The Word, the Spirit, and Our Salvation

This article briefly discusses the process by which salvation is effected in the one who believes. There are many false gospels today inviting sinners to church in the wrong way or for the wrong reasons. Without preaching the gospel, some people will just give a sinner some prayers to repeat. Prayers do not save people or give salvation. You can pray when you believe, but it is the belief that saves not the prayers you repeated.

There are also many times that I hear people tell sinners to give their lives to Jesus. This statement may sound Christian, but it is not the proper way to give the gospel. It is true that believers must give or surrender their lives to the will of Jesus Christ. But this is something that sinners do not understand before they get saved. Therefore the proper way to invite an unsaved person to Christ is to encourage them to receive the salvation that Jesus offers.

Salvation is about us receiving the blessing of the works which Christ had already completed. It is not about doing or giving anything. Therefore the best way invite sinners to Christ is by simply preaching the gospel to them. When a sinners hears the gospel, believes and trusts Christ for his salvation, he will be saved, at the moment of belief.

Ephesians 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

Salvation cannot take place outside of the preaching of the gospel. That is the point that I intend to make in this article. And in the next Post, I will go into more detail of the work of the Holy Spirit in our salvation.

Salvation cannot take place outside of the preaching of the gospel.

1. The Word of God is spoken

The Holy Spirit is the One who inspired the Word. The Bible tells us that God speaks to us in these last days through His Son Jesus Christ Hebrews 1:1-2. Christ does that today through His Spirit that lives in us. This Spirit, who inspired the Word, now illuminates our heart with the truth.

The inspired Word is preached by those who are called to preach it. (Those preachers today who aren’t called to preach it are preaching another gospel). But those who are called are faithful to their calling – preaching the gospel of the cross.

Romans 10:14-15  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

2. The Sinners Hears and Believes

When the word of truth is received by an unbeliever, he repents and believes. The preaching of the gospel leads to the conviction of sins, and in turn leads the sinners to repentance.

3. The Spirit Regenerates

When the sinner believes the gospel, the Holy Spirit comes and regenerates him. This is a process whereby the Spirit impart the new life, the new nature, into the one who believes.

The believer is therefore not the refurbished version of the one who believes, he is a totally new creature. The Holy Spirit takes His residence in the believer, baptizing him into the Body of Christ. This function of the Holy Spirit makes a person who was once an enemy of God a beloved child of God.

John 1:12-13  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

4. Salvation is Effected

Salvation is effected when the above three processes are complete. There will be no salvation without the hearing of faith. That means you hear the gospel and believes. This is how God sets it up. People can have dreams today about Jesus Christ speaking to them, or about an angel speaking to them about Christ. But the people are not saved until they believe the gospel. The dream may accelerate their trusting in Christ, but they still have to believe the gospel and trust in Christ!

This means that they have to hear the gospel. It also means that someone has to preach it to them. If you’re saved and reading this, are you preaching the gospel? Are you encouraging others to do so?

This article serves as a precursor to the upcoming article: The Holy Spirit and Salvation. The article goes into more detail of the function of the Holy Spirit at salvation. Watch out for it.

Thank for reading!