Have you made the decision to seek God now, but don’t know how? This devotion looks at how we can be saved.
Nuggets
- Repentance isn’t just feeling sorry for doing those things but also making the commitment to changing ourselves so that we no longer do the wrong things.
- God’s thoughts are focused on our salvation.
- We can be told the truth of the gospel in a variety of ways; but regardless of the option we choose, we will need to bury ourselves in God’s Word. That is how we truly find God when we search for Him.
To read devotions in the Should We Seek God? series, click the appropriate button below.
We’ve talked about why we should seek God — we don’t want to remain in a sinful state. We’ve talked about when we should seek God — now.
But how do we do that? Isaiah gives us a hint on how to do that. However, the whole concept can be a little confusing if you haven’t heard about all of this before. Let’s get an overview of the process along with a terminology lesson before we talk about implementing it.
Let's Put It into Context
Grace is a free and unmerited gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers. Because of God’s infinite grace, He devised the plan of salvation that made Jesus our Redeemer in order to forgive us of our sins. Salvation is the deliverance from the consequences of sin.
This deliverance is necessitated by the original sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which made everyone sinners. Sin is when we disobey God and break one of His laws and commandments. These laws and commandments not only show us what we have done wrong, but they also show us the character of God.
God designed the plan of salvation before man was even created and committed the first sin. This plan is that Jesus is our Redeemer because He was born of a virgin, making Him 100% God and 100% man; gave His life on the cross for us so that His blood could pay the price for our sins; and because of God’s great might and power, rose from the grave, conquering death and paying the price for our sins.
Jesus’ sacrifice purchased our redemption. Redemption is where something is used in exchange for something else to gain or regain something. Jesus took the consequences of our sin upon Himself so that we didn’t have to in order to restore our relationship with God.
Jesus substituted Himself — became the propitiation — for us so He could do the hard stuff, the stuff we would never be able to do. Jesus knew God’s wrath had to be appeased so He shed His blood to pay the price for our sins. He became the atonement for our sins. Atonement is about repayment for a wrong. The repayment was the shedding of His blood.
Redemption allows us to receive forgiveness for our sins. Forgiveness is when God pardons us because we have broken His laws and commandments. We accept the pardon by letting go of the guilt and remorse that we feel because we have done something wrong. It is a conscious decision to accept His forgiveness.
Jesus’ sacrifice justifies and sanctifies us when we put our lives in His hand. Justification means the act of making something righteous before God. Sanctification means to make holy. We are being sanctified as we grow in grace and knowledge. Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure. This makes us saints, or holy ones.
We access this grace through faith. Faith is the belief that the doctrines stated in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them. Faith is a product of love. We have to have faith to accept God’s love.
Repentance is expressing sorrow for things we’ve done wrong. But it is not just feeling sorry for doing those things. It is making the commitment to changing ourselves so that we no longer do the wrong things.
This change is regeneration. Regeneration is the change in us that God brings about when we go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive. It is where God breaks Satan’s hold on us. Only God has the power to do that, and He only does when we admit our sins, believe on Jesus as Redeemer, and confess God as Sovereign Lord.
You Know Those Wicked Ways?
“let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts … (Isa. 55: 7 RSV)
Point #1. Repentance isn’t just feeling sorry for doing those things. It is making the commitment to changing ourselves so that we no longer do the wrong things. It is a turning back from the bad things we are doing.
We have to give up the things that are against God’s will. This includes thoughts and actions.
Isn’t that logical? Our thoughts make us who we are. That is reflected in what we do.
How Can We Be Saved?
“Then he [the Philippian jailer] brought them [Paul and Silas] out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household’” (Ac. 16: 30-32 NLT)
Point #2. God’s thoughts are focused on our salvation. Period.
God’s thoughts do not focus on what job we have, who our significant other is, or the myriad other things that clamor for our attention. His focus is on bringing us to Him.
We don’t know we need to forsake the wicked ways until we are told of our need. We don’t know how to do that until we are shown.
Look at the steps that were detailed. 1) The jailer began to question. 2) He found someone who could answer his questions. 3) The gospel was shared with him and his family. 4) Each believed individually.
Some may read this that everyone in the jailer’s household was saved because he was. That is not true. We each have to make the decision for ourselves.
We can be told the truth of the gospel in a variety of ways. Pick some or all that apply to you.
You have found me here on the internet. While I think about mass distribution of this, I do think about how individual readers could potentially be affected by my words. I want to point you toward Christ as your Savior.
I am so glad you found me. Please keep reading, but you also need to find someone to mentor and encourage you.
While you are always welcome to email me, I think it is important that you have someone near you that you can see and talk to when you can. One-on-one or small group contact is very important.
Membership in a body of like-minded believers is also important. We’ve talked before about God building a community.
Regardless which of these options we choose, we will need to bury ourselves in God’s Word. That is how we truly find God when we search for Him.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17 NLT).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3 ESV).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16 ESV).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11 NLT).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11 NLT).
To read Has God Provided Everything We Need?, click the button below.
Making the Connections
In seeking repentance, it is hard to do it on our own. Satan is going to put all sorts of roadblocks in the way. That is why we need the community of believers to support and encourage us.
We’ve had several devotions on how we understand what it says in the Bible. We’ve had a couple where we’ve said there are even verses that seemingly contradict another. If we are just now seeking God and haven’t grown up around Him and His disciples, this will be especially hard to understand.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
When we do make a profession of faith, we can’t keep on doing what we know is wrong. Oh, Satan will try to get us to think we can.
If keep on-purpose sinning, that means our profession of faith is suspect. (It is only God’s job to decide if it is or isn’t.)
How Do We Apply This?
If we haven’t ABCDed, we need to.
The ABCDs of Salvation
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
That is what we should focus on — Him. We should focus on His forgiveness and living out our job description.
There is so much more I want to say. However, I am going to have to save it for the next devotion.
Let me just end this devotion saying God wants us to choose Him. He wants us to do it now so that He doesn’t have to give upon us. We have to make a genuine profession of faith and turn from our wicked ways, which includes controlling our thoughts.
Father. You love us so much. Yet You have Your limits when we emphatically deny You and live in opposition to Your laws and commandments. Lord, send Your Holy Spirit to convict us. It is my prayer that we choose You. Help us to then choose to live for You. Amen.
It Was Enough
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
What do you think?
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