The Gospel-Part 4

Question 4-How Do We Receive the Gift of Salvation?

Scriptures:
•Ephesians 2:8-9
•2 Timothy 1:9
•Romans 10:9
•John 6:36
•2 Corinthians 4:7

I was very intent in wording the question for this section of the study. It initially seems illogical to ask the question “how do we receive something?” This concept remains true in our salvation because we do not as much do anything to receive it. Instead our salvation is totally the work of the Triune God. Ephesians 2:8-9 states:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We in fact had no hand in our salvation: Christ works on the cross saved us from sin, we receive this gift by faith and that faith is actually a gift from God, in the form of the Holy Spirit. We are totally dependent on God and can do absolutely nothing to save ourselves. As 2 Timothy 1:9 says it:

who has saved us and called [us] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

We must understand that God, before the earth was even formed, elected a certain group of people that he would save. This elect people was elected by God, their sins were atoned for by the works of the Christ, and believe and have faith in Christ due to the witness of the Holy Spirit.

However we must also understand that we can’t disregard personal responsibility (which is actually carried out by the power of the Spirit). Romans 10:9 explains what we must do to be saved:

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Essentially, we must due two things to receive this salvation from Christ: confess Jesus is Lord, and believe that He did rise after his crucifixion.

To comprehend what it means to “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus” it is necessary to do two quick word studies.

First to define Lord:

Throughout the bible the word Lord is used in two forms. The first is the all caps “LORD” which actually is not LORD but the Hebrew word “Yahweh” which is a name of God deemed to holy to be written by the Old Testament authors. The second form, the one used in Romans 10:9 is the Greek word kyrios or the Hebrew ‘adown. The definition of this word is the more practical definition of Lord. That is the definition that describes a supreme ruler or master. Essentially it is a ruler or controller of something.

Secondly confess:

The Greek word used in this passage is homologeo which essentially means to confess. However, in this particular passage the word actually connotes some form of legal action that comes with this confession. Basically, in confessing a legally binding contract is verbally signed

So in conclusion, Paul instructs us in this verse to commit ourselves to Christ as our Lord, supreme controller, over our life. Confess Jesus Christ is our Lord and in doing so legally uphold our side of the deal and make Christ the ruler of our lives. This of course can only be done by the power granted to us through the Holy Spirit

However Paul also tells us we must believe in our hearts God raised him from the dead.

We must truly know in our hearts that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, he died on the cross for our sins, and he rose from the grave showing his supremacy over death. This by no means can be done on our own but is totally done by the power of the Spirit. See in John 6:36 which states:

But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

There is a large amount of people who physically saw Jesus. However, these people, despite seeing God manifested in flesh, did not truly believe he was the Son of God. We can do nothing ourselves to believe in Christ. Even the mere reading of bible is not enough for us to truly have faith in Christ works. Instead our belief and faith is totally the work of the Triune God in the witness of the Holy Spirit. See 2 Corinthians 4:7 which states:

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We have seen God in the face of Christ and now have faith in Christ works solely by the witness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
 
Study Questions:
•What part do we play in our salvation?
•What “personal responsibility” is necessary in receiving salvation?
•What does it mean to confess the Lord Jesus Christ?
•How do we believe in God?