In Roman 10:13 it says: “Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved”.
God loves the whole world and every person in the world. His love is not limited to any one nation or people or type of person. The gospel is universal; it is for the world. That means that the Lord treats all people (men and women) the same. Since all men are saved by the promise that the world cannot be saved apart from the Gospel; even Israel’s disobedience proves to us that the Gospel is Universal and Truth.
In Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any person should perish. He wants every person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) and all we have to do is to call upon the name of the Lord in humility and repent-ask Christ to forgive us.
That word whosoever means that any person can be saved, no matter who he or she is. No matter how terrible a person and his circumstances may be, he can be saved.
Now you may ask: What does that word saved or salvation mean?????
Christ is concerned with our suffering. Christ takes a man who suffers and makes him whole. That is what salvation is all about!
I saw this inspiration piece recently and I want to pass it along to you. Many times we Christians get focused on things that have to be done in a certain way (“This is the way we have always done it”), but Christ is creative and can handle all things and He knows each soul and what we need.
Now what about the inspirational piece I saw: “SO……How does the thief on the cross fit into your theology?
No baptism, no communion, no confirmation, no speaking in tongues, no mission trips, no volunteerism, and no church clothes.
He could not even bend his knees to pray.
He did not say the sinner’s prayer and among other things, he was a thief.
Jesus did not take away his pain, heal his body or smite the scoffers. Yet, it was a thief who walked into heaven the same hour as Jesus simply by believing. He had nothing more to offer other than his belief that Jesus was who He said He was.
No spin from brilliant theologians.
No ego or arrogance.
No shiny lights, no skinny jeans, or crafty words. No haze machines, donuts or coffee in the entrance, just a naked dying man on a cross unable to even fold his hands to pray”.
The thief was not redeemed or saved merely because he “believed.” The Bible tells us that even demons “believe that Jesus was who he said he was.” The difference here is that the thief believed AND repented.
Now I know some people will say: “ Hey, I will wait until it is almost my time to die.” that is sometimes referred to as the eleventh hour acceptance of Christ into their lives to save them. This is also referred to as a Deathbed Confession. My question to you is: How do you know when it is your last breath that you are taking? Remember, there were two thieves on the cross and the other one cursed Jesus and never made it to heaven. So stop putting off your decision to serve the Lord.
As a word of warning; in your theology, please don’t place too much emphasis on the thief on the cross. (Yes, there was the one who was saved and went to heaven- the other one did not). The thief who accepted Christ as Savior may be the standard for some but he is not the standard for most. And he will most likely not be your standard. While it is true that God saves some repentant sinners at the end of their lives (before they are able to be baptized, exercise their gifts, and bear fruit) this is not the norm. Nor should it be set as an ideal.
God saves most sinners long before He takes them into paradise. He saves them while they still have time: time to live; time to grow in their faith, in their holiness, in their usefulness. He invites them to identify themselves with Jesus’ death through baptism. He invites them to join a body of believers to be built up and build others up. He invites them to remember the finished work of Jesus by regularly eating the Lord’s Supper. He invites them to learn to pray: to adore, to confess, to thank, to petition, to intercede. He invites them to validate their faith by their works. He invites them to endure trials. He invites them to resist the sinful patterns that used to trip them up. He invites them to share the gospel with their neighbors. He invites them to love their friends and their enemies. He invites them to this and so much more.
If you are hoping that your one-time profession of faith (or your potential deathbed confession) will get you into heaven, you may be pleasantly surprised. But you will have missed out on all the good (though often challenging) things the Lord had for you in this life.
Please don’t use God’s offer of salvation just as a ticket out of hell. Treat it like a job offer with amazing retirement benefits.
God loves the whole world and every person in the world. His love is not limited to any one nation or people or type of person. The gospel is universal; it is for the world. That means that the Lord treats all people (men and women) the same. Since all men are saved by the promise that the world cannot be saved apart from the Gospel; even Israel’s disobedience proves to us that the Gospel is Universal and Truth.
In Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any person should perish. He wants every person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) and all we have to do is to call upon the name of the Lord in humility and repent-ask Christ to forgive us.
That word whosoever means that any person can be saved, no matter who he or she is. No matter how terrible a person and his circumstances may be, he can be saved.
Now you may ask: What does that word saved or salvation mean?????
- Salvation means deliverance, being made whole and preserved
- Salvation means deliverance from being lost
- Salvation means deliverance from sin
- Salvation means deliverance in the future from all evil and corruption, from aging and wasting away, deterioration and decay, death and hell
- Salvation means deliverance from enemies and dangers
- Salvation means to be made well, to heal, to restore to health: physically, mentally and even spiritually.
Christ is concerned with our suffering. Christ takes a man who suffers and makes him whole. That is what salvation is all about!
I saw this inspiration piece recently and I want to pass it along to you. Many times we Christians get focused on things that have to be done in a certain way (“This is the way we have always done it”), but Christ is creative and can handle all things and He knows each soul and what we need.
Now what about the inspirational piece I saw: “SO……How does the thief on the cross fit into your theology?
No baptism, no communion, no confirmation, no speaking in tongues, no mission trips, no volunteerism, and no church clothes.
He could not even bend his knees to pray.
He did not say the sinner’s prayer and among other things, he was a thief.
Jesus did not take away his pain, heal his body or smite the scoffers. Yet, it was a thief who walked into heaven the same hour as Jesus simply by believing. He had nothing more to offer other than his belief that Jesus was who He said He was.
No spin from brilliant theologians.
No ego or arrogance.
No shiny lights, no skinny jeans, or crafty words. No haze machines, donuts or coffee in the entrance, just a naked dying man on a cross unable to even fold his hands to pray”.
The thief was not redeemed or saved merely because he “believed.” The Bible tells us that even demons “believe that Jesus was who he said he was.” The difference here is that the thief believed AND repented.
Now I know some people will say: “ Hey, I will wait until it is almost my time to die.” that is sometimes referred to as the eleventh hour acceptance of Christ into their lives to save them. This is also referred to as a Deathbed Confession. My question to you is: How do you know when it is your last breath that you are taking? Remember, there were two thieves on the cross and the other one cursed Jesus and never made it to heaven. So stop putting off your decision to serve the Lord.
As a word of warning; in your theology, please don’t place too much emphasis on the thief on the cross. (Yes, there was the one who was saved and went to heaven- the other one did not). The thief who accepted Christ as Savior may be the standard for some but he is not the standard for most. And he will most likely not be your standard. While it is true that God saves some repentant sinners at the end of their lives (before they are able to be baptized, exercise their gifts, and bear fruit) this is not the norm. Nor should it be set as an ideal.
God saves most sinners long before He takes them into paradise. He saves them while they still have time: time to live; time to grow in their faith, in their holiness, in their usefulness. He invites them to identify themselves with Jesus’ death through baptism. He invites them to join a body of believers to be built up and build others up. He invites them to remember the finished work of Jesus by regularly eating the Lord’s Supper. He invites them to learn to pray: to adore, to confess, to thank, to petition, to intercede. He invites them to validate their faith by their works. He invites them to endure trials. He invites them to resist the sinful patterns that used to trip them up. He invites them to share the gospel with their neighbors. He invites them to love their friends and their enemies. He invites them to this and so much more.
If you are hoping that your one-time profession of faith (or your potential deathbed confession) will get you into heaven, you may be pleasantly surprised. But you will have missed out on all the good (though often challenging) things the Lord had for you in this life.
Please don’t use God’s offer of salvation just as a ticket out of hell. Treat it like a job offer with amazing retirement benefits.
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