Understanding Salvation — E.A. Johnston

Salvation Defined by Justification and Faith

In the book of Romans, in chapter 5 and verse 1 we read,. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's a good definition of salvation, friends. My experience may be your experience in regard to salvation.

Religious Activity Without Assurance

For years I was active in church and very sincere about Christianity. I had been baptized and I gave generously of my time and money to the church. If you had asked me back then if I was going to heaven, I would have answered, I hope so.

I handed out gospel tracts to strangers, but if you were to ask me to explain the gospel to you, I would be limited to just reciting John 3 .16 and your need to accept Jesus. I did not have a clue what the gospel was or what salvation was, as they were both strangers to me.

False Conversion Through Religious Decisions

I did what the pastor said to do. I responded to an appeal and rose from my seat and walked an aisle and accepted Jesus. I prayed a prayer, was baptized, and joined the church. And for the next many years, I lived as a unconverted church member who was deceived into believing I had been saved from my sins.

All my religious works were dead works. My faith was a false faith and my hope of heaven nothing more than a hole in the wall that rested on a rotten foundation of an empty religious profession. Now that's the honest truth, friends.

Human Decision and the Theology of Salvation

Had God removed me through death in those days, I would have busted hell wide open. I believe theology and methodology go hand in hand when it comes to our understanding of salvation. If your theology is that of Charles Finney, who did not believe in original sin, then you don't need God to make a change in you.

All you have to do is decide to become a Christian. Salvation is in your hands. Two questions must be asked in regard to our understanding of salvation. Question number one, is God the agent of salvation or is man?

Question number two, are men saved as a result of a decision they make or as the result of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit? Now how you answer those two questions will say a lot about your understanding of salvation.

Emotional Appeals Versus Spirit-Wrought Conversion

Have you come into church as an individual who responded physically to an emotional appeal of a preacher and you made a decision to become a Christian by opening your heart to accept Jesus or putting your trust in Jesus like you would put your trust in a chair to support you?

And you have tried to live as a Christian in the best way you know how as you serve your church in whatever capacity they ask you to. Or have you come into the church because you have been awakened to your lost condition?

You have come under Holy Spirit conviction. You know true sorrow for sin. You have a genuine love to God. You possess spiritual understanding. You have a new heart. A divine principle has been put in you and you have experienced change.

You received a revealed Christ and you closed savingly with Christ and have been justified. And now you desire to live for God and be pleasing to Him and your delight is Christ Jesus. And you know that if you are a saved individual it is because God gave you saving faith.

The Eternal Consequences of Genuine Salvation

Now those are two worlds apart friend. They are two worlds apart because they each will thrust you at death into two different worlds in eternity. Either heaven or hell. Our understanding of salvation says a lot about our salvation.

But you don't have to be a seminary professor of theology to be saved for there are many unconverted seminary professors. But to be saved you must get to Christ. You must be born from above and washed in His blood to be justified in God's sight.

If you are standing in your own merits of a good opinion of yourself and a long church record of service then you'll split hell wide open when you die in your sins as you enter a Christless eternity. And now this is very serious indeed friends for your eternal destiny depends on your understanding of salvation.

Examining Who Accomplishes Salvation

And that brings us right back to our two earlier questions. Is God the agent of salvation or is man? Are men saved as a result of a decision they make or as a result of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit?

How you answer speaks volumes. Let us pray.