DO YOU HAVE A BIG “S” ON YOUR CHEST?

Before you think I have totally lost what little mind I have left, let me share a poem with you that will give you an understanding of what the title question is all about.

I wear a big “S” on my chest not because I think I’m Superman;
But because of SALVATION, that’s God’s perfect plan.

Because of God’s wonderful gift of grace,
SALVATION put me in a totally different place.

He died on a cross to pay my debt and charged no fee,
So now I’m washed in the blood and set totally free.

When I am weak Jesus is strong,
Why even the grave couldn’t hold Him long.

Salvation is all about having a little faith to accept God’s grace;
And when you do, Jesus becomes your partner in this life’s race.

He will never leave you or forsake you, His love is for real!
So don’t be a fool and fall for the devil’s lies and false appeal.

SALVATION is all about a relationship not about religion,
That’s why God lets you choose to make the decision.

So how do you answer God’s call to SALVATION, yes or no?
Jesus will never enter where he’s not asked to go!

So will you choose the big “S” on your chest to represent who lives in your heart?
‘Cause when you accept SALVATION Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be doin’ their part.

“SALVATION,” is defined as being saved from the act of sin or evil and it is something that many churches have lost their zeal and drive to preach from their pulpit.  Maybe it is because of the desire to be politically correct and/or socially acceptable.  Yet there is nothing more important for Followers of Jesus Christ to share with a lost and dying world.  There are many who are seeking truth but few who are willing to be candid and honest with God’s truth.  So this article is an attempt to draw attention to the fact that Followers of Christ need to know and understand the salvation plan so they can help others find the one and only source of salvation and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

1. We are all sinners.
   Often Romans 3:23 is quoted to demonstrate what God’s Word says about us all being sinners.  There are numerous scriptures that speak on this subject but for sake of space and time I want to refer you to one passage, “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.”[1]  No matter how good we try to be, we can never achieve the level of “good enough.”  After all, how good is good? Doing good things is admirable but does not make one heaven bound.
2. We cannot be saved heirs of the Heavenly Father in our natural state of sin.
   “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”[2]  Our natural state is sin and it has been since the fall of man.  We cannot be heirs to God’s promises in our natural state of sin so without salvation we are forever separated from our Creator.Cross references.
3. Salvation is by grace not works.
   If we are all sinners and being good doesn’t earn your way to heaven then how does one get to heaven?  Scripture tells us “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”[3]  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ makes us “right” before God.
4. Salvation comes through faith alone in Christ alone.
   “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”[4]  “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”[5]  Scripture is very, very clear about the means to eternal life with the Heavenly Father and it is always the same; Jesus Christ is the one and only way to eternity with the Father.  Our justification comes from having enough faith to recognize Christ for who He is and what He did for each of us.  Paul tells us “If you declare 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 profess your faith and are saved.”[6]
   
5. Knowing Jesus is only the beginning.  We must receive Jesus as our own Savior.
   John tells us “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—“[7]   It is when we receive Him that we have sealed the offer of grace.  Many people claim to know who Jesus is but what they are claiming is knowledge not a personal relationship.  We say it this way; they have “head knowledge” of Jesus but fail to have a “heart relationship” with Him.  Even Satan knows who Jesus is, and in fact scripture tells us he will flee when the name of Jesus is spoken.  We must receive Jesus as our own Savior which makes it a personal choice and a personal relationship. The following is a powerful passage of scripture when it comes to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”[8]  When we receive Jesus as our own then all the things mentioned in this passage of scripture are made possible.
6. You can never lose a genuine salvation relationship with Jesus even if you mess up.
   Jesus said “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”[9]  Nothing can take our salvation from us once we enter into a genuine personal relationship with Jesus.  I have said “genuine” because there are times when someone makes a profession of faith but for the wrong reasons.  Family pressures, emotion, trying to impress someone, and many other reasons sometimes encourage a person to do the right thing for the wrong reasons.  When we know Jesus and receive Him as our own then nothing and no one can pluck us from His hand!
7. A personal relationship with Jesus guarantees eternal life with our Heavenly Father.
   Because of SALVATION we are not only justified in this life but we are promised an eternity with our Heavenly Father.   ^“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.”[10]  I love many aspects of this passage but I particularly love the statement “He has given is new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  We serve a Risen Savior and He is our living hope not only for eternity but in the here and now.
   
8. Sin brought about death but Jesus died in our place giving us life.
   “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[11]  Jesus had no sin yet He was crucified to pay in full yours and my sin debt and by doing so, He made us righteous by our personal relationship with Him.  John said “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”[12]  Jesus paid the sin debt of the world, not any particular nation or people group.  He died for all so that they could be made righteous through SALVATION.

So where do you stand in relationship to SALVATION?  If you don’t know Jesus personally then it is time to remedy that by following what is outlined above.  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and you profess to be a Follower of Christ then it is time for you to pray for courage and boldness so that you might share the good news of SALVATION that God made possible by the birth, death, and resurrection of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.  I pray that you will tell somebody about Jesus and the wonderful gift of grace today, tomorrow and the rest of your days.