeply and will always defend us as His beloved children:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

As a result of Paul’s instructions and words of encouragement, we do not have to go through life downtrodden. Rather, it is the opposite. If we can identify with Paul’s instruction in this chapter, then we should be able to say with Paul:

I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Are you sure beyond a shadow of doubt that when Jesus comes back you will be saved? The Bible teaches that we are to have a firm hope of salvation when Jesus comes back. At the same time, it warns against assuming that we will be saved. Having a hope of salvation is not the same as assuming that we will be saved. Consider what can happen when people assume that they will be saved:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23).

Assuming that we will be saved is a dangerous thing to do. It does not come from faith. Let me suggest that we should adopt the thinking and attitude of the Apostle Paul when it comes to this subject.

^“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.   Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind” (Philippians 3:7-15a).

From the testimony of the Apostle Paul’s other writings, it is clear that he believed very strongly that when Jesus comes back, he would be saved. But it is important to note from the passage above that though he had very strong hope of salvation, he did not assume that he would be saved when Jesus comes back. He said that it was absolutely crucial to him that he live in such a way that results in knowing Jesus, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. He thought it absolutely important to experience the sufferings of Jesus so that he would be conformed to His death….so that….IF, by any means, he might attain to the resurrection from the dead.

If any Christian might assume that he would be saved when Jesus comes back it would be Paul. Yet, he made no such assumption! On the contrary, he said he would actively press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul’s words almost sound frantic. If you can’t see Paul’s sense of urgency about this then I think you are not seriously contemplating his words in the passage above. Do you share Paul’s sense of urgency about your own salvation? If not, I suggest that your understanding of the gospel is not the same as Paul’s.

If these things have gotten your attention, then let me attempt to convey a biblical perspective about assurance of salvation.

God wants us to have hope of salvation based upon reality evidenced in His Word and also by our lives.

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.  But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing” (I Thessalonians 5:1-10).

In the beginning of this passage, Paul speaks about the reality of the coming judgment when God’s wrath will be poured out. He then tells them to remain alert so that they don’t get caught by surprise and come to sudden destruction when God’s wrath is poured out. But he then speaks about a figurative helmet (spiritual protection) which is the hope of salvation (when Jesus comes back).

It is extremely important that we have strong hope that we will be saved from the wrath of God that will be poured out when Jesus comes back. Without this hope, our faith has no anchor. If we believe that we are doomed to destruction, we will be despondent and unmotivated to continue walking by faith in this world. Hope of salvation is essential for our spiritual wellbeing. (For more on this, see my article http://stonescryout.info/reason-to-have-strong-hope)

What is hope of salvation?

The world has distorted the concept of hope. To most people, hope is merely wishful thinking. Someone might say, “I hope I win the lottery.”  This person’s use of the word hope is not at all the way the Bible uses it.  The way this person is thinking, he could more accurately say, “I wish I win the lottery.” At best, this is wishful thinking.

In contrast, the Bible uses the word hope to convey more of an expectation, but one based upon a solid promise from God that is believed by the individual. And this believing is not always comfortable. The one who hopes for salvation believes to the point that he is willing to suffer while waiting for it…because he really believes it will come.

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:25).

How do we obtain a biblical hope of salvation?

A trustworthy hope of salvation must be based upon reality evidenced in His Word and also by our lives. We must start with a correct understanding of God’s promises because they are the foundation on which all hope of salvation must rest. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation for our hope. If our understanding of the gospel is skewed, then our hope may be based upon a false foundation.  To believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, a person must be in agreement with God’s assessment of things. For example, that person must agree with God that because of his crimes against God, he deserves the full wrath of God in everlasting punishment. He must also agree with God that he cannot make himself worthy of salvation because God’s righteousness is absolute. He must recognize the fact that he is condemned and needs a savior who has the ability to rescue him. He must recognize that God, out of mercy, made a way of salvation by sending His Son to bear God’s wrath in his place. He must also recognize that when Jesus died on the cross, God accepted His death as payment in full for his sins. He must believe God’s promise that if he believes all these things from the heart, he will receive remission of sins and eternal life. Only if a man first believes all these things from the heart can he have any hope of salvation from the wrath of God coming upon the earth.

The two ingredients to a biblical hope of salvation.

1. God has put away our sins

The most important ingredient for a biblical hope is genuine belief of the gospel. The gospel demonstrates that God has punished our sins on Jesus. His promise is that anyone who believes this from the heart receives remission of sins. Because of this, there is now no condemnation to all who are “in Christ Jesus.” God has put away your sins if you truly believe the gospel from the heart. This event took place in history so you can bank on it. If Jesus had not done this, there would be no basis for anyone to have any hope of salvation. But because He did, anyone who believes from the heart can be saved from the wrath of God that is coming on the earth. He does not reject anybody who comes!

2. Evidence that we actually believe the gospel from the heart

It is not enough that our sin is removed. We must have genuine faith that shows itself in obedience. Only those who believe will be saved. God justifies the one who has faith. Many people falsely think they have faith. They assume that since they were baptized, or since they “prayed a prayer to receive Jesus, or since they attend church, they have biblical faith. These things might be evidence that a person has faith. But a person can do all of these things and still not have genuine faith.

The Bible teaches that in order to have a biblical hope of salvation, our faith must be tested. If we continue believing in the face of trials, then we have reason to think that our faith is genuine. This is when hope springs up in us that is an anchor for our soul. It serves as a spiritual helmet.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:1-4).

This short passage details the two necessary ingredients to a biblical hope of salvation. First, since we are now believing, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that He bore the punishment for all our sins and they are no longer on our account. Good news…great reason to hope because of what Jesus has already done and promised!

But then he goes on to talk about tribulations. He said that trials produce perseverance. Perseverance produces character. And character produces hope. Put another way, a person’s faith must bear up under trial. It is important to note that this means that our faith must bear up under all sorts of trials, including persecution and threat of death. Jesus said, “Unless a man takes up his cross and follows me, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). The greater the trial, the more our hope increases because it proves we really believe.

In the months immediately after a person first believes, trials come and because he believes, he continues to hold fast to Jesus as Lord and lives in obedience to Him. As a result, he observes that he is persevering and evidence accumulates that his faith is genuine. As a result, his hope of salvation increases. But whenever he stumbles, other evidence presents itself suggesting that his faith may not be genuine. All Christians sin so this is a common experience. It does not necessarily mean that the person’s faith is not genuine. But any time we sin, a question might arise in our hearts, “Is my faith genuine? After all, look at what I just did.” We don’t like the insecurity that such an experience produces. We really don’t want to hear on judgment day, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” But if a man truly believes, this experience alone and the fear it might produce drives him right back to the throne of grace. He pleads with God for grace to believe and to continue walking by faith in obedience to Jesus. He soon begins to notice again that his faith seems indeed to be genuine as it displays itself in attitudes and actions in every day life.

But as our faith continues to persevere under trial showing itself in obedience, our lives begin to take on more and more changes for the good. God is forming godly, Christ-like character in us. In other words, He is conforming us to the image of Jesus.

