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Are you doing your part?
The Bible tells us that we all have a
spiritual illness. We are all sinners.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
It is not hard to see that we live in a sinful world. Murder, theft,
greed, deceit are all around us. It's easy to point fingers. But, what
about you? Have you ever lied? Have you ever
taken something that did not belong to you? Have you ever
desired sexual intimacy with someone who is not your spouse? This also includes
those little escapades into Playboy, internet porn, etc.
Have you ever been angry without cause?
What is the Path to Salvation through Christ?
In the salvation of man's soul there are 2
necessary parts: God's part and man's part. God's part is the big part, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 2:8-10). The love which God felt for man led him to send Christ into the world to redeem man.
The life and teaching of Jesus, His sacrificial death on the cross, and the proclaiming of the gospel to men, by men, constitute God's part in salvation.
Though God's part is the big part, man's part is also necessary if
man is to reach heaven. Man must comply with the conditions
of pardon which the Lord has announced. Man's part is clearly set forth in the following steps:
Hear the Gospel
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).
Believe
"But without faith it is impossible to pleas him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek after him." (Hebrews 11:6).
Repent of past sins"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30).
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14)."But without faith it is impossible to pleas him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek after him." (Hebrews 11:6)."And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30).Confess Jesus as Lord
Be baptized for the remission of sins
The baptism issue has always been controversial. It seems to indicate that we must do something to be saved, hence, a works-salvation. But think about it -- doesn't just the mere act of "believing" also indicate doing something? We cannot just be part of the 'primordial slime' and be saved. We must "do" things. Submission to Baptism, and that's what it is -- submission -- is an act of obedience to the clear command of Scripture. The key is submission. We don't baptize ourselves, hence we don't actually "do" anything. We merely submit in obedience to the command.
It follows that if we are genuinely converted, we are to:
Live a Christian life
It's most important that you consider these things. Our God is a patient God (1 Peter 3:9), but even He must draw the line. What He demands of us is done out of love. It is not a legalistic requirement, but rather, a liberating experienc. We are liberated from the power of sin in our lives, and obtain the virtual guarantee of eternal life in heaven with the Lord Jesus, and our heavenly Father.
Living a pure and sanctified life will bring us real peace and joy because we will not struggle between "two worlds". If you are trying to live a sham Christian life, you are the loser. Not only is your salvation in jeopardy, but you'll probably crack up from living a sort of "schizophrenic" relationship with God and those around you. It's a life of sheer hypocracy. And lest we forget, go back to the Ephesians verse and note the last portion which is actually verse10 -- "...created in Christ Jesus unto good works..." Too often, we stand behind verses 8 and 9, but don't bother applying verse 10! As we are reminded in chapter 2 of James, faith without works is dead. We aren't saved by works, but they MUST be part of our walk or perhaps, we have missed the mark!
Back to the opening question. Are you doing your part? Jesus healed many during his earthly ministry, and in Luke 8:39 He said, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee." The point is, if you are saved, and you actually realize what God has done for you, then GO and TELL those who haven't been as fortunate. It's a great thing Christ has done for us, and we cannot keep it a secret.
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