In recent posts, I have been discussing the security we (meaning, those who have been born again) have in Christ. Our security in Christ is great. I am rejoicing and resting in the fact that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of all mankind, is the Saviour of all men, as well as the Keeper of those who have come to Him.
There are those, however, who preach a shaky salvation; a salvation ready to tumble over with just one wrong step of the man who possesses it. There are man-made buildings stronger than that! I have heard it all. Some say that if you think one bad thought, you are lost. Others preach that if you shake gasoline out of the nozzle and into your tank, you have stolen gas and are on your way to hell. What a shaky salvation! If our salvation really is that insecure, I must say:
1) We have a shabby Saviour.
2) We have a cheap plan of salvation.
3) Mankind is really the Saviour of himself, because his good works strengthen his salvation, and his evil works nullify it.
However, you will be ready to note that I do not believe we have a shabby Saviour, or a cheap plan of salvation. I believe in and preach a solid salvation, built upon the only work that pleases the Father - the work of Jesus Christ upon the old, rugged cross.
Those who preach this shaky salvation have some traits about them that I hope never become part of my character. Notice some of them.
They Have No Assurance
Assurance is a word foreign to them. Assurance is a word simply defined this way - "Firm persuasion; full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certain expectation; the utmost certainty." It is KNOWING POSITIVELY, BEYOND ANY CRUMB OF DOUBT, THAT YOU ARE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD! Those whose salvation is constantly in jeopardy, ready to crash like the stock market at any time, have no confidence in their salvation. They cannot say with a sincere heart, that God is positively pleased with them; that God accepts them at that very moment. Their whole experience with God depends on whether they have walked close enough; whether they have met all the requirements; whether they have kept the list of rules and regulations; whether they are pure enough, righteous enough, holy enough, prayerful enough, and pious enough. Their state with their Creator rests mostly, if not solely, on them, and little or nothing on Jesus Christ. Because they are so shaky (all men are unstable to some degree), their salvation is shaky. When a man is resting on his own works to keep him saved, he has no assurance of salvation; for such assurance is not even possible. But this type of salvation is not Biblical in any sense. Notice the following:
1) I Thessalonians 1:5 - "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."
2) Hebrews 6:11 - "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."
3) Hebrews 10:22 - "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
4) I John 5:13 - "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
Clearly, these verses, along with other verses in previous posts, give the believer assurance of their salvation in Jesus Christ.
They Do Not Know What it Takes to Get to Heaven
I heard a man preach some time ago. This minister was a Pentecostal, Holiness minister. Having obtained the CD, I was listening to the message going down the road. The man's message astounded me. This minister, having already stated many statements that shocked me, finally came to the end of his message. He made this exact statement: "Folks, I don't know what it takes to go heaven. I know that being saved has something to do with it. But if I read my Bible right, it's going to take a lot more than that." Those words are an exact quotation; not a paraphrase. When I heard that goofy statement, I remember my exact thought. I immediately thought, "Sir, if you don't know what it takes to get to heaven, you need to sit down and let someone up there that does know!" It's sad, but it's true that this man is not alone. Once you start down the path of adding to what Jesus did on the cross for your salvation, you never know when you have added enough, and you really don't know how much you have to add to go to heaven. This man had made salvation so difficult, he didn't know what needed to be done to be saved. This man is in bondage, along with many who teach and follow this silly doctrine. Friend, there's only one way to heaven. Jesus Christ did the work, and we just trust solely in what He did. You cannot go to hell resting fully in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
They Seldom Emphasize Soul-Winning
This crowd with the shaky salvation seldom, if ever, emphasize soul-winning. Understanding what has already been stated, it is not hard to understand why this is the case. They have no assurance of their own salvation. They have added so much to Christ and the cross that they do not know how much extra needs to be done to go to heaven. Frankly, they have no good news to give! To them, salvation is not "gospel." It is not "good news." Salvation, in their minds, is a vast responsiblity of man - a burden, a list of rules, a compilation of standards, a dress code, and whatever else they think it is! They win few souls in the course of their life (some of them win no souls at all) because they don't know for sure that they possess salvation; and, even if they had a hint of assurance, they cannot give a clear presentation of the gospel because they do not know what it is! When we understand that the Father demanded an extremely high price to be paid for anyone to be saved, and Jesus Christ paid the price IN FULL, then we can grasp the good news! Once we can grasp the good news, we can do nothing with it but tell it!
