Do Not Err About Salvation
James 1:16-18
Verse 16-18, Do not err, my beloved brethren. {17} Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. {18} Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth
Salvation is the foundation of all the rest.
Matt. 7:22,23 - Many will say to Christ in that day, "Have we not cast out devils, and preached and done many wonderful works in your name." But Christ will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you."
John 1:12-14 - Verse 13 says we are born of the will of God.
1. Not of blood - Not of the blood of circumcision, animal sacrifices, or in a particular blood (family) line.
2. Not of the will of the flesh - man's free will, which is corrupt, and at enmity with God, and unable and unwilling to come to God.
3. Not of the will of man - Regardless of how much any man wants his friends, relatives or acquaintances to be saved, they are unable to bring them to Christ, or save them.
Eph. 2:8-10 - Grace is unmerited favor, or receiving from God that thing that we do not deserve.
1. We don't do anything to receive grace or salvation. Some religions (especially Catholics) believe that good works is the means whereby a person is able to come into a position to receive the grace of God. They erroneously believe (and it fits the thinking of man) that their works make them better than the other fellow, and makes it more likely that Christ will come to them instead of the other fellow.
2. The truth is that only those who admit their total fall into sin, their total dependency on God and their total inability to come to Him come to the position of being able to receive the grace of God. Grace is blessings we receive from God because we don't deserve it, not because we have put ourselves into a position to receive it.
1. Don't go to church so God will like you and save you.
2. Don't give money to church or anybody else so God will like you and save you.
3. Don't get baptized in order for Christ or God to save you.
4. Don't join the church so God will like you and save you.
5. Don't be good so God will like you and save you.
6. Don't be a such a good neighbor that God will see that you are better than all the other neighbors and He will save you.
The "means", "method" or "way" of coming into God's grace is HIS love for us. That comes from within HIM, not from within US. A "means", "method" or "way" of coming to Christ for salvation that reflects our love for Christ is wrong. This is because salvation is God's gift to us, not our gift of love to Him. Our gift of love to God comes after we are saved, not before.
1. I John 4:19 - "We love Him because He first loved us."
2. It is easy to see how despicable we are before God when we say we loved Him first or that we love Him more than He loves us.
I Tim. 2:4 (Who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth) It is the will of God that all be saved, but many have sought out their own ways. Eccl. 7:29 - God hath made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions.
Must have grace because of Total Depravity.
1. Gen. 3:8 - Adam hid from God when he realized he was naked. Man also hide from God today. They pretend nothing is wrong with them, but there is some sort of misunderstanding between them and God.
2. Gen. 3:12 - Adam blamed the woman for his sin.
3. Ps. 14:2-3 - The Lord looked down from heaven to see if there was anybody that was just and good and if anybody was seeking Him.
Faith is simply believing what God said. It is not a feeling or fad.
Two opposites:
1. Matt. 13:15 - For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are full of hearing and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heal them. They retained their religion because that is all they had to hang on to. If they would abandon their religion, they would be able to find the true religion.
2. Rom. 10:8-10 - believe in heart, make confession with mouth. A person cannot believe in their heart until they come to see that God accepts no man's person, Gal. 2:6.