Who are you believing in for your salvation?

I must admit when I was younger I believed in people who told me I was saved.

I lived like hell but I had been told that I was saved and should never doubt it by many ministers. I believed in their words for my salvation.

Let’s think for a moment. If a friend, family member or reputable person such as a minister tells you that you are saved, are you going to believe them?

If you believe in what a person tells you, are you not believing in them?

What if a person tells you that you are saved and yet you have never believed upon Jesus Christ for your salvation? Are you saved based upon what you were told?

We are saved by God’s grace through our faith in Jesus Christ alone.

To believe what a person says will not hold much water before God.

Could you imaging at the judgment telling God, “Pastor Tom told me I was saved”?

Please don’t try this because Pastor Tom did not pay the price for your salvation. Only Jesus saves because only Jesus paid the price for salvation.

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 the Apostle Paul asks us a great question. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

I’ll admit that I failed the test when I was a youth believing on others words for my salvation. I was not in the faith. I was caught up in myself and didn’t really know anything about God, Jesus, the Scriptures or the doctrines of the faith. I had gone through my catechism and membership classes. I was baptized and proclaimed belief. But I was not in the faith. I trusted in all of my works and accomplishments and the words of others for my salvation.

I truly believed that if I stood before the Lord He would have to accept me based upon all my merits and fulfillments of my religious duties and requirements.

As I aged and began to read the Scriptures, I came to understand salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. I understood that my salvation was not through my works that I might be able to boast about it.

Salvation is based upon what God did through Jesus Christ and our believing in His accomplishments not our own. This revelation opened my eyes to understand that I am not saved by my baptism, catechism, membership classes or any other religious ceremony. My salvation was bought and purchased by Jesus at the cross. I now believe in and upon Him and Him alone for my salvation. This is why I worship. This is why I entered the ministry. This is why I write. I want, with all my heart, for people to trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone for their salvation.

This has been a life transforming revelation in my life. I pray it will be in yours also.

Pastor Thomas R. Swain
First Church of God
Great Bend, KS
620-791-7573