There are those, however, who preach a shaky salvation; a salvation ready to tumble over with just one wrong step of the man who possesses it. There are man-made buildings stronger than that! I have heard it all. Some say that if you think one bad thought, you are lost. Others preach that if you shake gasoline out of the nozzle and into your tank, you have stolen gas and are on your way to hell. What a shaky salvation! If our salvation really is that insecure, I must say:
1) We have a shabby Saviour.
2) We have a cheap plan of salvation.
3) Mankind is really the Saviour of himself, because his good works strengthen his salvation, and his evil works nullify it.
However, you will be ready to note that I do not believe we have a shabby Saviour, or a cheap plan of salvation. I believe in and preach a solid salvation, built upon the only work that pleases the Father - the work of Jesus Christ upon the old, rugged cross.
Those who preach this shaky salvation have some traits about them that I hope never become part of my character. Notice some of them.
They Have No Assurance
Assurance is a word foreign to them. Assurance is a word simply defined this way - "Firm persuasion; full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certain expectation; the utmost certainty." It is KNOWING POSITIVELY, BEYOND ANY CRUMB OF DOUBT, THAT YOU ARE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD! Those whose salvation is constantly in jeopardy, ready to crash like the stock market at any time, have no confidence in their salvation. They cannot say with a sincere heart, that God is positively pleased with them; that God accepts them at that very moment. Their whole experience with God depends on whether they have walked close enough; whether they have met all the requirements; whether they have kept the list of rules and regulations; whether they are pure enough, righteous enough, holy enough, prayerful enough, and pious enough. Their state with their Creator rests mostly, if not solely, on them, and little or nothing on Jesus Christ. Because they are so shaky (all men are unstable to some degree), their salvation is shaky. When a man is resting on his own works to keep him saved, he has no assurance of salvation; for such assurance is not even possible. But this type of salvation is not Biblical in any sense. Notice the following:
1) I Thessalonians 1:5 - "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."
2) Hebrews 6:11 - "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."
3) Hebrews 10:22 - "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
4) I John 5:13 - "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
Clearly, these verses, along with other verses in previous posts, give the believer assurance of their salvation in Jesus Christ.
They Do Not Know What it Takes to Get to Heaven
I heard a man preach some time ago. This minister was a Pentecostal, Holiness minister. Having obtained the CD, I was listening to the message going down the road. The man's message astounded me. This minister, having already stated many statements that shocked me, finally came to the end of his message. He made this exact statement: "Folks, I don't know what it takes to go heaven. I know that being saved has something to do with it. But if I read my Bible right, it's going to take a lot more than that." Those words are an exact quotation; not a paraphrase. When I heard that goofy statement, I remember my exact thought. I immediately thought, "Sir, if you don't know what it takes to get to heaven, you need to sit down and let someone up there that does know!" It's sad, but it's true that this man is not alone. Once you start down the path of adding to what Jesus did on the cross for your salvation, you never know when you have added enough, and you really don't know how much you have to add to go to heaven. This man had made salvation so difficult, he didn't know what needed to be done to be saved. This man is in bondage, along with many who teach and follow this silly doctrine. Friend, there's only one way to heaven. Jesus Christ did the work, and we just trust solely in what He did. You cannot go to hell resting fully in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
They Seldom Emphasize Soul-Winning
This crowd with the shaky salvation seldom, if ever, emphasize soul-winning. Understanding what has already been stated, it is not hard to understand why this is the case. They have no assurance of their own salvation. They have added so much to Christ and the cross that they do not know how much extra needs to be done to go to heaven. Frankly, they have no good news to give! To them, salvation is not "gospel." It is not "good news." Salvation, in their minds, is a vast responsiblity of man - a burden, a list of rules, a compilation of standards, a dress code, and whatever else they think it is! They win few souls in the course of their life (some of them win no souls at all) because they don't know for sure that they possess salvation; and, even if they had a hint of assurance, they cannot give a clear presentation of the gospel because they do not know what it is! When we understand that the Father demanded an extremely high price to be paid for anyone to be saved, and Jesus Christ paid the price IN FULL, then we can grasp the good news! Once we can grasp the good news, we can do nothing with it but tell it!