Peter describes this process in his second epistle.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;  for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:2-11).

Paul says in the Romans 5 passage that God uses trials of our faith to produce perseverance and that perseverance then leads to change in our character which produces stronger hope that we will indeed be saved from the wrath of God that is coming. In the passage above, Peter says that through the gospel, we become partakers of the divine nature. But he implies that if we are true believers, we will be motivated to live in such a way that godly character is produced in us and increases throughout our lives. Character traits such as, diligence, knowledge, virtue, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and divine love begin to show themselves in our lives and increase over time. The more we see the character (or life) of Jesus in us, the greater our hope because if Jesus lives in us, we will be saved in the end. Paul used the phrase, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27b).

Since we will always battle against sin, we will occasionally lose these battles. But after a few years of living by obedient faith, we will have observed genuine faith at work in us the way we observed it when we first believed. And we will also observe our character becoming more Christ-like in general. Then when battles against sin are lost, our hope of salvation is not diminished as much as it might have been in the beginning when those battles were lost. The reason is that we can look back and see that indeed, God has truly been conforming us to the image of Jesus. I am being changed indeed! This is huge evidence that God has indeed caused me to be born again to a living hope and that there is strong reason to believe I will be saved from the wrath of God when Jesus returns.

There is no short cut to having this type of strong hope of salvation. If you are a new believer, your hope is mainly based upon the sure promise of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. This part of our hope is obviously the most secure because God never lies. But the increase of that hope can only occur as our faith is tested and the faith continues to evidence itself in good works and ultimately, Christ-like character.

If your walk of faith has been accompanied by many sinful failures, naturally, your hope of salvation will be less than someone who makes greater progress in the faith under trial. If you have not completely surrendered your life to Jesus or are holding back obedience in some area, you should not have much hope of salvation because this points to the possibility that you really do not believe. Or, if you are currently caught in some sin or addiction, this also is a contradiction to true faith. Your hope of salvation is damaged because there is evidence that you might not actually believe. By saying these things, I am not saying that you are not a believer! You might very well be a believer. But the evidence of that believing is not showing itself strong at the present time.

If your hope of salvation is weak due to these types of things in your life, what should you do? I believe that the little amount of hope you have should serve as motivation to draw near to God with greater zeal. There should be a growing desire for revival. Jesus said, “Seek and you shall find.” If you simply retreat into depression and despair, you will not do yourself any good. You must keep turning back to God and have the same attitude as the Apostle Paul that we read about in Philippians 3:7-15a which appears near the top of this article. I suggest you read this passage often and cling to the truth it contains.

If you examine your life and do not see much likeness to Jesus in it, then you should be bothered by it. You should not have much hope that you will be saved from the wrath of God coming upon the world. If you have been thinking that your salvation is secure because it is based upon isolated religious acts in your past, your basis for hope is ill-founded.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).

Only those who hear Jesus’ words AND DO THEM will be saved in the end. John said that at the marriage celebration of the Lamb, His wife (those who are in Christ) will be presented to Him. She will have made herself ready and be clothed in fine, clean, bright linen. This fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (RIGHTEOUS WORKS).

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” Revelation 19:7-8).

John probably recalled Jesus teaching about this along with Jesus’ warning:

 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding. ”’But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ ” (Matthew 22:2-13).

Without righteous acts, we will not be properly clothed for the marriage celebration. So, let Jesus’ warning serve to drive us to Him in obedience with complete surrender to Him as Lord so that we don’t find ourselves cast out into outer darkness!

“When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

 

 

Recommended additional reading may be found at the following link written by Jonathan Edwards who lived about 300 years ago. The article is dense with thought so it is not light reading. But if you are concerned enough about your salvation to do some deep soul searching evaluation (to see if indeed you possess saving faith), take the time to study this article. You may get uncomfortable if you do read it.

http://www.jonathan-edwards.org/ReligiousAffections.pdf

Note: When the term “believe” is used in this article, it is not meant to convey merely believing with the mind. The term “believe” is to be understood as the Bible defines it, “believing from the heart.” Such believing only results from new life imparted to people by God’s grace and its fruit is true righteousness in the life of the one believing.

 

Many evangelicals tell unbelievers that if they want to become Christians, they must repeat a “sinner’s prayer.” In light of the fact that we are justified by faith alone, is it biblical to tell unbelievers to pray such a prayer in order to be saved? After all, there is not a single occurrence in the Bible of a believer telling an unbeliever to pray a sinner’s prayer. If an unbeliever does not pray a sinner’s prayer, can he be saved? In the Bible, there are many examples of people coming to know Christ without saying a sinner’s prayer.  So why do so many Christians insist that unbelievers pray a prayer as a means to “getting saved?” This article is written to demonstrate that such a practice is unbiblical and often harmful.

To justify the idea that people must pray a sinner’s prayer to be saved, many evangelicals site Romans 10:13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  They conclude that a one-time “calling upon the Lord” (what they consider a sinner’s prayer) is the means to getting saved. Is a person saved as a result of a one-time “calling upon the name of the Lord?” I will demonstrate that there is no justification whatsoever for such an interpretation.

To prove my point, let us consider how the Bible consistently uses the phrase, “call upon the Lord.”  We will see that until a man believes God, he cannot, will not and does not “call upon the Lord” in the way calling upon the Lord is described in the Bible. This demonstration will show itself consistent with Romans 10:14, “How can they call on the one they have not believed in?”  So, let us consider what it means to “call upon the Lord.” 

I set forth that “calling upon the Lord” is a way of relating to God for life and not a one-time act of a sinner asking for forgiveness. We know from Scripture that before a man believes, he is a slave to his own desires and all of life is self-directed with the aim to gratify himself. As Isaiah says, “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”  Paul says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins and that no one seeks God. Thus, the natural man does not “call upon the Lord” or submit to His direction and provision. But when a person is born again and believes, there is an immediate turning (repentance) to God. Now, instead of a self-directed life, the person “calls upon the Lord” as a way of life. Instead of self-sufficiency, there is a heart-felt dependence on God for all that is necessary. This dependency on God and renunciation of self-reliance is evidence of the new nature. Without this evidence, there is no assurance of salvation.

Now let’s turn to scripture to prove that “calling upon the Lord” is not a one-time “sinner’s prayer” but rather,  a life-long way of living. The following passages teach that: a) believers DO call upon the Lord;  b) unbelievers DO NOT call upon the Lord; and, c) when unbelievers appear to call upon the Lord, the Lord disqualifies it so it does not qualify as “calling upon the Lord.”

a) From the following verses (and many others), it is clear that believers DO “call upon the Lord.”

 “To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me.  For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,  as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place” (Psalm 28:1-2).

 

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:14-15).

 

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.

In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me” (Psalm 86:3-7).

 

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

 

Paul referred to Christians as people who “call upon the name of our Lord” as a way of living. “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ–their Lord and ours” (I Corinthians 1:2). According to Paul, “calling on the Lord” is something believers do on a continual basis.

b) From the following verses (and others), it appears that unbelievers DO NOT “call upon the Lord” at least as defined by what Paul refers to as calling upon the Lord in Romans 10:13.

