Believe

Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him -John 9:38

No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. -Acts 15:11

Yet today and as sad as it is, I still see many struggling with the simplicity of salvation. Paul, in Romans 10:9-10 tells us how salvation is gained:

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

So is that all? Is it really just as simple as believing we have it? No strings? No good deeds? No 'rest on the seventh day' or 'being quiet in the sanctuary'? Really? Just this morning I heard the fear of a young boy frantic to escape God's hell fire, wondering what he must do to earn God's grace. How does that sound to you?

Nearly six years ago I was the same, struggling to gain my righteousness by works. Fear of hell-fire went so far as to drive me to be baptised as a safegaurd. Many people still seek salvation through the Law, the old covenant, but the Law was made to condemn us, not save us, and so righteousness by works is futile. Besides, Christ did away with the old covenant on the cross.

But then, is humanity hopelessly lost? What can we do to be saved from 'eternal hell fires'? Absolutely nothing. It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ we are saved. When asked by a Roman jailer how salvation could be earned, Paul and Silas replied:

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." -Acts 16:31

It all comes down to believing. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. For the heart is what God is concerned with, it is what he loves.

Yes, it really is that simple. Does that mean that good works are no good? Absolutely not! Continue every day to do good deeds, that others may see the love of our Father through you. But these do not gain your salvation, nor does a sinful nature take away your salvation, if you will continue to believe:

For God so loved [me] (the world) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17]For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

-John 3:16-18