The Truth About Salvation

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Back in 1993, two brothers, Lee and Dennis Horton, were convicted of robbery and murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They always maintained their innocence. And in 2022, after 28 years behind bars, it was determined that they’d been wrongfully convicted, and they were released from prison. I want you to hear some reflections from one of those brothers, Lee Horton: 

I'm going to tell you honestly. The first thing that I was aware of when I walked out of the doors and sat in the car was that I wasn't handcuffed. For all the time I've been in prison, every time I was transported anywhere, I always had handcuffs on. And that moment right there was … the most emotional moment that I had. Even when they told me that the governor had signed the papers … it didn't set in until I was in that car and I didn't have those handcuffs on. 

And I don't think people understand that…when you take away everything, everything becomes beautiful to you. ... When we got out … we went to the DMV to get our licenses back. My brother and I stood in line for two and a half hours. And we heard all the bad things about the DMV. We had the most beautiful time. And all the people were looking at us because we were smiling and we were laughing, and they couldn't understand why we were so happy. And it just was that - just being in that line was a beautiful thing. 

I was in awe of everything around me. It's like my mind was just heightened to every small nuance. Just to be able to just look out of a window, just to walk down a street and just inhale the fresh air, just to see people interacting. ... It woke something up in me, something that I don't know if it died or if it went to sleep. I've been having epiphanies every single day since I've been released. 

One of my morning rituals every morning is I send a message of ‘good morning, good morning, good morning, have a nice day’ to every one of my 42 contacts. And they're like, ‘how long can (he) keep doing this?’ But they don't understand that I was deprived. And now, it's like I have been released, and I've been reborn into a better day, into a new day. Like, the person I was no longer exists. I've stepped through the looking glass onto the other side, and everything is beautiful. 

I love that testimony, don’t you? Because I cannot think of a better picture of what it’s like when you truly experience the salvation of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Salvation brings a radical change of identity, and a radical freedom, unlike anything else you can experience. So today we’re going to talk about salvation.  

We’re continuing our series on the Doctrinal Statement of The Chapel, and the seventh item on our Statement says this: We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, entirely apart from works, and is possessed permanently by all who have by faith received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. I’m going to break this down into three points today.  

First, let’s talk about The Gift of Salvation. There’s a question I’ve been asking people for 30 years. Because I still haven’t come up with a better way to diagnose whether a person understands the gospel. And the question is this: “If you were to die today and find yourself standing before God, and he asked you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” what would you say? And then I listen carefully to their response. And here’s what I’m listening for: Do they point to themselves, or do they point to Jesus? 9 times out of 10, people sort of pull out their resume, and they talk about the good things they’ve done, and the bad things they haven’t done. Which means…they don’t understand the gospel. They don’t understand grace—because at the end of the day, they think they’ll be saved by their good behavior.  

So our Doctrinal Statement says “We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, entirely apart from works.” That is based on so much New Testament teaching. Here’s one of the really clear places—Romans 3, starting in verse 20. Listen to this beautiful truth: 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.  

So because of the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, which atoned for our sins, look at verse 24—we can be “justified freely by his grace.” You know what the word “grace” means? It means a free gift. You know what the word “freely” means? It means a free gift. So this is a double-emphatic way to say, “It’s not earned; it’s not deserved; it is a gift.” If you came up to me on Christmas and you handed me a present, imagine if I said, “How much do I owe you? Do you have Venmo?” How would that make you feel? Rightfully offended! When it comes to receiving gifts in life, we know how that works! And yet when it comes to the ultimate gift—God’s gift of salvation—we have a hard time accepting it. But it’s true.  

Look at Romans 4, verses 4 and 5: 4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.  

Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

So the New Testament just hammers this message that we are saved…accepted by God…declared righteous…not by our good behavior, but by receiving the gift of God’s grace. And the way we receive that gift is through faith.  

Which leads to an important question: What do you have to have faith in? Do you just have to believe that God exists? James 2:19 says You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. In other words, even demons believe God exists, and that he’s the only God, and they shudder in fear because they’re completely against God—so demons definitely are not saved. So it’s obviously more than just believing in God’s existence. 

Do you just have to believe that Jesus existed? Well, no. If you talk to any historian, they’ll acknowledge that Jesus existed, and that he was a remarkable leader. That doesn’t mean they’re saved, and many are clearly not. 