 

Will evildoers never learn–those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?” (Psalm 14:4)

 

Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt;   there is no one who does good,  not even one. Will the evildoers never learn–those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?” (Psalm 53:3-4)

 

Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland” (Jeremiah 10:25).

 

c) When unbelievers appear to “call upon the Lord,” the Lord disqualifies it. Notice that God disqualifies it because it is not from a heart of faith and repentance and dependence on God:

 

“When calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. ‘Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me’” (Proverbs 1:27-28).

   

“My people are determined to turn from me. Even if they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them” (Hosea 11:7).

 

We may conclude the following from verses like these: As a way of life, believers DO call upon the Lord and as a way of life and unbelievers DO NOT call upon the Lord.   These observations are supported by Paul’s question, “How can they call on the one they have not believed in?”(Romans 10:14).  The conclusion can safely be made that calling upon the Lord is a way of relating to God by faith for life by people that know Him and not a one-time act of a sinner asking to receive forgiveness. 

Understanding the relationship between all of these concepts becomes important when a man asks, “What must I do to be saved?”  If your answer is, “You must pray to receive Jesus,” then your answer would be inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Following are the passages that provide appropriate answers to the question, “What must a person do to be saved?”

 

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call’ ” (Acts 2:38-39).

 

 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.  But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer.  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:17-19).

 

“The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’  Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him” Acts 8:34-38).

 

“ ‘He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.’     While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God” (Acts 10:42-46).

 

“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

 

“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.  The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole family” (Acts 16:29-34).

 

 “Then I asked, `Who are you, Lord?’  `I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. `Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ ” (Acts 26:15-18).

 

Besides the fact that there is no record of believers exhorting unbelievers to “pray a sinners prayer” in order to be saved, these accounts indicate that people are justified by believing alone. Consider the record of the first gentile conversions recorded in Acts. “‘All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.’ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message” (Acts 10:43&44).  It would appear that these Gentiles were justified simply by believing (from the heart) and without praying a sinner’s prayer. They simply believed from the heart. This is in keeping with Paul’s preaching, “Through Him everyone who believes is justified” (Acts 13:39) and Paul’s response to the jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household” (Acts 16:31).  Finally, we can examine Paul’s own testimony and find that Paul did not pray a sinner’s prayer when God regenerated him. “ ‘On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, O king, as I was on the road,  I saw  a  light from heaven,  brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, `Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’  ‘Then I asked, `Who are you, Lord?’  `I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. `Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’” (Acts 26:12-18).

The only passage that records the act of someone “calling out to God for mercy” at what appears to be the moment of justification is found in a parable in Luke. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: `God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14). Can we conclude from this one parable that the publican went away justified because he prayed a sinner’s prayer? Or is it not more likely, based upon the rest of the Bible, that the publican believed for the first time that he was rightly condemned before God and as a result of believing this, he cried out, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.”  To reconcile the biblical teaching that we are justified by faith alone, we must conclude that his prayer was the immediate result of his faith and not that which produced it. At the very least, one would be hard pressed from this one parable alone to build a case that sinners must pray a sinner’s prayer in order to be justified.  But from this parable and many other scriptures, one can make a case that those who believe do cry out to God for mercy. Faith comes first, then a lifetime of calling upon the Lord.

Based upon these observations, the following scenario is fully possible.  While the gospel is being explained to someone, he could remain silent. God could cause him to suddenly see himself as a condemned sinner under the wrath of God, understand the Gospel and believe it from the heart and therefore be justified (as what appears to have happened to the Gentiles in Acts 10), all without him saying a word. Now true believing would definitely involve desiring the gift being offered to him in the Gospel. But desiring is not equivalent to “calling upon the Lord” as Paul considered it. I do not tell unbelievers to pray a sinner’s prayer but I do invite them to receive God’s gift of reconciliation by turning in faith to Jesus. If an unbeliever is told that he must pray a sinner’s prayer in order to be saved and subsequently he does pray it, there is a possibility that he will think that being saved is a result of praying the prayer, an act that in itself is “a work.” Worse yet, an unbeliever may falsely assume he is a Christian simply because he repeated a sinner’s prayer.

This world is filled with people who were told to repeat a sinner’s prayer at one time in their life. Often, such people were told that because they prayed that sinner’s prayer, they are CHRISTIANS. During the subsequent days and weeks, they do not notice anything different than before. They conclude that what Christians preach does not work because nothing happened to them. Worse yet, they falsely think that because they repeated that prayer, they will escape the coming judgment.

On the other hand, we can say that unless a person “calls upon the Lord” as a way of living, he will not be saved from the wrath of God that will be poured out at the judgment. Let me repeat this. A person MUST “call upon the Lord” as a way of living for the rest of his life or he will not be saved from the wrath of God coming upon those who disobey the gospel.  But “calling upon the Lord” in this biblical sense is not the same thing as a one-time “sinner’s prayer.”

Consider this passage from Romans. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:9-13). Since Paul is quoting here from Joel 2:32, it is most logical to conclude that he has the final salvation in mind when he uses the word saved. Based upon the immediate context of Joel, the salvation referred to relates to the final judgment day. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call” (Joel 2:31&32). While the word “saved” in some sense can apply to all Christians as something that God has done in their past, the Joel and Romans 10 contexts loudly suggest that Paul is specifically referring to the salvation that will be fully realized at the final day. We know that in order for a person to be saved on that final day, regeneration and justification must have taken place during his life on earth. But we know also that if regeneration and justification have taken place, there will be resulting fruits that accompany new life in Christ. One that is mentioned in the Romans passage is “confession.” Confession is a fruit resulting from regeneration, not the cause of it. Since the Old Testament exclusively uses (including Joel 2) the phrase “call upon the Lord” to describe a characteristic of those who were living by faith, it is logical to conclude that Paul believed that  “calling on the Lord”  was  a   fruit  that  resulted  from regeneration, not the cause of it. Based upon the Old Testament’s consistent use of the phrase “call upon the Lord,” those who “call upon the Lord” as a way of life are the ones who will be saved in the final day of judgment. It is therefore safe to conclude that the passage in Joel is not referring to today’s common practice of people praying a one-time “sinner’s prayer” in order to be saved and that the phrase “call upon the Lord” in the Romans 10:13 passage is NOT referring to a one-time “sinner’s prayer” that results in justification. Rather, it indicates a way of life that always results from true regeneration, namely, a life of dependence on God by faith. New creatures in Christ trust in the Lord with all their hearts and they don’t lean on their own understanding. In all their ways they acknowledge Him. Their lives are characterized by a continuous “calling upon the Lord.”

 

So what is a biblical invitation to sinners?

