Kyle wrote,
I was brought up in a church where it was taught that living right was what saved you, and living right was also what kept you saved.
When you sin, you're lost, and when you ask for forgiveness, you're saved all over again.
This led me to believe that when I was good, God loved me, but when I was bad, I was merely a stench in his nostrils.
This sort of teaching was commonly taught and practically crammed down my throat from age 5 until the age of 18.
It wasn't until then that I was allowed to choose whether or not I wanted to go to church.
I chose to stop going, and I've not attended a church service in the last 26 years.
Still not comfortable with the thought of organized church, but I'm hoping that will change.
Thanks for your program and website that has exposed me to the truth.
None of my friends would believe that I'm in my room constantly listening to a Bible radio program.
I get more out of just one of your programs than I remember ever getting from being in church.
Kyle, Chattanooga, Tennessee
I bet there were a few hundred others that were nodding their head as I read this.
My friend, you're not alone.
Many of us were taught that.
Well, if living right is what saves us, and living right is what keeps us saved, then no one is saved.
Only one man has ever lived a righteous life, and he was a God-man.
Salvation doesn't come by your right living.
Salvation comes by your right believing.
Your right believing in someone who lived right, and they did it on your behalf.
While we members of the Body of Christ Church can peel away some things and continue to grow in Christ, there is not even one of us who can honestly make the claim that we have mastered, quote, Right living.
Righteous living would require perfection, and not just living better than we used to.
Living better than we used to, or living a little better each day, is not what righteous living means.
I can try my best to live righteously with the help of the spirit man that lives inside me, but I don't care who you think you are, there'll be times when you will fail.
There'll be times when your will is going to overpower his will, period.
The Holy Spirit doesn't force himself on no one.
That would be spiritual rape.
But many today do have this belief.
They're stuck living there on the corner of Condemnation Avenue, and when they fail, they're condemned and consumed with all sort of guilt, because they've been taught that salvation is based on their right living.
No, salvation is based on your right standing.
And if you choose to stand with God in agreement that his Son not only performed for you, but he did it perfectly, you're in perfect righteous standing with God.
Our state of living can vary from day to day, but our righteous standing with God depends on Christ and what he did.
You put your faith in what he did for you, and that equals right standing with God.
Now, right believing will help you move toward right living.
But make no mistake about it, all the right living in the world won't save anyone.
If you'll submit to the Holy Spirit, he'll help you to work through some things on your way to better living.
But hey, don't put the cart before the horse.
Many have yet to hear that salvation happens instantaneously.
They think it's a process.
Salvation is not a process.
It's not a process that happens over a period of weeks, months, or even years.
Salvation happens at the moment of belief.
And the Bible has the evidence.
I've got a question for you, Kyle, and anyone else who maybe has this same belief.
Are you a Bible believer?
If you're a Bible believer and not a Bible corrector, you shouldn't have any trouble believing this.
Ephesians chapter 1 verses 12 and 13.
That we should be the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
Did you get that?
Verse 13 clearly states the simplicity that's in salvation.
Not how you live your life, but how you're saved.
After you're saved, Paul has a lot of teaching on how you should live.
Right living is the hard part, but being saved is simple.
Look at the words carefully in verses 12 and 13.
You, number one, hear the gospel.
Number two, believe the gospel.
And what happens next?
You're sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
God does not break promises.
At the moment of belief you receive a seal that secures your salvation.
Now that's good news.
This is what Satan has been working so hard to hide from you for all these years.
Now that you've come out from the blind religious world who just can't seem to get this, take hold of this truth today.
Today's the day of salvation.
Those in religion are governed by the God of this world.
And in 2 Corinthians 4:4 we're told that Satan, the God of this world, hath blinded the minds of them that don't believe Paul's gospel.
In Romans 2:16, Paul's speaking, he says, A day is coming when God is going to judge the secrets of men according to my gospel.
Two very important words here.
Don't miss it.
Paul said, My gospel.
So what is your my gospel, Paul?
Romans 4:25, Paul speaking of Jesus, writes, Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification.
Do you believe that?
In 1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4, Paul assures us that Christ died for our sins, was buried, left your sins there, but the grave had no power.
It couldn't hold him.
Your salvation is complete.
He rose up to justify us if we'll only believe.
It's your belief in the gospel that saves.
You know, I've heard some, they'll quote James and say, Even the devils believe.
They don't believe the gospel.
You need to look at that verse again.
They believe in God.
They know him well.
But they never put their faith in the gospel.
They never put their faith in Christ and what he did.
Don't believe that nonsense.
It's your belief in the gospel that saves.
Your belief on the finished cross work of Christ and demonstrating his power over the grave.
You don't merit being righteous, but rather you're made righteous.
It's impossible to lose something you didn't earn to begin with.
You cannot lose your righteousness through your disobedience.
Because you didn't get it by your obedience in the first place.
Your righteousness comes from Jesus and his obedience.
So your focus should be on him.
If you're righteous, you've been freed from the guilt of sin and you've been made justified.
Who freed you from the guilt of sin?
Who justifies you?
You sure can't justify yourself.
Kyle, I pray that you'll come to rest in this glorious gospel.
One of our Truth Time listeners, Tippi Johnson, said it this way, Lies are fast and furious. But truth is slow and sure, and will eventually catch up.
Very well said, Tippi, and reminds me of something else I once heard.
Mark Twain said, A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.
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