Do you have to believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity? Yes! But it’s even more personal than that. Throughout the New Testament, the word that’s used for “believe” can be translated “believe” or “depend on” or “trust.” And when we trust someone, it’s a very personal thing. In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem explains it like this: 

…faith is the one attitude of heart that is the exact opposite of depending on ourselves. When we come to Christ in faith we essentially say, “I give up! I will not depend on myself or my own good works any longer. I know that I can never make myself righteous before God. Therefore, Jesus, I trust you and depend on you completely to give me a righteous standing before God.” In this way, faith is the exact opposite of trusting in ourselves, and therefore it is the attitude that perfectly fits salvation that depends not at all on our own merit but entirely on God’s free gift of grace. 

In the 1500s, the church had lost its emphasis on grace. The message of salvation had gotten clouded by church traditions and church corruption. And God raised up a young, German monk named Martin Luther to get things moving in the right direction. Luther passionately wanted to serve God. But he was highly aware of his own sinfulness. So, as a good monk, he would go to confession and confess all the sins he could think of. But then he’d be walking home from confession, and he’d remember a sin that he had forgotten to confess. And it would torment him, and he would lie in bed and agonize over it, until he could get up and go to confession again. He drove the priests crazy. 

And then he started studying the book of Romans. And Luther said that’s where he “broke through.” Listen to what he wrote: “Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience… But then I grasped that the righteousness of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us by faith.” It was like the lights came one, and he felt like a prisoner being released from his cell. And that realization didn’t just change his life; it launched the Protestant Reformation, without which we wouldn’t be standing here today.  

Salvation is a free gift from God. It wasn’t free to God—it cost him the blood of his Son—but it’s free to us. Allow yourself to believe that the good news is really that good. 

Point number two: let’s talk about The Permanence of Salvation. Our Doctrinal Statement says that salvation is “possessed permanently by all who have by faith received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.” Let me give you five passages that teach the permanence of salvation: 

Romans 8:1 says Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because Jesus paid for our sins in full when he hung on the cross, there’s no more condemnation. Jesus was condemned already, in our place. 

Romans 8:38-- 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That’s pretty exhaustive! Paul is talking to people who’ve received salvation, and he says there’s literally no force in all creation that an separate us from the love of God. That’s radical security. 

Ephesians 1:13-14. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. So the moment a person hears the gospel and believes, it says they are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit—like an ancient king would seal an important document by pressing his signet ring into hot wax. So the Holy Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on our life. The Greek word translated “guarantee” is a legal term that means “a first installment or deposit or down payment which obligates the person to make further payments.” So God says, “I’m giving you the Holy Spirit now, and that’s my promise that you are guaranteed a future inheritance in heaven.” 

Passage number 4: Philippians 1:6—being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. “The day of Christ Jesus” means the day that Jesus returns and wraps up history. So Paul is telling his friends in Philippi: God was the one who saved you in the first place, and he’s the one who will continue keeping you saved until Jesus comes back.  

Last one—1 Peter 1, starting in verse 3: 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. That word “shielded” can mean “kept from escaping” or “protected from attack.” So we are shielded by whose power? By God’s power. He’s the one who keeps us from escaping and protects us from attack, until the end.  

Are you hearing this consistent message? When a person is truly saved, that salvation is permanent.  

Now, we need to be clear: salvation is permanent when a person is truly saved. Is it possible for someone to attend church every Sunday, and not be truly saved? Absolutely. Is it possible for someone to say the right words of a salvation prayer, and not be truly saved? Absolutely. Is it possible for someone to think they’re saved, and not be truly saved? Absolutely. 

So how can you tell if it’s real? Ultimately only God knows. Only God knows the condition of a person’s heart, so we have to be really careful about judging other people. But the Bible does encourage us to examine ourselves, and it gives us two tests.  

First, I’ll call it the “persevering faith test.” Paul wrote these words to the church in Colossae-- Colossians 1, starting in verse 21: 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23a if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. One of the signs of genuine salvation is that you don’t just have faith one time when you receive Christ; you continue in your faith. Not perfect faith—our faith is never perfect. But we continue to trust in Christ as our Savior. 

Hebrews 3:14 talks about the same thing: For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. So salvation begins when we put our confidence in Christ, and if it’s real, we’ll hold that confidence till the end. So that’s the “persevering faith test.” 

The other test to examine ourselves, I’ll call the “persevering obedience test.” Look at 1 John 2:4…Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. If you truly belong to Christ, you will have a desire to obey God’s commands. Again, you will never do that perfectly, this side of heaven. But that will be the inclination of your heart, and when you fail, you’ll be grieved by that sin, and you’ll confess and repent.  