 

The biblical invitation in its simplest form is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” And to be consistent with the rest of Scripture, I teach that this salvation is a result of a life-long believing on Jesus as evidenced by a holy life of obedience to Him. But since most people think that believing is merely an intellectual exercise, we should say some things to help them understand what happens once a person “believes from the heart.” Before I was saved, I enjoyed my life and did not want anyone messing with it, including God. I had many friends and looked forward to every party. I look back now and realize that I lost that life I once held so dear. My life is completely different. Jesus gave me a totally new heart. I now hate those things I once loved. Before I was saved, I used to think that anything having to do with God was boring. Now, I love Him and enjoy Him. I love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. He made me into a new creature (II Corinthians 5:17).  When talking with those who seem to be considering Christ, I tell them that when a man “believes from the heart,” his life will never be the same. Because he has a new heart, he will gladly surrender control of his life to God. He will joyfully give up his status as God’s enemy and enjoy true peace with God forever.  I often quote Jesus words,  “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” (Luke 9:24). I tell people that any man who truly “believes from the heart,” is willing to die for Jesus and suffer for His name’s sake. 

To be saved, a person must simply believe the gospel “from the heart.” We can ask the person if they truly believe the gospel “from the heart.”  If he says, “Yes,” we can then ask him if he believes that God will accept him into heaven. If his answer to this question is, “No,” then we need to go back over the gospel with him. If his answer is, “Yes,” we can ask him why he thinks God will accept him into heaven. If he believes the gospel “from the heart,” he will indicate, though perhaps not perfectly, that he will be accepted by God into heaven because Jesus took his punishment and God has promised to receive all who come to Him through Jesus. We should invite people like this to be baptized as a means for them to declare their allegiance to Christ. If we live in a country where there is danger of being killed after being baptized in the name of Jesus, their declaration will demonstrate all the more that they “believe from the heart.”

In summary, to have a person “pray to receive Christ” is leading them down a path that could be met with peril because it falsely conveys that justification is a result of a work rather than faith which results in works. There are many people that falsely think they are Christians just because they prayed a “sinner’s prayer.” We must be careful to stick to the scriptural model that exhorts people to simply believe the gospel from the heart. If they believe the gospel from the heart, they will be justified and they will be new creatures that begin to live a life that is characterized by “calling on the Lord.” And only if they continue to call upon the Lord as a way of living until they die will they be saved from the wrath of God that is coming upon the earth at the final judgment.

Preface note: As you read this, please know I believe that salvation is by God’s grace and not of works lest any man should boast. I believe that this truth is foundational and deviation from it is antichrist at its core. As you read this article, you might fall into the trap of assuming I teach that salvation is by works. If you begin to think this, keep reading and I will eventually show how salvation by God’s grace is fully compatible with what this article teaches.

It is very common to hear Christians describe salvation as an event that occurred at some point in their past. Perhaps you have said at some point, “I am saved” or “God saved me!”  Most of us have sung the words, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” I understand the essence of this expression. But is there any danger in viewing salvation as something that has occurred at some point in our past? Does the Bible speak of salvation as something that occurs when a person first believes or is salvation something that occurs when Jesus comes back?

Let me suggest that many current Protestant traditions and teachings do indeed cloud this issue. As a result, many New Testament passages, if one dares to examine them honestly, almost seem to contradict commonly held views of salvation. It is my hope to demonstrate how the New Testament writers understood salvation and bring to light some of the concepts that they taught for the purpose of motivating Christians to live godly lives.

The English word salvation is translated from the Greek word soteria (Strong’s word 4991). When the New Testament uses the word salvation (soteria) to describe the result of Jesus’ work on the cross in our behalf, it is almost universally used to describe the salvation that will take place in the future when Jesus returns to judge the world. So, if you were to go back in time and ask the New Testament writers what they meant when they used the word soteria, the first concept that would come into their mind would be the salvation that takes place when Jesus comes back to judge the world. Below are a few verses that serve as examples.

Paul said that our salvation is something that will take place in the future:

“Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation^G4991 nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11). .

Paul told Timothy to pay close attention to himself and his teaching and to persevere in these things. He said that by doing so, Timothy would ensure salvation (clearly from the future judgment) for both himself and those he teaches:

Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation^G4982 both for yourself and for those who hear you” (I Tim 4:16). (Obviously, Timothy was a believer when Paul wrote these words to him.)

Not only did Paul clearly teach that salvation was yet future, he taught Timothy that he must persevere in order to obtain salvation. In order to obtain salvation, he (and we) must not fall asleep spiritually. We must NOT RELAX. We must be on high alert looking earnestly for Jesus to come back. Concerning the coming judgment, Paul wrote the following exhortation:

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation^G4991. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation^G4991 by our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:1-8).

Paul says that the hope of our future salvation from the coming outpouring of wrath is essential spiritual protection (as pictured with the use of the word helmet). We miss the protection Paul had in mind if we wrongly believe that salvation is something that occurred in our past. Only as we are on heightened readiness about the coming judgment and holding fast to the hope that we will be delivered from the outpouring of God’s wrath will we receive the spiritual protection afforded by the helmet, the hope of salvation.

Peter expressed similar sentiments. “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:13). Clearly, Peter was talking about the salvation from the wrath of God when Jesus comes back and glorifies us through resurrection.

I believe that we are saved by God’s grace. In the end, there will be no inclination on our part to take any credit for the fact that we escaped the wrath of God that we fully deserve. Jesus paid it all. God accepted His death as payment in full and by it, we HAVE BEEN reconciled to God.

I also believe that it is God who takes people who were at one time a part of the kingdom of darkness, and gives them to Jesus. (See John 6:37-40.) Because of God’s effectual grace working in them, they turn to Jesus by faith and none of these that God gives to Jesus are ever lost. Jesus promised to raise every single one of them on the last day. Thus, salvation is guaranteed because of God’s grace and the finished work of Jesus. Clearly, in God’s way of salvation, God is the one who deserves all the credit. If it were not for Him, we would never turn to Jesus and we would never remain with Jesus.

The truth that salvation is by God’s grace is a wonderful, comforting doctrine. Unfortunately, it seems as if many people falsely think of future salvation from the wrath of God (at the judgment) as if it is already a done deal, like something that has already occurred. Such thinking produces a lack of urgency about being ready for the judgment. It breeds complacency. This is not how Jesus and the Apostles taught the believers to think!

We are indeed saved by grace but this salvation is obtained by faith. In order to obtain salvation from the wrath of God that is coming upon the earth, we must believe and keep on believing. “Believing” in the New Testament is never taught as an event that took place in the past as if it was merely a decision to adopt a certain belief system. It is an ongoing thing and IT ALWAYS PRODUCES WORKS. “We are His workmanship , created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS” (Ephesians 2:10a). This verse tells us God’s purpose for reconciling us in the first place…FOR GOOD WORKS. It does not say, “We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus so that we should then sit on our butts, kick back and assume that we will be saved at the judgment.”  On the contrary, consider verses like these that follow.

“Wherefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

In the passage above, Paul gives the Philippians the impression that their salvation depends on their works. In reality it does. But driving those works is faith. Only those who truly believe God experience this type of fear and trembling. It is God’s grace that caused our hearts to fear in the first place.

In the next two passages, we see that Paul clearly taught that salvation will only come only to those who endure throughout their lives with faith that produces a holy life.

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard”  (Col 1:22-23).

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (I Corinthians 15:1-2).

The writer of the book of Hebrews expresses similar sentiments:

“Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end” (Heb 3:5,6,14).

