Romans 10:13 (NKJV) 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

As Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross, His words would echo down through the centuries; a simple, yet deeply profound truth that has seemingly gotten lost in deep theology and human logic (today you will be with Me in Paradise).

Yesterday, we ended our devotional with a question; “how can we reconcile what happened on the cross with what we have been told is required for someone to be saved?”

In short, we can’t. Or at least not without doing a lot of dancing around to make it seem like it works.

It seems that some believers not only become confused but become angry with this topic because it flies in the face of our beloved long-believed theology.

To this, let us ask this question; how can we argue with God’s word?

In the verses shared over the last few days, it is abundantly clear that salvation is very simple.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43).

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

Those three verses alone speak very plainly as to what is required.

Now, man has managed to add many other pieces to this “puzzle” that it seems were never intended.

But that’s OK, because if we go to God’s word, we can see through those layers, and we can peel them away to see the foundational truth.

Romans 10:13 states that if we call on the name of the Lord, we shall be saved.

The thief on the cross called on the name of Jesus. And Jesus answered; today you will be with Me in paradise.

This is the simplest piece of evidence in the entirety of God’s word that shows us what is required to be saved.

Acts 16:31 says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

The thief on the cross believed. He was saved. The words of Jesus prove it beyond any doubt.

Who are we to argue with Jesus? How can we justify putting so many requirements or stipulations on the salvation of a human soul?

Now, should our lives change after being saved? Yes! But that comes after.

When we call on the name of the Lord, He saves us. Plain and simple.

There is much that comes afterward. This is all part of our new life as a believer.

We repent. We allow God to change our heart and our ways. We seek God more deeply. We learn of Him. We draw nearer to Him.

And we do that all in faith; the same faith that caused us to call out to Him.

He is faithful to answer us. And our relationship with Him grows. Over time, as we pursue Him wholeheartedly, that relationship flourishes.

And we spend the remainder of our lifetime growing as a child of God.

But it all started with calling to Him in trust; a simple act of faith with no ceremony, no fanfare, and no special requirements except to call on His name.

Does this mean that walking an aisle, reciting a specific prayer, etc. is meaningless? Not necessarily. But in the end, it all comes down to our heart.

What must we do to be saved? Call on the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

Amen

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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

Yesterday, we ended our devotional as Jesus was about to speak some critically important words to a thief on a cross.

Those words, in the verse above, deserve our full attention because they just may change the way we think about salvation and faith in Christ.

The thief recognized who Jesus really was. He had a divine revelation while hanging on a cross; a place of certain death.

He understood that this was the Messiah hanging next to him, being unjustly punished. And he asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom.

There on the cross, this man trusted Jesus with his soul, pleading with Jesus to remember him.

And in His response, Jesus assured the man that he would be with Him in paradise that very same day.

There in those few minutes, a self-admitted criminal went from despicable in the eyes of society, to forgiven by Jesus with a single, short phrase; “remember me when You come into Your kingdom”.

If we look at this interaction, we cannot deny that this man was accepted by Jesus and assured that he would enter paradise upon his death (today you will be with Me in Paradise).

The proof of this is in the words of Jesus Himself. It is not theory. It is not an assumption. It is not a figment of someone’s imagination.

Knowing this, we must somehow reconcile this with everything we have been told or taught about becoming a Christian; a child of God through faith in Christ.

Walk an aisle during an altar call. Recite a specific prayer. Confess our faith before others, etc.

How does what took place between Jesus and the thief reconcile with what we have been told is required by so many?

Let us ponder this overnight, and we will put all the pieces together tomorrow as we bring this study to a conclusion.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Luke 23:42 (NKJV) 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Yesterday, we asked a question, “what must I do to be saved”, and we began to build a foundation upon which we would find our answer.

We discussed what is not required to be saved; baptism, a public confession, reciting a specific prayer, walking an aisle, etc.

Now, some of you may already be balking at this, saying, “but what about…”

So, to peel away the many layers of half-truths or outright falsehoods, let us go directly to the source; God’s word. But more precisely, to the words of Jesus Himself.

The scripture at the beginning of this devotional shows us the words of a common criminal. He had been condemned to execution by crucifixion for crimes he had committed.

He and another criminal were crucified on either side of Jesus.

As the two criminals hung there on their crosses, one began hurling insults at Jesus, blaspheming His name.

Luke 23:39 (NKJV) 39 … “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

The other criminal immediately rebuked the first one, reminding him that they both deserved their punishment for the crimes they had committed.

He then turned to Jesus and spoke words that have lived down through the centuries, “remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

This phrase alone is remarkable. It shows incredible faith.

But what Jesus responded with is truly ground-breaking in its scope and inference.

Let’s continue this tomorrow.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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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…

How is a person saved? What does it take for us to be redeemed from our sins? What must we do to go from death to eternal life?

There have undoubtedly been reports, books and theses written on this topic numbering in the millions over the last two thousand years. It is a topic of endless debate, largely due to human logic and overthinking.

The salvation of man is incredibly simple, yet profoundly deep beyond human understanding.

But to break it down, we must look at its most basic truth.

There are many verses throughout scripture that address what we must do to inherit eternal life and become a child of God.

The complication comes when we ask several different people, and we get a different or varied answer from each of them.

God’s word has told us plainly what we must do to be saved.

The most straight-forward answer can be found in the book of Acts; Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

That one phrase sums it up succinctly, with no fluff, no human interjection, and no debate.

But man seems to be bent on complicating it by implying some or all the following “requirements”;

You must pray “the sinner’s prayer”.

You must walk the aisle at an altar call.

You must be baptized.

You must publicly confess that you have become a Christian.

And the list goes on ad nauseum.

But not one of these things is truly required.

Let’s look more closely at this tomorrow.

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus! 

What must we do to be saved? 

That is one of life’s most important questions. It is also the title of our newest video! 

In this new video we examine this question in detail using God’s word. What does God’s word say compared to what people say, and what many of us have been taught over the years? 

We think you will find this very interesting. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We hope this video brings clarity to this topic. 

We love you all! 

Enjoy your day. 

Sincerely, 

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.