“Words Whereby You Can Be Saved”

Acts 11:7-14

7. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.

8. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.

9. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

10. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.

11. And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.

12. And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:

13. And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;

14. Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

A

fter the question “Are you saved” has been asked, obviously, it needs an answer. However, many evade its answers. Perhaps, subconsciously, we imagine that if we simply will not answer, the answer will be changed.

Scripture informs us that if we will build a house, first we must “…(count) the cost.” In like manner, if we are to be saved, of necessity, we will have to know what it means to be saved. Now , by this, we do not mean the individual’s definition of salvation. For, you see, it is easy to judge others according to one’s own standard, while not applying that same standard to oneself. In this case, it is a matter of our own “life and death” to judge ourselves now, that we need not be judged later.

The difficulty with answering this question is the fact that in order for our response to be beneficial, we must be honest. As easy and “simple” as salvation is meant to be, it is and can be neither for the human being. Why? Because the human mind is contrary to all that is spiritual. Should then, we answer this question in an honest, mature way, we would find that we would have to acknowledge that our “difficulties” in this life are of our own making. What, then, would have to be our response? We would have to change.

We have been “duped” into accepting one of the worst lies that has ever been visited upon Man: that Jesus is not working in our best interest. You see, all too often, as opposed to being accepted as the help they are meant to be, the requirements of the Lord are looked upon as threats. Through this deception, the devil is able to “blunt” the example of Jesus. You see, He entered the World that He might be an example, chiefly, to show us how to conduct ourselves as sons of God.

His “loudest” example is that of “self-denial,” a concept treated as a “dirty word.” This reaction is going to be true of any creature that works on his own behalf as does Man. All that the Lord requires of us He requires because it works the work of leaving us out of our own “picture”—and Jesus gave His life that Man might realize his complete dependence upon Him.

As quickly as we are able we must accept the revelation that salvation is not about coming to “learn how” to be saved and then, going out and “teaching” a “methodology.” Salvation is all about coming to the revelation of the man that one must be in order to serve Christ and then, aligning oneself with His life. This cannot be taught, for it involves a change of “being” which must be undergone by every Man in one-on-one experience.

Once we come to accept that the Lord is “on our side” and always has been, we should stop “arguing” with Him. As it is now, we argue with Him too much. He “pronounces,: we “deny.” He says, “It’s done,” we say “I don’t think so.” Every time that we do this, we deny His work on Calvary, which was done to “finish” and “finalize” His work on our behalf.

It is both amazing and tragic that the devil is able to exercise control over us even after salvation. After all, we are blessed with the Holy Ghost through faith to receive Him. That faith encompasses faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the One Who has saved us. How then, after this are we unable to trust Him?

Even after all this, we also seem to suddenly question our choice of “life” in Jesus. At some point, we are going to have to “grow up” and realize that the time to exercise “choices” was before salvation. You see, the choices were to “get saved” or “not get saved.” Once we chose the former, we pledged ourselves to Another in exchange for Life. This is why any belief in “choice” is deception. After becoming an “indentured servant” with a debt to pay, no man can simply decide to change the course of his life.

It is not as easy to live as a human being and yet be saved, as our flesh would lead us to believe. It is also not possible for the “old man” to be alive and the Spirit to be active at the same time. This is why Jesus came and gave His life: to save us from life in the flesh. Once He died, He knew that we would have to be willing to die in Him or we would never be saved for there is not and cannot never be any active Spirit of God apart from there being the death of the flesh.

Jesus came to the Earth for the sole purpose of saving Man. At our best times, we “see” the sacrifice of the Lord for what it is—“selflessness” and our only chance for “survival.” This is when our “sanity” kicks in and we realize that we are full of thanks for the things that He has done. We are thankful that He has kept us save over the airways and in our cars. We are most thankful that He has not “left” us as He “found” us.

At these times, we seem to recognize our Savior. At others, we are desperately in need of “…words whereby we must be save.” These words are they that remind us of who and Whose we are; from where we have come; what is expected of us. Perhaps most importantly, we are reminded of “how much we owe.”

So often, we “discount” instruction concerning how to “live” as that by which we must be saved. Oh, yes, we know where we are not to “go,” what we are not to “wear” and that which we are not to “do”—but will not listen to how we are supposed to be. The “dangers” that we determine to be the “threats” are things such as jukeboxes and crack houses.

All the things mentioned above are nullified as “dangers” in the life of one who is dead to his flesh. We can make this statement because al that is sited pertains unto the flesh. Man’s flesh is an enemy surpassed by none but equaled by one—he who inhabits the pulpit. You see, Man can no longer be ignorant concerning those under whom they choose to sit. Above all, God is a God of truth—and the truth is more necessary now than it has ever been.

In this age of unrighteousness, truth is sacrificed for attendance, money, cooperation—or whatever is more important to the one who supposed to be sheparding. As one who professes to serve the true and living God and as you have aligned yourself with a ministry, it is your responsibility to assess that by which you are taught for truth. When truth is taught, it is hard enough to get people to comply. When it is not taught, the people have no change.

It makes no difference whoever you are, whatever you believe; neither what you have been taught nor by whom. If you have not heard that the only route to salvation is through being “put to death” with Jesus, you have not heard the “words whereby you can be saved”—and what is salvation but faith; where is faith without hearing and where is hearing apart from the word of God?