“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:36-39).

Peter also believed that to inherit salvation that will be revealed in the last time, we must continue in faith. Our continuing results in the salvation of our souls. Peter uses the phrase “the end of your faith” or “the outcome of your faith” to show a cause-and-effect relationship. But the salvation comes in the last time.

^“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time….Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (I Peter 1:3-5,8,9).

^“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. ¹¹Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹²looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” (II Peter 3:10-12).

Peter was speaking to believers in the passage above. If the salvation was something in their past, then there would be no reason for Peter to say these things. But Peter clearly believed that reminding them of the coming judgment should produce motivation in believers to live holy, godly lives lest they find themselves being burned up in the judgment.

When Jesus was preparing His disciples for evangelism ministry, He warned them that they would be hated by all and go through many difficult times. Their faith would be tested indeed and only those disciples who endured until the end would end up being saved at the judgment:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ²⁰for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. ²¹“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²²And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matt 10:16-22).

Paul indicated something similar in the passage below. Both of these passages indicate that saving faith must continue even while under intense pressure brought about by persecution and threat of death. It is not a so called “nominal” faith that might be evidenced by mere church attendance.

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts  14:21-22).

John used the word “overcome” to describe what a person must do in order to be saved in the end.

^“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (I John 5:4-5).

Some believe that this merely speaks of a decision to become a Christian. But the word “overcome” suggests active involvement in a battle against the world. This active involvement shows up in one’s character and conduct as we see in another passage from John:

He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev 21:7-8).

The overcoming is made possible by faith that results in a holy life of ongoing faith. Those who don’t overcome will have their part in the lake of fire. They will not partake of the looked-for salvation.

Going along with these things is the numerous times that the Bible says the judgment will be based upon our works. Below are just two from the New Testament.

But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: ⁷eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; ⁸but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, ⁹tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; ¹⁰but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹¹For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:5-11).

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:9-10).

Salvation is by God’s grace! But this grace makes a person spiritually alive and this is always evidenced by a changed life that increasingly takes on the characteristics of Jesus’ life. These people patiently continue to do good seeking for glory, honor and immortality. They work what is good and they continue doing so until they die because they really do believe that judgment is coming upon the earth. They do not want to hear Jesus say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

When we understand salvation as something yet in the future, suddenly, other New Testament passages seem to make more sense. Since our salvation is the result of our faith while we live out our lives, then Peter’s words have more impact:

“If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (I Peter1:17).

With this view of salvation, Mathew chapter 25 has much more bite! Also, Jesus’ warning to strive to enter in at the narrow gate makes more sense:

“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are”  (Luke 13:23-25).

We must strive and keep on striving because we believe what God has said about the judgment that is coming upon the earth. This is exactly how Noah conducted himself when God told him that He was going to flood the earth. Noah really, really believed God and kept believing Him for one hundred years while he built the ark. If he stopped striving, he would have perished with everyone else on earth. And the New Testament book to the Hebrews holds Noah up as an example of someone who had saving faith.

We also see from Paul’s own testimony that he did not consider his salvation a done deal. Rather, he strove to enter in at the narrow gate:

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:7-14)

In conclusion, let us strive together in fear and trembling, pressing toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 

End Note A: Most of the quotations in this article are from the KJV.

End Note B: The verb form of soteria (G4991) is the word sozo (G4982). A careful word study of the verb form (sozo) will not diminish the point of this article. There are a few instances of this word conveying something that took place in our past. (By grace have we been saved- Ephesians 2:5 & 8.)  But the verb form (sozo) of this word must be understood always by how it is used in its immediate context. For example, in some cases, it was used to describe the saving of a physical life. In some cases, it was used to describe being made whole through physical healing. When it is used in passages like Ephesians 2:8, it is not conveying the salvation that will be received when Jesus comes back to judge the world. It conveys more of an idea of being made spiritually whole. In most cases, the verb form (sozo) is used to describe being saved from the wrath of God that is coming upon the earth as shown in the passage below:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8-10).

 

Jesus said, “Unless a man is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3).  Put another way, if a man is never born again, he will spend eternity in hell. When a man is born again, his life is forever changed. This new birth produces new life that is completely different from the life prior to the new birth. The new birth actually marks the beginning of one’s eternal life. The life of Jesus is imparted to the individual when he is born again. He begins to share the characteristics of Jesus’ holy life. The pleasures of sin begin to hold less sway and he begins to value the things that please God. From this point on, God works to transform him into the image of Jesus.

If a person has not experienced this new birth, he is dead spiritually and does not possess faith. But the new birth makes people who were spiritually dead come alive and they immediately begin relating to God by faith. (See Ephesians 2:1-4.) At this point, God declares them justified (not guilty) in His sight. For the sake of discussion, I will call these people (those who are born again and now relate to God by faith) “the justified.” The Bible says that the “justified” walk by faith. (See Romans 1:17.) This conveys a continuous way of living rather than a mere decision to adopt a certain belief system.

The main thrust of this article is to show that when a person walks by faith, he will have peace and contentment. Conversely, if a person’s life lacks peace and contentment, it may mean that he does not possess saving faith. In other words, he may think he possesses faith but in reality, he may be deceived. His “faith” may actually be mere head-knowledge of truth expressed in the Apostles’ Creed[1]. Mere head-knowledge of God’s truth cannot save. A man must believe “from the heart” in order to be saved. (See Romans 10:9-10.) When a man is believing “from the heart,” his life contains fruit of that faith. This fruit includes peace and contentment. Therefore, if peace and contentment is lacking, there is reason to be concerned about where we will spend eternity. Because all true Christians are extremely concerned about where they will spend eternity, it behooves us to examine our lives to verify if there is peace and contentment that accompanies believing from the heart. We will begin by examining what it means to “believe from the heart.”

 

Biblical faith (believing from the heart) is aggressive and always produces peace and contentment!

The New Testament writers use earthly analogies to convey the nature of biblical faith. Paul said it is like running a race in a way that you end up being the winner. He said that it is like being a soldier who has resigned ownership of his life to the one who enlisted him. (See II Timothy 2:3-5.) He said that God has given us spiritual weapons that we must use in battling the forces of darkness. (See Ephesians 6:10ff.)  Unfortunately, many people today think that if they go to church as mere spectators and hold to sound decrees, they are Christians and the reality of their faith should not be questioned.

Genuine faith affects every aspect of life, not merely how we spend our time on Sunday mornings. Genuine faith always looks to God as the Provider, Shepherd, King, Master, Comforter, etc. In other words, it affects how we live every moment of every day. Genuine faith produces a great concern about our soul. How we relate to God as Provider, Shepherd, King, Master, etc. is extremely important to us because we do not want to hear on that Day, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” (See Matthew 7:23.) Only as we relate to Him as our Provider, Shepherd, King, Master, etc. can we be assured that we are relating to Him rightly. Paul expresses the seriousness of this by saying, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”  (See Philippians 2:12.)

