I have discussed the gospel in some detail in the previous posts. I felt the detail was important because of the declining state of the culture that has suppressed the truth of the scriptures, most particularly, the gospel, which is the central message of the bible.

I have discussed the what, the who and the why of the gospel. Now I turn to the “how” of the gospel. How is a person saved? The gospel message in the bible conveys information required in order to be saved. Its not enough to just hear the gospel. The information, once understood, demands a response.

Three responses are possible: ignore the message, reject the message, or receive the message. Receiving the message is the key to salvation. Salvation means you immediately have all of your sins forgiven and immediately receive eternal life. There are many more benefits that come with being saved. Explaining them as best I can is the purpose of this site.

Salvation only happens when you respond through faith and repentance. If you believe the message is true and then take some action: repent of your sin and place your trust in the only One who can save you: Jesus Christ. I mentioned faith is required, but what do I mean by faith?

What is Faith?

Faith is likely the most important – and misunderstood – topic in all of religion. Just believe…right? In what? According to the culture and the entertainment industry, we just need to believe something with all our heart and it becomes true. This is not how biblical faith works: biblical faith requires we first hear (or read) the truth, understand the truth, and then believe the truth.

The bible teaches there are different types of faith but only one kind of faith that is the key to receiving eternal life.

Here is an illustration about different kinds of faith: I have several keys on my keyring but only one will open my front door. The other keys are similar and may even fit inside the lock but I cannot open the door with the wrong key. And so it is with faith. There are different kinds of faith but only one opens the door to eternal life.

Head knowledge

One kind of faith is intellectual assent: agreeing that information is true. This is actually necessary – you do have to hear, understand, and either accept or reject information as true. For example, growing up Catholic, I understood some things about who God is and basic facts about Jesus Christ: that he existed, was born of a virgin, died on the cross for our sins, and is risen from the dead. But knowing and accepting facts as truth is not enough. Even the demons know the facts about Jesus.

When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. They cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?

Matthew 8:28-29

You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that—and tremble with fear.

James 2:19

Clearly, despite the demon’s knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God, they will never have eternal life because they are forever condemned as a result of their rebellion.

Knowledge and understanding is required, but it is not the same as saving faith.

Temporal Faith

Another kind of faith is trusting in God for the things of this life. I recall when I was on an aircraft in Texas years ago. The pilots were flying through a thunderstorm and the plane was being tossed around like a leaf in the wind. I was a little concerned about ending up in a heap of burning aircraft parts on the ground in the middle of nowhere, so I was praying for a safe landing. I was trusting in God for a temporal matter in that moment. Thankfully, we made it safely.

Many people pray in moments of crisis – people who may not even believe in God find themselves praying during a tornado, or a fire approaching their home, or someone trying to break into their home at night, or some financial crisis. Isn’t that interesting! The old saying may be true: there are no atheists in foxholes.

It is good to cry out to God in moments of crisis or for the things we need in this life but it’s still not the kind of faith that unlocks the door of heaven.

Complete Trust

The key to opening the door of heaven, the right quality of faith is this: complete trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of all of your sin. Saving faith is resting your entire hope for forgiveness, salvation, eternal life, and heaven itself in Christ alone. Saving faith is recognizing that there is nothing anyone else, including you, can do to save you. Angels, dead relatives, Mary, saints – none of them can help you. It is Jesus Christ alone who paid for all of your sins as he died on the cross. And so you must come to Him alone for your salvation – forgiveness of your sins and eternal life. As the Apostle Paul said:

Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

2 Cor 1:9

Saving faith is all about trust. The one you are trusting for heaven is your savior. So if you are trusting in what you can do for yourself, then you are trusting in the wrong person. If you are trusting in your favorite politician, or your social media tribe, it won’t work. None of them will be there for you at the moment of your death. If you are trusting in a church or a pastor, or some ritual, or the sacraments, you are trusting the wrong things. If you are trusting in the Blessed Virgin Mary, she can’t help you. The scapular, the miraculous medal, the rosary – useless hardware; talismans. Put them away. They have no power to save. Good works are useless because they don’t satisfy the penalty for breaking God’s Law.

We are not qualified to be our own Savior – we cannot save ourselves. No one else can either. Nobody else can apply the sacrifice made at the cross for you through ritual, prayer, or the sprinkling of water. Its up to you to come before God in personal repentance and complete trust in Christ alone and receive him to yourself. If you believe you must receive. Open the door of your heart and He comes into your life. That is His promise.

He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him. But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.

John 1:11-13

Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

In summary, hearing and understanding is necessary but not sufficient for salvation. Trusting God in the temporal circumstances and needs of this life are at least some understanding of what it means to trust God for something but cannot save you from your sins. Only placing your complete trust in Jesus alone is the key that opens the door to heaven and immortality in the Kingdom of God. As the Apostle Paul said:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Do you believe what has been written in this series of posts about the gospel? Do you think you can trust Him alone for salvation? I hope so. I was confronted with these truths 30 years ago and received Christ. I never, not even for an instant, regretted that decision.

The next post will be a short review followed by a very simple question…