This is how I see that Bible’s way for a sinner to get saved.
- No human being can, in and of themselves, call upon the Lord for their salvation. The Bible is very clear, as Romans 3:11 says: “There is no one who seeks after God”. The natural person would not desire to give their lives to the Lord. Salvation is a free Gift from God to the human race: “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- There is no “good work” that a sinner can ever do, that can “merit” their salvation. “Works salvation” is a man-made heresy. This is very clear in Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work”.
- Saving Faith, which leads a sinner to repentance and faith in the Lord, comes from the hearing in the inner person, of the Gospel Message preached, as Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. As this faith cannot be self-manufactured, it must be a gift from God, through the Message received by the sinner.
- The sinner hears the Gospel Message, and is convicted by the Holy Spirit, as Jesus tells is in John 16:8-9, “When he has come, he will convict the world about sin…about sin, because they don’t believe in me. Which is what happened to those who heard Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
- The sinner must, before they are saved, repent of their sins, and believe in their hearts the Gospel about the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith alone cannot save any sinner, apart from repenting of their sins. Mark 1:15, is very clear on this, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.” Jesus does not say, “repent”, or “believe”, but the two must be taken together. Luke 24:47 also says, “and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem”. After Peter finished preaching on the Day of Pentecost, those who had been “convicted” by the Holy Spirit, asked “what shall we DO”. To which Peter responds, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). So all of those who were under the conviction by the Holy Spirit, were told, not “do nothing”, but only “have faith”, as some falsely teach, but rather, “REPENT for forgiveness of sins”, and then they would “receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit”.
- These on the Day of Pentecost, as is with all sinners, BELIEVED in the Gospel Message as preached by Peter. They were then called on to REPENT of their sins for their salvation. Ephesians 1:13 tells us, “in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation--in whom, having also believed, you were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise”. The Gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts (Acts 2:38), is the same as the “Sealing with the Holy Spirit”. The sinner is then a “born-again” believer, who is guaranteed to be with the Lord forever in Heaven!
- From the time that the sinner is “born-again”, their eternal life begins, which is for all eternity, and cannot be lost at any time. Jesus Himself promises us, “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). “has passed” in the Greek is the perfect active, showing that they had already crossed over from death to eternal life! In chapter 10, Jesus promises, “I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (28-29). The Greek is much stronger, “and in no way will they perish for ever”. Very emphatic. Once a sinner is “born-again”, they cannot ever be lost!
