How to be Saved: God's Way
JOHN 3:16 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.
PART - 1
1 THE PROMISE OF SALVATION IS FOR HIM WHO BELIEVED IN THE SON OF GOD. Yet, the question will arise…can we believe God? Do we have the ability to believe in Him? If we can, then we have something to boast. Yet, the word of God says…’not of works, lest any man should boast’ – Eph 2:9 The Bible says…. Before the beginning of our spiritual journey, WE ARE ALL DEAD TO SIN.
• Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..
• Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; If all of us are spiritually dead because of sin, then, the verdict of the Word of God…
• People sat in darkness…and in the shadow of death – Mat 4:16; Ps 107:10
• All have gone astray, none that do good, not even one. NO ONE is righteous.. people don’t understand the fear of God – Rom 3:9-18
• The old man is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts – Eph 4:22;
• They are at the snare of the devil, and are taken captive by him at his will – 2 Tim 2:26.
• …we walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience – Eph 2:22
• We did not like to retain God in our knowledge, we have a reprobate mind – Rom 1:28 Hence, man is…
• Earthy – 1 Cor. 15:48
• Carnal, sold under sin – Rom 7:14
• In darkness and in the shadow of death… If this is the condition of man, can he come to the Lord by himself? Can he receive the Lord by himself? Can he believe the Lord?
• Can a created being receive his Creator by himself?
• Can the darkness tell the Light to come to him?
• Can we circumcise our heart by what we can do…or decide to do?
• Can we take the Life of God and put inside our hearts?
• Can we be born from above by ourselves?
• Can we become truly converted by what we can do…or what other people can do for us? Again, if you can…then you have something to boast….OR… We ask the Lord….. 2 WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THAT PRECIOUS WORD ‘WHOSOEVER BELIEVED’ SHALL BE SAVED…AND HOW CAN I BELIEVE IN ORDER TO BE SAVED…..(PART-2 TO FOLLOW)… Pray Eph 1:17-20 by heart. Please read John 6: 29
JOHN 3:16
(PART – 2)
Foreword:
WE NEED TO FEAR GOD. WE NEED TO GIVE GLORY TO HIM. – REV. 14:7 When Silas and Paul came out of the prison, the soldier asked them…”what must I do to be saved?” And they answered (it was the Lord who answered thru them) …’believe and thou shall be saved, and thy household’ – Act. 16:30-31 We need to believe in order to be saved. But the word of God says we can’t do it by ourselves (we are all dead because of sin). So that in order for us to have a heart that believes, we need GOD to WORK in our hearts….
• John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. If TO HAVE the right kind of faith (that WILL CAUSE US to have a truly believing heart) IS THE WORK OF GOD, why then the Lord tells us to believe (John 3:16 and Acts 16:31). 1 HOW CAN WE BELIEVE IF ‘TO BELIEVE IS THE WORK OF GOD’? Going back to Acts 16:31, when the Paul and Silas said to the soldier…’believe and you will be saved..’ answered the question of how to be saved…ONLY HAVING THE RIGHT KIND OF FAITH WILL CAUSE US TO BELIEVE. This is the work of God. In effect, God is telling us…. ‘You want to be saved? Then believe…Can you do this? NO, you are dead because of your sin…separated from God, living according to the flesh…living in darkness under the schemes of the enemy… Can you have a heart that truly believes (in order to be saved) by yourselves? NO…you can’t do this... to believe is the work of HIM who loved us and gave HIS SON for us... THE TRUTH IS….WE NEED GOD TO WORK IN OUR HEARTS IN ORDER FOR US TO HAVE FAITH, A HEART THAT TRULY BELIEVES IN HIS SON JESUS. IF WE CAN BELIEVE OR HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE FAITH BY OURSELVES, THEN WE DON’T NEED GOD TO WORK IN OUR LIVES…THEN WE HAVE SOMETHING TO BOAST. But, for this to happen, we need to HUMBLE ourselves before the hand of the ALMIGHTY GOD and acknowledge that we can’t be saved by ourselves. Acknowledge that ONLY the LORD JESUS was crucified, shed HIS BLOOD, died on the CROSS and rose again. Not what we can do but what HE DID and COMPLETED on the cross of Calvary can save us. When our spiritual eyes are being enlightened to this truth, GOD THE FATHER is working in our hearts thru HIS SPIRIT… Then we realized that… 2 NO ONE COMES TO THE SON UNLESS THE FATHER DRAWS HIM NEAR TO HIM – THE GRACE OF GOD
• 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.- We come to the SON only because the Father gives us to HIM…
• John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.- Coming to the SON is the will of the Father.
• John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. – We come to the SON only because we are being drawn to HIM by the Father.