Do you rely upon God as your provider? Or do you rely upon your own ability to provide? This is a very important question. The answer determines whether you will end up in heaven or hell. If you do a word search on the word “wait,” you will see that the Bible instructs us often to “wait upon the Lord.” It is a posture of faith that looks to God as our provider and as Sovereign Lord. It is an act of submission that goes along with the expression, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Psalm 37:9 says that those who wait upon the Lord will inherit the earth. Waiting may sound like a passive activity but not this type of waiting. It is the opposite of passive. It is aggressive because to wait upon the Lord is usually very uncomfortable to the flesh.

We observe in the life of Esau an absence of faith. He came in from hunting one day and smelled a red stew that Jacob had made. He asked for some. Instead of giving it at Esau’s request, Jacob asked Esau to sell him his birthright in exchange for the stew. Esau, because he was feeling hungry and uncomfortable, agreed to the deal. What would you or I do in this same situation? Would we let our physical hunger rule or would we stop and consider what God would have us do? According to the writer of Hebrews, this act of Esau was a godless act. It was a display of unbelief. (See Hebrews 12: 16.) Evidently, Esau did not consider what God might want him to do. He made up his mind independently as if he was Lord over his own life. This suggests that every decision we make should be made in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It recognizes that we are not the boss of our own lives and that we must look to God as our provider and be satisfied with how and what He provides.

To be in relationship with God, we must relate to Him as He truly is in reality. He is the Sovereign Lord who is our Provider. If in our hearts we do not depend on Him as the real source of all that we need, we are not relating to the True and Living God. Rather, we are relating to a god that we have made up in our own minds. That god is afar off and expects us to provide for ourselves. This is the false view of deism that smears the image of God and changes Him into something that He is not. To all who relate to Him this way throughout their lives, He will one day say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

True believers rely upon God as if He really is their provider and that He truly cares about every single thing we need. True believers do not trust their own ability to provide. They trust that God knows exactly what to provide and when. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your hearts and lean not on your own understanding.” It says, “In all your ways, acknowledge God and He will direct your paths.” (See Proverbs 3:5-6.) This reflects a heart of submission to what God wants rather than what we might desire to have. When we live each day like this, it proves how we really think and feel about God. It shows that we really believe that He cares and knows exactly what is best for us.

Peace and contentment indicate we are walking by faith.

Matthew chapters five through seven contain what most theologians would classify as foundational teachings of Jesus. He describes the nature of people who are part of His Kingdom. He also teaches about attitudes and actions that are contrary to His Kingdom. He addresses a variety of subjects that are extremely important. I find it interesting that in the midst of these critical teachings, Jesus also teaches that we should not worry about what we need in order to sustain our life, such as food and clothing. (See Matthew 6:24 – 34.) Jesus does not want us to be anxious about these things.

In the early days of my life as a Christian, I thought that this section did not seem to fit with the rest of what is said in Matthew chapters five through seven. It did not seem to have the same importance as the rest of what Jesus taught in this section. But over the years, I have come to realize that it is absolutely important and that it definitely belongs with the rest of these teachings. Without faith, we will perish. If our faith does not produce contentment resulting in our resting in the loving care of God, then perhaps we have no saving faith. If I am all anxious and worried about whether we will have enough money to pay the bills, I must not really believe what God has promised. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Do we believe this or not?

Frankly, I am amazed at how much time I have spent worrying about such things as a Christian, in spite of the fact that God proved Himself faithful over and over. I remember being taught about God’s promise to provide and how He wants us to trust Him. I also taught other Christians these very things.  Then, about nine years ago, God began to rearrange my circumstances. Suddenly, I was making one fourth the money that I had been making in the electronics industry. Suddenly, all that head-knowledge about trusting God was put to the test. Though I once taught others about the importance of trusting that God will provide, I realized that my knowledge about these things was only skin deep. It was if I missed the class “Faith 101” and God was telling me that I needed to go back and take that class.

During that period, we decided to make a prayer board for all the things needed to sustain the family. We prayed together as a family about those things and God showed Himself faithful and glorious. Whenever God answered one of the prayers, we would note the date of the answer next to the need on the board. Let me give just one example to illustrate. Linda had stepped on her glasses. I tried to straighten them out but they seemed beyond repair. She would get dizzy sometimes because of the way the lenses pointed. So, we wrote on the board, “New glasses for Linda- $ 400.” (They were special because of her eyesight.) We prayed about this daily for at least two or three weeks but it seemed as if God was not providing. Linda was becoming discouraged. Then, one morning, she was crying out to God in desperation about not being able to see. (Real tears.)  Earlier, I had taken the mail from the mailbox and left it on the counter in the kitchen. When Linda came downstairs, she saw the mail and began opening it. There was one envelop from a man who had lost his job a few weeks earlier. She opened the envelope and a $ 400 check fell out. There was a note from this man that read, “God told me to send this.”  (Keep in mind that he was unemployed at the time.) This event brought tears to our eyes. God had used this situation to show that He was watching over us and was able to take care of us. We felt extremely loved by Him.

Many examples of God providing like this could be given. Through these types of events, God has been teaching me that He really is aware of everything we need and is fully capable of providing for us. Nevertheless, I still fall into the sin of worry at times. I know that God is able to provide, but perhaps I question if He will provide in the measure that I consider satisfactory. What if He chooses to provide in such a way that we end up being homeless? I know it would be very uncomfortable to be homeless. But God is able to provide what we really need even if it means that we lose our home. I know that in such situations, God could show Himself more glorious than I could imagine. But still, I don’t like the prospect of going through that. Though God has graciously taught me about His love and care for me, it is obvious that my trust in Him is still not that large. In fact, it seems quite small.

The smallness of my faith concerns me. Jesus said to one man who wished to follow Him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20).  In other words, “Are you willing to be homeless like me?” Jesus also said that anyone who is not worthy to die for Him cannot be His disciple. (See Luke 14:27.) In reality, we need to be willing to be homeless and relinquish all of what we own into His care to do with it whatever He wishes. This is the type of faith He desires for us to have. And it seems that if we have not come to this place of full surrender and trust, we should not expect to be in heaven. He wants us to trust Him with everything and rest in His unchanging love.

Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” ( Luke 9:24).   God is conforming us to the image of Jesus. In this process, He is prying from our tight grip every thing we hold dear in our hearts. One of those things is comfort. We love being comfortable and hate discomfort. But it seems as if God has designed things in such a way that He uses discomfort to purge us of our love for this world. Though we might kick and scream as He does this, once stripped of everything, we are left only with Him. But in His presence is fullness of joy. (See Psalms 16:11.)   It is there that we find true peace and contentment. Put another way, it is only when we have finally let go of every aspiration and possession that we experience true peace and contentment and rest in the Lord. Only then can we truly say with Paul, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (See Romans 8:39.)

What type of relationship with Jesus do you want? One full of glory or one in which He rarely makes His presence known. If we want a relationship with Him that is full of glory, then there are no short cuts. We must become enrolled in God’s “Faith 101” class. We must learn to wait upon Him for all our needs and learn to trust Him. We must learn to live by faith in God as our provider. We must begin making the type of decisions that will facilitate this type of living instead of hinder it.

