•1:52 PM
WHAT SAVES A LOST SOUL?
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).
In Exodus chapters one and two we read of baby Moses being saved by his mother, his sister and pharaoh’s daughter. Different people and different things helped to save his life. Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt had decreed that all male Israelite babies were to be destroyed, but Moses’ life was spared because his mother made a plan to save his life, his sister watched him when he was hidden, and Pharaoh’s daughter found him and had compassion on him. Love, wisdom and mercy played a part in it. Moses was not saved by one thing alone but by many things working together. Each was necessary in that each contributed to the saving of his life.
In parallel to this, the alien sinner is saved by many things working together. The absence of any one would mean no saving takes place. And it can be said that each of these elements saves him. In this rescue effort there is both a divine side and a human side--what God does and what man does.
THE DIVINE SIDE
1. God saves. “For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe” (I Timothy 4:10; Romans 8:33).
2. Jesus saves. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief (I Timothy 1:15; Luke 19:10).
3. The Holy Spirit saves. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11).
4. Grace saves. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the figt of god” (Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11).
5. The Word of God saves. “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21; Acts 11:14).
6. The blood of Christ saves. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19).
THE HUMAN SIDE
1. Faith saves. “therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8,9).
2. Repentance saves. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
3. Confession saves. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
4. Baptism saves. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” (I Peter 3:21).
5. We save ourselves. “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40).
6. We save others. “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
7. We are saved by works. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). We are not saved by meritorious works (Titus 3:5), nor by the works of the law of Moses (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16). But we are saved by works in that we must exert an effort to do the will of God. Without this there is no forgiveness.
One is not saved by any one of these alone. One isn’t saved by faith alone any more than he is saved by baptism alone. Nor is one saved by the blood of Christ to the exclusion of faith or water baptism. Both the divine and the human side are necessary. God provides the way through Christ. The sinner must accept it by complying with the conditions necessary to receive the pardon God offers.
THE GREAT COMMISSION
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15,16).
GREAT INVITATIONS
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)
“Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelations 22:17).