• John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. – We come to HIM because the Father give us to HIM… 3 THE PHRASE ‘WHOSOEVER BELIEVED’ SHALL BE SAVED…REFERS TO THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE BEING CONVERTED ACCORDING TO THE WORK OF GOD THE FATHER – BORN FROM ABOVE (AND NOT BEING BORN BY THE SELF OR ANY OTHER GOOD THING ON EARTH). Hence, the phrase ‘whosoever believes’ does not require us to believe (only because we don’t have the ability to believe), but rather, states the fact that WE NEED to experience to have A TRULY BELIEVING HEART (THE SAVING FAITH) that only GOD can impart in our hearts. ONLY GOD CAN CHANGE OUR HEARTS (FROM THE HEART OF STONE TO THE HEART OF FLESH. ONLY HIM CAN GIVE US A NEW SPIRIT - EZE 36:26).
BUT, HOW CAN THIS BE? (PART-3 to be continued…)
Pray Eph 1:17-23 Read John6:63 and Romans 10:17 The Lord blesses us all.
JOHN 3:16
(PART 3)
Foreword:
The phrase ‘WHOSOEVER BELIEVED’ SHALL BE SAVED…refers to those whose hearts are being converted according to the work of GOD the Father – Born from Above (and not being born by the self or any religion on earth). When one acknowledged that he can’t save himself by whatever he can do, no matter how good and best he tries, but desires to be saved, then he will find himself asking the Father for the life of Jesus to be with him. By understanding (thru hearing the LIVING WORD of life - Romans 10:17; John 6:63) that ONLY THE LORD JESUS was crucified, shed His Precious Blood on the cross, and died for his sins, and rose again (NOT by any man, nor any organization, nor by any religion), he will ask and pray to the Father for His Son Jesus. By this time, he knows very well that he is dead because of sin (he is in darkness, under the control of the enemy, no ability to receive the Lord), but desperately need to receive JESUS in his heart. 1 JOHN 1:12 BUT AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, TO THEM GAVE HE POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD, EVEN TO THEM THAT BELIEVE ON HIS NAME: Since no man can receive the Lord by himself (he is spiritually dead because of sin-Rom 3:23 and 6:23); not by his works so that he can’t boast (Eph 2:9); not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). Hence, receiving the Lord, in order to be saved, is neither according to any human ability...nor by the work of any man…. But man NEED to receive the Lord Jesus in order to be saved… 2 HOW CAN A MAN RECEIVE THE LORD IF HE HAS NO ABILITY TO RECEIVE HIM?
• And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God - Luke 18:27 Receiving the Lord is impossible with men, but not with God. When God the Father brings us to the Lord Jesus John 6:37, 44, 65), He put a new spirit within us (Eze. 36:26-27). We received, not because we accepted (not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man – John 1:12-13) but GOD removed the stony heart and give us a heart of flesh…and PUT a new spirit within us (Eze. 36:26-27). So that, we received not because we accepted, but GOD ‘put’ the life of Jesus within us. And this is the circumcision of the heart (receiving the faith of Jesus in his heart)… opening of spiritual eyes… born from above…true conversion…born again...causing man to believe in Jesus is the WORK of GOD.
• To receive Jesus is not according to the work of any man but the most gracious and wonderful WORK of the OMNIPOTENT LOVING GOD. 3 IF RECEIVING JESUS IS PURELY THE WORK OF GOD, WHAT, THEN, IS THE ROLE OF MAN IN SALVATION? Once man understood that he can’t do anything in order to be saved (again, not according to his ability to comprehend, but by the opening of his spiritual eyes by the LORD – Eph. 1:17-20), then he will FIND HIMSELF kneeling before HIM with reverence (John 6: 37, 44, 65) and CRY OUT and PRAY from his heart….Lord, remember me, a sinner (Luke 22:42), I need the Lord Jesus in my heart…help me….(Mk 15:25; Mt. 20:30-31).
• James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
• James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. God the Father, in His time, will touch our hearts and PUT the NEW spirit with us… Now, we have the new birth. We now experience the hunger and thirst in our hearts for HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Then, we are not satisfied. We want to dig up the treasures more and more….longing for the new oil, for the additional oil…for the TRUTHS OF HIS KINGDOM…Yet, these experiences are still the WORK OF GOD, only because what He has started in our hearts He will bring it into completion.
• Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Please follow thru for Part 4 and Part 5… 4 RECEIVING JESUS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. 5 WE RECEIVE THE NEW BIRTH. BUT WE NEED TO GROW, TO BECOME LIKE A CHILD…TO MATURE (SANCTIFIED AND BE CONFORMED TO HIS LIKENESS)…THEN TO ENTER HIS KINGDOM.