The Truth and Salvation (Part I)

Once I understand that God's Word is Truth and that Truth has the ability to save my soul from sin, what is the next logical step? I want to find out HOW to be saved through the Truth. The only way to do this is to read everything the Truth has to say about salvation. I cannot just pick and choose from the Scriptures what I "think" I need to do to be saved. I must remember that one of the aspects of "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" is taking it for what it says on a particular subject . . . and taking it for ALL that it says on that subject.

In Romans 10, Paul is lamenting the fact that the majority of Jews were lost because they had "a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (verse 2) and they "sought to establish thier own righteousness, [having] not submitted to the righteousness of God" (verse 3). What did Paul mean? He meant that they were ignorant of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How could this ignorance be overcome? Consider verse 14 (emphasis mine): "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" Paul says that the first step toward salvation is to HEAR the gospel of Christ. Again, how can a person believe in something that of which they have no knowledge? Paul reinforces this idea in verse 17: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

This "hearing" can come in a couple of different forms. Certainly a person can read the Bible and learn what it says about salvation. However, as Paul points out above, many times people need a little extra help to guide them. A perfect example of this is found in Acts 8. Here we see an Ethiopian eunuch who searched the Scriptures to see how to be pleasing to God, but he could not fully understand what he was reading. God sent Philip to this man and the Scripture says: "Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him" (verse 35). After hearing the message of Christ, the eunuch did those things that led to his salvation and he "went on his way rejoicing" (verse 39).

But is just hearing the Word enough to save one's soul? Consider what Paul says concerning the Jews in Romans 10. Paul says in verses 16, 18, and 19 that they HAD heard the gospel. So where was the problem? Back to verse 17: their hearing of the gospel had not led to FAITH or BELIEF in that gospel. Jesus tells us in Mark 16:16 that belief is an essential component of salvation. Furthermore, Hebrews 11:6 also tells us that a lack of faith in God's saving power will prevent our being pleasing to God: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Unfortunately, many in the religious world today will stop at faith as a means to salvation. But is faith alone in Jesus Christ all that God requires for man's salvation? I must remember to examine ALL that God says in His Word about salvation. An honest examination of the Scriptures reveals that faith alone is not enough for God to grant salvation.