Obvious example of a decision that will always hinder our ability to live by faith

To illustrate how the decisions we make will either facilitate or hinder living by faith, I will now discuss the decision to purchase a lottery ticket. This decision may seem to some to be no big deal. But do you see how playing the lottery is in direct opposition to what it means to live by faith? What is the outcome of playing the lottery? Normally, we lose the money used to purchase the ticket. But have we lost something else in the experience? Has our trust in God taken a back seat? What if we win the lottery? What is gained? The flesh gets comfort through immediate gratification but our spirit goes without the heavenly food it needs. Instead of beholding God’s glory and power as He provides our real needs, our flesh is gorging itself on earthly, temporal things that can never satisfy our longing for the love and peace that only Jesus can provide.

When we play the lottery, we short circuit God’s process of producing the life of Jesus in us. We trade certain heavenly riches for fading temporal pleasure (if we were to win). And as we continue to play the lottery, we continue pouring water on the fire that God desires to light within us. Put another way, playing the lottery tends to extinguish our faith.

When a Christian relates to God by faith as described in this article, there is absolutely no reason for him to ever play the lottery. He already knows that God will provide everything he needs. Playing the lottery would suggest that a Christian is not satisfied with the way God is providing for him. It would also indicate that instead of trusting in the Lord, he is leaning to his own understanding about what he needs. To play the lottery, he must believe that God is not providing sufficiently. In his mind, God must not know what He is doing. Or, the Christian believes that God is providing the way He sees fit but that is not satisfactory. In other words, God is withholding provision on purpose because He is mean. The other possibility is that this person who calls himself a Christian does not actually believe the Bible is the Word of God so all of its teachings about faith (such as Proverbs 3:5-6) have no relevance whatsoever. In other words, he is merely religious and not one of the “justified” who walk by faith. He is an unbeliever headed for hell.

The Bible teaches that “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” (See Romans 14:23.) Everything that we do that is not from faith is sin and undermines our faith. Whenever a decision has moral implications and we make up our minds independent of God, we are living as if we are God. Only God has the right to call the shots. He is the King, not us. For us to flippantly decide to play the lottery without even considering what God wants indicates that we take Him lightly. In other words, we despise Him. Such decisions always produce destruction and delusion that destroys our ability to believe.

If we truly care about the fullness of our relationship with God, we must not take any decision we make lightly. Will it hinder our faith or facilitate it? Even a decision as to whether we should go on a nice vacation should not be made independent of God’s counsel. If He does not want us to take one, we need to be content with His direction.

A parting word of caution

Many Christians wrongly base the assurance of their salvation on a decision they made in their past to become a Christian. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus told a parable to warn us that people can know the gospel and hold to sound doctrinal beliefs but still end up in hell. He taught that only those who hear His words AND DO THEM will end up in heaven. Those who truly believe the gospel “live by faith.” They do not rely upon their own understanding to make decisions. They rely upon God to direct their lives. They do not live independent lives. They live lives of dependence upon God.

What evidence can you point to in your life that indicates you are one of the “justified?” Are you basing your assurance on some decision you made in the past or is there actual evidence in your attitudes and actions that indicates you really do believe the gospel? Would you characterize your life as one that rests in God’s provision and looks to Him as provider or are you the one in the driver’s seat? If an examination of your life does not clearly suggest that you are one of those who live by faith in reliance on God, you should not have strong confidence that you truly believe the gospel. It may be uncomfortable to do this type of analysis but it is better to be honest about this matter. True faith always produces a life of dependence on God (rather than yourself).

[1]   The Apostles’ Creed

 I believe in God, the Father almighty,
      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
      and born of the virgin Mary.
      He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
      was crucified, died, and was buried;
      he descended to hell.
      The third day he rose again from the dead.
      He ascended to heaven
      and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the holy catholic* church,
      the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins,
      the resurrection of the body,
      and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

 

If you are a rational parent, you have a built in desire to protect your children from any predators that seek to do them harm. Now imagine you are a parent of a twelve-year-old girl who attends a public school. If you are a rational parent, you certainly do not want any teenage boys or men barging into the girl’s locker room, taking their clothes off and then showering with your daughter…right? If you would not have a problem with that scenario, please discontinue reading. This article is addressed to rational people only.

Recently, the state of North Carolina passed a law that is designed to prohibit such a scenario from occurring. Basically, it prohibits males from using public restrooms or dressing rooms designated for female use.[1] It also prohibits females from using public restrooms or dressing rooms designated for male us. To all rational people, this is a common sense law. What is shocking is that such a law would have to be written in the first place. I guess it demonstrates just how far our culture has fallen into depravity.

The thing that should alarm us rational people is not the law nor the need for one like it being enacted. The most alarming thing about all of this is how the masses are being bullied and manipulated by a minority of people that oppose the law. A growing number big name entertainers, politicians and large corporations have gone on the record condemning the state of North Carolina for enacting this law. What is a person like me to think about such people who are criticizing North Carolina for enacting this law? I can only conclude that if any of these people are parents of teenage daughters, they evidently would not care if a teenage boy or man suddenly burst into the shower naked and showered with their teenage daughter. I have no choice but to conclude that they are irrational people that have no morals. Not too long ago, people who displayed such irrational thought would be put in mental institutions. But it appears now that they are running the country.  The irrational, deluded people are now considered normal and people like me are given labels such as “hater,” “bigot” and “intolerant.”

Here is the main thing that should concern and instruct all Christians watching all this. If such widespread deception and delusion exists that the irrational are considered normal while we (the rational) are considered haters, bigots and intolerant, how long will it be until these irrational people in power enact laws that make it illegal to be rational, like us? How long until they finally kill us just to rid the world of any opposition to their wanton lusts? I suggest that the recent events indicate that this is precisely where things are headed.

So, start counting the cost of standing firm because it could soon cost you your life. Is the “great falling away” just around the corner? (See II Thessalonians 2:3.) It seems obvious to me that the world is brimming with deception and delusion. It is ready to receive the great man of deception referred to by the Bible as the Antichrist. It appears that the world will gladly bow the knee to him.

[1] The law specifically says that people must use facilities on the basis of what their birth certificate indicates. Opponents of the new law may take offense at my position. But since I side with God on this matter I believe I am on the right side of this issue. A male is a male and a female is a female….no matter how they feel about it or how they might choose to mutilate their bodies.

I believe that the gospel being proclaimed by MOST Christians today is not in full harmony with the gospel the Apostle Paul preached. And if you happen to say “Amen!” in response, I dare say that you may also be off-message. I plan to utilize some things Paul said in the opening words of his first letter to the church at Corinth to prove my point.

 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Corinthians 1:15).

If you consider yourself a Bible believer, then surely you agree with Paul’s words immediately above. Let me say that if you REALLY believe these words, then the gospel you preach will reflect it. I am afraid however, that the truth being conveyed by Paul here does not seem to have its appropriate impact on the way most Christians proclaim the gospel. Let me suggest that the full embracing of this truth is foundational to one’s preaching.

