Well, we made it to December. Praise God! We are just a few short weeks away from Christmas, and this is a crucial time to tell the world about Jesus. It is of the utmost importance that believers share the Good News of the Gospel, especially during the Christmas season and especially now during these dark times we are living in. There has been something heavy on my heart lately regarding believers who distort the truth of our secure salvation in Christ. The celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, and the message of His Gospel are full of light and hope because God offers mankind salvation as His most precious gift of grace. Let us not ever forget that there is nothing we could ever do to earn salvation, and it is not by our own effort that our salvation is secured. Christmas is a time of hope and joy because Jesus was born to save us from sin and death, and God offers that glorious invitation of salvation to the whole world by His grace to anyone who will believe in Jesus.
It really hurts my heart when I read condemning posts regarding losing salvation that sow doubt and fear in people’s minds and hearts. There was a sentence recently that really bothered me due to the intensely false message it carried and how subtly the author wrote it. The post was about salvation and living for Christ, and near the end the author wrote (and I am paraphrasing here) that we need to live in a way that we “secure enough grace” to ensure our salvation. I froze upon reading that and said out loud, “What?! Jesus already secured our salvation!”
If you are a believer in Jesus, do you truly understand that you are only saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus? Do you truly understand that there is nothing you are doing or could do to earn or secure salvation by your own effort? How exactly would we “secure enough grace” to save ourselves? When would enough grace be enough? I’ll tell you, it would never be enough. Neither the shedding of our blood or our good works would ever be enough to “secure enough grace” for salvation. Jesus did that for us. Only the Blood of Jesus covers our sins, and Jesus secured our salvation the very moment He died for us on that cross!
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9
“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of his creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” -Hebrews 9:11-12
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” -Hebrews 9:15
“but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” -Hebrews 7:24-25
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” -Hebrews 6:19-20
Do you hear that truth? We have this hope as an anchor for our souls, and that hope is firm and secure. Why? Because Jesus shed His Holy Blood for us and He saves us completely! There is no worry about not being saved enough or not having enough grace to be saved! Jesus is our mediator, and He always lives to intercede for us. It is arrogant and sinful to think that we are doing anything to secure our salvation. Can you enter the Most Holy Place by your blood? No, none of us can. Our salvation is secure because Jesus obtained eternal redemption for us by His own Blood. We are only saved because of God’s grace through faith in Jesus, and God’s grace is all the grace we will ever need to secure that salvation.
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” -Hebrews 10:19-23
God is faithful and we can trust Him. We have confidence to enter Heaven and can live with great hope in full assurance of faith because God has promised that those who believe in Jesus will be saved. Jesus is our mediator, intercessor, and advocate. Of course we should die to sin and live for Jesus, and do everything we can to please God, but we must remember we are not earning our salvation or “securing enough grace” to be saved. Our salvation was bought and paid for in full by the Blood of Jesus. Do not ever try taking that glory and praise away from Him by believing there is something you need to add to His finished work on the cross in order to be saved, as if you are righteous on your own. We are utterly sinful, and we are only saved by God’s all sufficient grace through faith in Jesus.
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” -1 John 2:1-2
Do not ever forget that God gives us His Holy Spirit when we believe in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is God’s seal on us that guarantees our salvation. We do not seal ourselves. Our good works would never be enough to earn enough grace to guarantee redemption. We are only righteous because of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit inside of us. The good works we do in the Name of Jesus are for His glory, not to earn our salvation.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.” -Ephesians 1:13-14
Just as Jesus promised us:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” -John 10:28-30
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” -John 5:24
If you have fallen into sin, repent and return to the Lord. Do not listen to the condemning lies of the evil one. Do not let false preaching of a works based salvation make you a slave again to fear. Do not think for one second that you are beyond God’s grace, forgiveness, and faithfulness! If you believe in Jesus, then you belong to Jesus and no one can snatch you out of His hand! Take Jesus at His Word, trust in Him, and return to Him for He has redeemed you! If you have never accepted Jesus, please come to Him today! The time of the end is drawing near. Put your faith in Jesus this very moment, and your sins will be forgiven and you will be saved!
“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. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” -Romans 10:9-13
Christmas is a time of great hope and joy because the message of the Gospel is filled with great hope and joy. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. That glorious hope of salvation is firm and secure through faith in Jesus alone because Jesus is the only One to ever secure salvation for us by His own Blood. That is why the angel was sent that wonderful night to announce that Jesus had been born. Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and that is truly good news of great joy for all of us!
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” -Luke 2:8-11
Grace and peace to you all, and Merry Christmas!
Ryan Callahan's Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.