Category: Salvation

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

As we work our way through this Essentials of Faith series, we will continue today by talking a bit more about our salvation.

The two verses above can give us a much better understanding of what salvation really is, and what it is not.

What is salvation?

It is a gift offered to us; the gift of God.

It is God presenting a way for each of us to make ourselves right with Him.

What is it not?

Salvation is not based on our works, or our ability to earn it. It cannot be earned.

Why can it not be earned?

Because salvation is never about bragging rights or favoritism.

God judges equally and fairly. He is not biased and does not show favor.

Sin is sin, and every one of us is equally guilty.

Therefore, when we are forgiven, we are equally forgiven.

Romans 3:23-24 (NKJV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Salvation is given freely to those who ask for it. If we fail or refuse to ask, or if we choose not to accept the gift that God has freely offered, we will not receive it.

And how are we saved?

We are saved through faith, as shown in verse 8 of the opening scripture.

You see, if we cannot earn our salvation, we can never boast about it. We can never brag about what we did to gain it.

And because of this, we can never justifiably look down at or judge others.

If we have received forgiveness and redemption because of God’s favor, as a gift, who are we to then look at those around us who are still in sin and cast stones at them for their sinful state?

How quickly we forget how lost we once were, and how lost we would still be had it not been for God’s incredible grace and mercy.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Luke 23:43 (NKJV) 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Today you will be with Me in paradise.

This short sentence spoken by Jesus makes a huge statement about salvation.

We have all heard at one time or another that salvation comes by responding to an altar call, or by speaking specific words, inviting Jesus into our heart.

While this might not necessarily be wrong, it is confusing at best.

Salvation is simple. Humans complicate it.

Jesus was within hours of His own death. He was hanging on a cross next to two criminals who were also being put to death by crucifixion.

One criminal mocked Him. The other defended Jesus, recognizing His innocence and surrendering to Him, and then asking Him to remember him when he came to His kingdom.

He recognized Jesus for who He was, the long-awaited Messiah, and surrendered to Him right there on his cross.

What did Jesus do?

Did He tell the criminal that he needed to walk an aisle and accept an invitation to be saved?

Did He tell him that he must be baptized to be saved?

Did He tell him that he must confess his faith in Christ to others to be saved?

Did He tell him that he must pray “the sinner’s prayer” to be saved?

Absolutely not.

The man had already proven his faith in Jesus by His repentance and the words he spoke. The change in his heart had already taken place.

Luke 23:40-42 (NKJV) 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Faith in Christ is a matter of the heart.

It is a choice we make within ourselves, as we recognize our own sinful state, to embrace the gift of salvation offered to us by God in His mercy and recognize the redemptive power of the shed blood of Christ, all in a split second!

In that moment, we move from death to life.

Tradition may say otherwise. It may tell us we need to do A, then B, and then C to be saved.

Let us be careful not to place boundaries on salvation that God did not create.

Acts 16:30-31 (NKJV) 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Acts 16:29-31 (NKJV) 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

What must I do to be saved?

This is the question asked of Paul and Silas by a prison guard.

It’s important to note what they didn’t say would save the guard in their reply to him.

They didn’t say churches will save us.

They didn’t say church attendance will save us.

They didn’t say pastors will save us

They didn’t say reading our Bible will save us.

They didn’t say doing good deeds will save us.

They didn’t say fasting will save us.

They didn’t say giving to the poor will save us.

They didn’t say living a right life will save us.

They didn’t say helping the elderly or those who are incapacitated in some way will save us.

They didn’t say being kind will save us.

They didn’t say being charitable with our finances will save us.

They didn’t say doing our best to refrain from sin will save us.

They didn’t even say believing that God exists will save us.

So, with that lengthy list of things that won’t save us, what exactly will save us?

There is only one way to be saved; by putting our faith in Jesus, the Way, the Truth, the Life.

He is the only Way to be saved.

John 14:6 (NKJV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

In that list above, it is important to note that we should be doing all those things. They are the traits of a follower of Christ.

But none of those things will give us eternal life or redeem us, offering us forgiveness for our sin.