Wherever Paul went, the gospel was rejected by most people and only some received it. Those who rejected it despised it and considered it foolishness. When Paul ran across such people, he purposely excused himself from them and went looking for any who would appreciate it.  For two examples, see Acts 28:24-28 and Acts 13:46[1]. Most Christians these days do not seem to follow Paul’s pattern. Instead there is a tendency to employ various arguments designed to convince people to believe the gospel. Such efforts will almost always result in the opposite result because the cross of Christ will be made of no effect.

 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect” (I Corinthians 1:17).

Think back on past gospel conversations you had with unbelievers. Do you recall conversations that devolved into debate or argument with people who seemed determined to prove you wrong? This has probably happened to us all. But let me suggest that whenever you find yourself in such a debate, you do well to excuse yourself as Paul used to do. Otherwise, the cross of Christ will most likely be diminished in the eyes of all who hear. Rather, we must keep in the very front of our minds the truth Paul expressed in the following verse:

 “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches…But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:13-14).

For our message to be in harmony with Paul’s message, we must always remember that our message is foolishness to the natural man. We should expect most people to despise it and argue against it. The only people who will not do so are those that God Himself prepares beforehand to hear it. So, rather than argue with the natural man who rejects the gospel, we should be always ready to leave so we can spend our time looking for those people that God has prepared beforehand to hear our message. On the contrary, if we persist in making arguments and debating with those who argue against it, we are banging our heads against a concrete wall. Banging one’s head against a concrete wall accomplishes nothing good.

If you read all this and find yourself in agreement with it, then you should also be in agreement with the following statements:

The widespread use of what most Christians call “apologetics” is contrary to Paul’s approach of evangelism. It sorrows me greatly to know that so many Christians consider themselves not qualified to talk with people about the gospel because they do not feel capable of making all the arguments aimed at convincing people to believe. God does not require us to become expert at “apologetics” as most people define it today. Rather, we are called to proclaim the gospel. If we convey the things Paul taught and stick to them,

If we stick to the things Paul taught in his letters (such as Romans), we can rest assured that our message is on point. (The things Paul taught in his epistles represent his message.) This message is to be PROCLAIMED, not debated!

 

Is it a waste of time to write about or read about squirrel tails? I suggest that careful consideration of squirrel tails can bring great glory to God and therefore be a productive use of time. I suggest that God can use the time we spend thinking about squirrel tails to make us more holy. So if you are willing, let me say a few things about squirrel tails.

If you have not noticed yet, animals have different skeletal and muscle structures. As a result, they have different ways of running or moving around. For example, cats can walk with both the front and back legs on each side moving in unison. Squirrels can’t. Whenever they move, both back legs move in unison similar to a rabbit. (This is true for all the squirrels I have ever seen in North America.)

What does this have to do with squirrel tails and the glory of God? The next time you watch a squirrel, notice the movement of the tail when the squirrel runs at least twenty feet. Because the tail is so long and fluffy, the entire length of the squirrel movement looks a bit like waves on the ocean. The movement is graceful and appears very fluid.

Because of the influence of Darwin’s perverted teachings, some of us might not see any significance in the relationship between the squirrel’s tail and the way it moves as it runs. But I suggest that God was very purposeful when He designed the squirrel’s various body parts. Yes, a squirrel’s tail might be useful in other ways, but God desires to display His glory in all things, including the graceful wavy appearance of the squirrel as it runs. It could have been sufficient to make a glorious fluffy tail. But God wanted to increase the glory of that tail by designing the skeletal and muscle structure in such a way that both back legs move in unison. Without that feature, the waviness of the running squirrel would not be seen. God is not hap hazard in His designs. He is a master designer who paid attention to every single detail of each thing He made.

Do you think that God thought about all this when He conceived the design of His squirrel? I hope you do. The creation is full of God’s glory. It is important\to reflect on God properly as we gaze at the things He made. The Psalmist said, “Great are the works of the LORD;     They are studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2). Now some of God’s works are more noteworthy than others. For example, we are overcome with joy whenever we behold God saving a sinner. Perhaps nothing brings more glory to Him. But if we open our eyes, we just might behold that His glory is shining all the time everywhere we look, including the squirrel tails.

 

For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work;

     I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

O Lord, how great are Your works!

     Your thoughts are very deep”  (Psalm 92:4-5).

 

I wonder if this Psalmist ever noticed the wavy look of a squirrel with its long tail while running. If so, it seems likely that he would have done more than just enjoy the sight. He would likely have used the moment to reflect on God’s wondrous ways. He probably would have noticed the purposefulness in the design of the squirrel.

With each passing moment of our life, we have the opportunity to reflect on God’s glory or miss it. I believe that God delights to show His glory to each one of us personally. Whether in creation or in His many other works. We have a choice to either reflect on Him or just look at things the way the unbeliever looks at them. The more we reflect on His glory, the more He displays His glory to us. The less we discipline ourselves to reflect on His glory, the less of His glory will be evident in our lives.

Can you see now how squirrel tails can have an impact on our holiness?  Let me encourage you to meditate on God’s works all the time. Let me also encourage you to speak of His works to others all the time. Write about them and speak of them to your children. Your fellow believers need to be reminded of God’s wondrous works. His works are everywhere we look. He works in the lives of people in glorious ways. And He has also displayed His glory in all the things He has made.

 

During His trial, the high priest asked Jesus if He was the Messiah, the Son of God. After Jesus affirmed that He was indeed the Son of God, the high priest said that Jesus’ statement was all that was necessary to condemn Him to death and the others who were at the trial agreed. What happened next is recorded in the following verses:

 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (Matthew 26:67-68)

Now, as best you can, try to imagine that you were one of these men who spit on Jesus and slapped Him with such disrespect and anger. Then, imagine that sixty days after Jesus’ trial, God opened your eyes and made you alive spiritually. Suddenly, you believed and immediately, you begin crying because of how you treated Jesus. Even though you quickly realize that you had received forgiveness of all your sins, memories of you hitting Jesus keep coming back and your heart overflowed with regret over what you did to Him.

I write all this to say that in reality, every single Christian should be able to look back on their life with the same regret over how they treated Jesus. Yes, we did not spit on Him and slap Him during His trial that night. But by our attitudes and actions, we did indeed spit in His face and slap Him often with the same type of anger and disrespect those men possessed that night. Truly, this is how Jesus perceived our countless acts of rebellion and vile attitudes toward Him every time we committed them.

If any of those men did indeed believe in Jesus subsequently, rest assured that they clearly understood and felt the love of Christ that is beyond comprehension. They often broke down in tears whenever Jesus’ parting words came to their mind, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” Only when we realize that we also spit in Jesus’ face and slapped Him can we know and feel the love of Christ which is beyond all comprehension. 

Recently, four people living in the U.S. have died from the plague. While the so called medical experts have soothing explanations, those who believe the Bible should logically see a potential cause and effect relationship involving sin. As we know, the U.S. has recently been sliding rapidly into depravity. Suddenly, it is legal for homosexual people to marry people of their own sex. Also, we are watching the barbaric treatment of the unborn babies on the part of Planned Parenthood. Unbelievers may not see a connection. But I do. When a nation sinks into depravity, there is always consequences involving judgment by God.