At the end of that same chapter—1 John 2—there’s a verse that’s been really helpful to me. Look at 1 John 2:19…They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. John is saying there are some people who used to be part of the church, and everybody thought they were genuine believers. But they left—they walked away from God. And he says, “The reason they walked away is that they never really belonged in the first place. They were playing the game; they were going through the motions; but they never genuinely entrusted their lives to Jesus. 

So yes—there are falsely professing believers. So as a pastor, if someone comes up to me and says, “Hey—I prayed the salvation prayer at Vacation Bible School in 3rd grade, so I’ve got my ticket to heaven,” but they haven’t been to church in 20 years; they have no desire to follow God or obey God or worship God. But they supposedly prayed that prayer 20 years ago, I would never give that person assurance of salvation. The Bible doesn’t allow me to. So all of us should examine ourselves. There are falsely professing believers, and maybe you are one. 

But…there are also true believers. And if you can say, right now, “My confidence is in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and eternal life; I’m helpless to save myself and I’m counting on him completely”—if that’s true of you, then you are saved. And that salvation can never be taken away from you.  

Let me give you one more passage to drive this home. John 10, starting in verse 27—this is Jesus speaking: 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. We raised our four children here at The Chapel. And when my kids were little, we would park the car and walk across the parking lot, and before we crossed Jacksonville Road, Norma Jean would always say, “Hold daddy’s hand. Hold mommy’s hand.” So whichever of my kids was closest to me would reach up to take my hand as we crossed the road. But you want to know the truth? And you parents already know this. As we crossed the road, the thing that made my children safe was not that they were holding my hand. They didn’t have a very strong grip. The thing that made them safe was that I was holding their hand. And I was not letting go for anything. And the reason you are secure as a believer isn’t because your faith is so strong, and you’re holding on to Jesus so tightly. It’s because he’s got you—and nothing can snatch you from his hand. Amen? 

When we realize the shear greatness of this gift, and when we realize the permanence of this gift, it changes us deeply. So let’s talk about The Freedom of Salvation. I started this message with a story of a prisoner who was set free. And I chose that story very intentionally. Because when you understand the awesomeness of salvation, it is so freeing.  

Matthew 11, verse 28. Jesus says: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus was speaking to people who were weary and burdened because they were surrounded by a religious establishment that put tremendous pressure on them. And they felt like they just couldn’t be good enough. They could never measure up. And it was spiritually exhausting. And Jesus says, “Come to me, and I’ll give you rest from all that. Trust in me, walk along with me, and you will be freed from that burden.” Oh, that means so much to me. Does it to you? 

Remember the old movie Chariots of Fire? It’s the true story of two British runners: Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell. Both of them ran for England in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Eric Liddell was a Christian, and his faith was the center of his life—even more than his running was. So there’s a scene in the movie where the two guys are talking, and Harold Abrahams is about to run the 100-meter. And he says: “I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor, 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But will I?” Isn’t that a sad thing to say? Those are the words of a man who built his life on his performance: “I’ll have ten seconds to justify my existence.” In other words, “I’m only as valuable as I can prove myself to be on this track.” And I’m telling you, there are so many people who approach life like that: I have to perform; I have to be good enough; otherwise I’m worthless.” And that approach to life is a crushing burden.  

In radical contrast to that, Eric Liddell, the other runner, says, “God has made me fast…and when I run, I can feel his pleasure.” Because his identity was in Christ. And he loved running, but he didn’t need to win to prove himself.  

See, one guy was running to prove he was valuable; the other guy was running because he already knew he was. 

And that’s the freedom that salvation brings. You’re still serving and obeying God! But your motive is totally different than it used to be. Instead of obeying to win God’s acceptance, now you obey because you’re so grateful that you already have it. And how could you not want to obey and serve a God who’s given everything for you? Salvation brings sweet freedom. And I hope you’re tasting that freedom. 

Well, we have something very unique to close our service today. But first, let’s pray together… 

PRAY 

When we talk about salvation, there are some people who think, “I’m too far gone. I’ve messed up my life too bad; I’ve hurt too many people; I’ve disappointed God too many times.” If that’s the way you feel, what you’re about to hear is for you. 

There are other people who are genuinely saved, but they’ve lost the joy of their salvation. The worries of life and the pain of life have just sucked the joy right out of them. If that’s the way you feel, what you’re about to hear is for you.