Not even believing that God exists will save us. How can that be?

Take note that even the demons believe He exists, and they tremble.

James 2:19 (NKJV) 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

So, let us be sure that we are not trusting in our good works to save us. They will not.

Only the blood of Christ can save us. And then only if we apply His blood personally, turning from our sins and putting our faith and trust in Him.

There is one Way; faith in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Galatians 2:11 (NJKV) 11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;

As Paul penned these words, he did so with great concern.

He had learned that Peter, who had been sent to the Jews to bring them the gospel of Christ, had fallen to peer pressure and was now telling new Christians that they must be circumcised, as was the Jewish tradition.

This undermined the entire foundation of the gospel, insinuating that God’s grace was not enough, and that new believers had to fall back to Jewish traditions to be saved.

This was a grave perversion of the truth.

Paul found it necessary to confront Peter and correct Him, exposing his hypocrisy before all who were present, making it clear that traditions were not required.

Peter had, in fact, been living as a Gentile (despite being a Jew), walking in the freedoms of Christ prior to being swayed by the pressures of some of the Jews who finally persuaded him.

Galatians 2:14 (NKJV) 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

Paul went on to warn Peter and the others that man is not justified (declared righteous) by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And that by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

We are saved purely by faith in Christ.

It’s important that we not mix works, rituals and traditions with our faith, mistaking these things as being required for our salvation.

Yes, works are important, but only as an outward expression of our faith. Not as something that we must do to make ourselves holy or righteous (justified) in God’s eyes.

As for traditions and rituals? These are purely man-made and not required or useful in our walk with God.

God wants our hearts, plain and simple. So, let’s give Him what he asks for.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Ephesians 2:1-2 (NKJV) 1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…

You and I are the same. We are kindred in one thing; we have been made alive in Christ, saved by His grace and redeemed by the blood of Christ.

We once walked according to the flesh, being directed and led by the prince of the power of the air; the devil.

We were sons and daughters of disobedience.

But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ. We have been saved by His grace.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NKJV) 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

We are no longer dead in our sins but made fully alive in Him.

We were not saved by anything we did. We were not saved by our own efforts to please God or make ourselves righteous; our works.

We were saved by grace, through faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We were not required to follow The Mosaic Law. We were not required to offer God a blood sacrifice. We were not required to go through Old Testament cleansing rituals.

We were required only to recognize our lost, sinful state, to repent of our sins, ask Him to forgive us and then put our faith in Christ as the Savior.

Jesus paid the price for you and for me. His blood washed us clean; white as snow.

For He was spotless and pure, like no other man who has ever walked the earth.

And now we walk with Him, letting Him teach us, guide us, shape us and mold us into who He wants us to be, leaving our old self behind, a distant memory.

And I’m glad to share this walk with you, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Luke 2:10 (NKJV) 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

“Good tidings of great joy which will be to all people”. What a miraculous statement!

God sent an angel to proclaim this good news to some shepherds who were tending their flocks in a field outside Bethlehem.

The news itself was incredible; a Savior was born!

But look at the last part of that verse. What does it say?

It says, “which will be to all people”.

This Savior who was born was for all people!

He did not come for a specific people group. He didn’t come for a specific nationality. He didn’t come for a specific race of people.

He came for “all people”!

This means that access to God and His redemption would no longer be restricted to the Jews, but to all people of the earth.

This was a new concept that many had trouble understanding. And some outright refused to accept it.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, carried out His plan to offer salvation to all people of the world, disregarding the preferences of some who thought they knew better.

And because of His faithfulness, you and I can be called sons and daughters of God.

John 1:11-12 (NKJV) 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Jesus came to His own people, the Jews. And as they rejected Him on a large scale, He carried out God’s plans to offer salvation to the gentiles.

Today, children of God, followers of Christ can be found around the globe. People of every skin color, every nationality, every race, every ethnicity have put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Lord, for offering salvation to every one of us, regardless of who we are. Your mercy is great, and your love for humanity is truly too much for the human mind to fully comprehend.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!