What Must I do to be Saved?
We gather to remember the actions of our ancestors, we gather to honor
the memory of forefathers. One thing
that comes to mind is that while many paid the last full measure of devotion on
the battlefield, the others that came to this place have also gone on to their
reward. We realize that several
generations of people between them and us have also gone on to their eternal
reward. In other words, all the folks
who fought this battle are dead.
The fact is that to everyone it is appointed a time to die. Chaplain,
you’re being really morbid this morning.
Why are you trying to get us down?
Well, maybe it is time to wake up and smell the black powder – to come
to the realization that death is the one thing in life that is absolute.
The question is not if you are going to die, but rather how many times
will you die. Well, I guess that you
think I have popped my cork. Listen, if
you will, to this statement: “Born once,
die twice; born twice, die once.” Those
who have been re-born in Christ will certainly suffer physical death – BUT,
they will not suffer eternal spiritual death.
Those who have not accepted Christ Jesus as their Lord (not been re-born
in the Lord) will not only suffer physical death, but they will also suffer the
everlasting death of spiritual separation from God, and friends that is what
hell is all about – being separated from the love of God FOREVER.
The fact that without rebirth, or the lack of it, is what will
determine our eternal future is what drove the chaplains, ministers, and
evangelists of the 19th Century to go to war and minister to the
spiritual needs of the soldiers of both the North and South. They knew that each soldier faced death every
day; every minute of every day and that if those soldiers died with coming to
the Lord their souls would be lost forever.
The question – what must I do to be saved? – seems to Christians to
have a very simple answer. St. Paul gave the jailer a concise, clear answer, he said –
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your entire
household.” Now, if that is so easy –
why don’t people jump at the chance at eternal spiritual happiness and
peace? There is a vast array of answers
to this question. Let me examine some of
them this morning.
First, you must acknowledge that God is. You have to believe that there is a God
before you can believe in anything else concerning salvation. Why don’t people want to believe in God when
His glory is around us and it is obvious that He is? This brings me to point two.
People don’t want to admit there is someone greater than
themselves. People are arrogant; they
want to be the center of attention.
People have too much pride in their own accomplishments, to admit there
is a God means to admit that we are not number one and there is someone more
powerful than we.
The next thing the lost need to do is accept the Bible as the Word of
God. St. Paul tells us that salvation comes through grace, grace from
faith, and faith from hearing the Word of God.
The Word of God comes to us through the Holy Scriptures. We are to attend public worship, fellowship
with other believers, and engage in personal study and worship. It is only when we read, listen, and act on
the Word that we will come to the faith necessary to receive the Grace of our
Lord, Jesus Christ.
Next, the hearing of the Word will lead the unsaved to acceptance of
the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the
unsaved person hears, reads, and believes the Word, he/she will come to know
that Jesus Christ is the Son of the almighty God. When that awareness is realized the unsaved
will then acknowledge Christ as his personal
savior. Once this has been accepted then
the admission of prior sin is easier – at the time one accepts Christ Jesus as
Savior, one admits that there is a mightier power.
Asking for forgiveness is not as difficult when we know that it will
not be withheld. St. John’s Gospel tells us that when we believe on the only begotten
Son of God our sins are forgiven and condemnation is not in our future.
Accepting and repenting are just the beginning – we are told that when
we are reborn we become new creatures.
Part of that new life is realizing that it is no longer about us – it is
all about HIM. Christ tells us that we
are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength, and
soul. And, to love
your neighbor as yourself.” If we
are to follow these commandments, we are to be willing to spread the good news
of the Lord Jesus Christ to others – no matter who they are. Being a reborn
Christian is not just about sitting in church with other Christians, it is
about following the example of Christ Jesus and serving the needs of others,
especially the unsaved (lost) the strayed, and the confused.
When we come to the Lord we have to be ready to be used by Him, to
follow HIS plan for our lives, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and
surrender our lives totally to HIM.
Resting on that blessed assurance, I am J. W. Binion, Chaplain with the
5th Kentucky ‘Orphan Brigade’