Faith

As a child, and even a teenager, I thought that salvation was very mysterious and confusing. I thought salvation must be what Saul experienced on the road to Damascus, and that if I were to be saved, I would need to have some type of similar experience myself.

Acts 9:3-9

And as he journeyed, he (Saul) came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

So I prayed and waited, but nothing happened.

It wasn’t until I was a little older that God directed me to the words in John 3:14&15: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

And John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

And Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

We know we are sinners:

 Romans 3:32 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

And sin results in death:

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death;

But do you know that God has provided a way whereby we can be saved?

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23b but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Come to Jesus, place your trust in Him, look to Him and Him alone for your salvation and you will be saved!

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Spurgeon, in his book, the Wicket Gate, puts it like this:

“All the sound doctrine that ever was believed will never save a man unless he puts his trust in the Lord Jesus for himself.”  (Page 21)

“The plan of salvation is most blessed, but it can avail us nothing unless we personally believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself." (Page 23)

“To many, faith seems a hard thing. The truth is, it is only hard because it is easy.” (Page 29)

“People think that salvation must be the result of some act or feeling, very mysterious, and very difficult; but God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways. In order that the feeblest and most ignorant may be saved, He has made the way of salvation as easy as the A,B,C. There is nothing about it to puzzle anyone; only, as everybody expects to be puzzled by it, many are quite bewildered when they find it so exceedingly simple." (Page 29)

“The fact is, we do not believe that God means what He is saying; we act as if it could not be true.” (Page 29 )

“Faith is so simple a matter that, whenever I try to explain it, I am very fearful lest I should becloud its simplicity.” (Page 34)

“Just so, eternal life is free and it can be had, yea, it shall be at once had, by trusting in the Word of Him who cannot lie. Trust Christ, and by that trust you grasp salvation and eternal life. Do not philosophize. Do not sit down, and bother your poor brain. Just believe Jesus as you would believe your father.” (Page 35)

“Faith is trusting, trusting wholly upon the person, work, merit and power of the Son of God. Some think this trust is a romantic business, but indeed it is the simplest thing that can possibly be. To some of us, truths, which were once hard to believe, are now matter of fact, which we should find it hard to doubt.” (Page 35)

“But oh, how simple it is to us who have the new life, and have communion with spiritual realities! We have a Father to whom we speak, and He hears us, and a blessed Saviour who hears our heart’s longings, and helps us in our struggles against sin. It is all plain to him that understandeth. May it now be plain to you!” (Page 36)

Come, Do Not Delay

"How do you know if you feel your misery enough to be saved?" I'm sitting diagonally across from my friend in my living room as we discuss salvation and am suddenly reminded of the scriptures God had directed me to several years ago regarding this topic. 

"Hold on a second! I can try explain it to you, but God's Word is so much more powerful and I know I have a whole list of scriptures of who can come to Christ that I posted on my blog awhile back."

I reach for my phone and quickly scan the archives. Sure enough it doesn't take long for me to find the one I'm looking for and I spend the next little while sharing the truths with her.

Come

November 18, 2014

Port au Prince, Haiti

As I lay in bed last night all these verses were pieced together in my heart. This morning they were still there, so in the grayness of early dawn I slipped out of my bed and wrote them down. 

Who can come to Jesus for salvation?
Well, are you a child? Or do you feel burdened? Or do you thirst for righteousness? Do you have nothing to bring? Are your sins like scarlet? Or do you simply want to come? The Bible says you may. Jesus says 'Come'. This is the glorious gospel. The good news; Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

Revelations 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, 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. 

John 6:37  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
                                                                                                                                                                     

"So the Bible doesn't talk about a certain level of understanding of your misery or lost condition that needs to be reached before you can come to Christ." I tell my friend now.

Charles Surgeon explains in this way:

"If I start up in a fright, and find my house on fire, I do not sit down at the edge of the bed, and say to myself, "I hope I am truly awakened! Indeed, I am deeply grateful that I am not left to sleep on!" No, I want to escape from threatened death, and so I hasten to the door or to the window, that I may get out, and may not perish where I am. It would be a questionable boon to be aroused, and yet not to escape from the danger."

"Our awakenings are not to help the Saviour, but to help us to the Saviour"

"Are you willing to remain an awakened one, and nothing more? Are you not eager to be at once forgiven? If you would tarry in anguish and dread, surely you, too, must be a little out of your mind! If peace is to be had, have it at once! Why tarry in the darkness of the pit, wherein your feet may sink in the miry clay? There is light to be had; marvellous and heavenly; why lie in gloom and die in anguish? You do not know how near salvation is to you."

"It is not what you feel that will save you, but what Jesus felt. Even if there were some healing value in feelings, they would have to be good ones; and the feeling which makes us doubt the power of Christ to save, and prevents our finding salvation in him, is by no means a good one,  but a cruel wrong to the love of Jesus. "
(Around the Wicket Gate, Charles Spurgeon)

A child may have very little understanding of how truly lost they are without Christ, but still Jesus tells them to come. Your sins may be horrendous, but still He tells you to come. You may be hungering and thirsting for righteousness, as you struggle with your failures and shortcomings, and so He calls to you to come to Him. Your life may be full of burdens and struggles to great for you to bear or you may simply have the desire to come. Either way, don't delay, "Come, Come," He says "and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)

"To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." (Hebrews 3:15b)