WHEN IS A PERSON SAVED?
When He Justifies God in His Own Condemnation
We know that "SALVATION IS OF THE LORD."
Salvation is altogether the work of God's free, sovereign, and effectual grace
in Christ (Eph. 1:3-14). Salvation was PLANNED
and PURPOSED by God our Father in
eternity, before the world began. Salvation was PURCHASED for God' s elect by the substitutionary death of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at Calvary. Salvation is PERFORMED in the hearts of God's elect by the irresistible grace
and power of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration. He gives us life and faith in
Christ. Salvation is PRESERVED by
the grace and power of God. Paul tells us that we may be "confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Peter tells us
that we are "kept by the power of
God. And our salvation will be brought to PERFECTION by the grace of God in Christ. Jude was so confident
that God would perfect his work in us that he spoke forth God's praise for it,
saying - "Now unto him that is able
to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of
his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. We know that
in its commencement,
in its continuance, and in its consummation, "Salvation is of the Lord.
We know also CHRIST ALONE IS OUR SAVIOR. All the
grace of God flows to chosen sinners through the merits of Christ's shed blood
and righteousness. In the matter of salvation CHRIST IS ALL. If you
have not yet learned that, you have not yet learned the gospel (I Cor.
1:30-31). Christ is all our RIGHTEOUSNESS,
all our REDEMPTION, all our SANCTIFICATION, all our ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD, and all our HOPE.
We know, also, that God's
saving grace, that grace which was given to us in God's eternal purpose and
purchased for us at Calvary by the blood of Christ, THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGS SALVATION IS EFFECTUALLY APPLIED TO THE
HEARTS OF GOD' S ELECT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profitteth
nothing." But the question that I am asked over and over is this - WHEN IS A PERSON SAVED?
According to the Word of
God, no man will ever be saved until he is convinced in his own heart that he
is a sinner, deserving eternal wrath and condemnation from God. A PERSON WILL BE SAVED WHEN HE IS SO
CONVINCED OF HIS OWN SIN THAT HE IS ABLE TO JUSTIFY GOD IN HIS OWN
CONDEMNATION. The only person who will ever call upon Christ in faith and
seek mercy from him is that man or woman who is so fully aware of his
corruption of heart, depravity, sinfulness and guilt, that he is able to take
sides with God against himself. A person is saved when he can speak to God, as
David did, saying - "Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight: that thou might be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
This is what I am saying, YOU MUST RECOGNIZE AND CONFESS YOUR SIN,
the vileness of your heart, the corruption of your nature. YOU MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS, the wickedness of your thoughts and
deeds. And YOU MUST ABHOR YOUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS. Yes, even your righteousness, the best of your thoughts and
actions, is as filthy rags before a holy God. You must be broken and humbled
before God You must be made to loathe and abhor yourself, or you will never
come to God in true repentance and faith, crying "GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME: I AM
THE SINNER!" May God be pleased, now, to save you by his grace,
for Christs sake. AMEN.