Jesus Saves
While traveling down the interstate in southern Illinois recently I noticed a small yellow sign along the road. Had I been driving, I would have missed it, but I was the passenger in the front seat. It was a tiny sign, given the size of most signs along the highway, and it was up in some trees that were rather large. Its message was the title of this post.
Now, you may be thinking that I’m going to write something about the beauty of that message (and it is a beautiful message). Any mention of Jesus and His ability to save us from our sins is a beautiful message.
However, could it not also be a misleading sign? To the reader of that sign it seems as though Jesus will save anyone who just happens to see it. Many people have the misconception that Jesus will save them no matter how they live their lives. If that is the case, then the vilest of criminals can do whatever he/she wants to do and be saved. There is one problem with that belief – it ignores the Bible’s teaching about repenting of (turning away from) our sins, and no longer living that manner of life (Romans 6).
May I suggest that we must know who Jesus is, and believe in Him as the Savior of those who follow His example and commandments. The only way to do that is to learn about Him by studying His Word – the Bible. We cannot know what we must do to be saved by Jesus if we don’t know about His life of examples and His teachings about the salvation of our souls.
May I also suggest that the One who saves us from our sins might have something to say about who will be saved? Just one example of what He says about it is found in Mark 16:16, which reads, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” It seems to me that there is more to salvation than just reading a small sign.
Many people today turn their backs on the teachings of the Bible, but it is only in this book that we can learn about salvation. May I share with you a short list of exactly how to be saved?
- Hear the gospel – John 6:44-45
- Believe – John 8:24; Hebrews 11:6
- Repent – Acts 2:38; 17:30
- Confess your faith in Jesus – Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37
- Be baptized into Christ – Mark 16:16;1 Peter 3:21
- Live a faithful life – Revelation 2:10
There is so much more that could be said about this topic. Let it suffice to say that there is no better life than one that is lived in obedience to God and His Word. Will there be problems that arise? Yes. Will things always go your way? No. Will you be ostracised by some people? Yes. Will your eternal home be in heaven if you have done your best to obey and live for God? YES!
That little yellow sign with those two words caused me to do a lot of thinking over the course of the last few days. While the message of that sign is beautiful and true, it is incomplete.
Jesus said,
“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
AUTHOR: Donna Faughn