Salvation Requires Trust in God

John 3 : 14 - 16, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV

Do all Christians fully understand what it means to be "saved?" Jesus, Himself tells us that in order to receive everlasting life, we must place our faith in Him. To have faith in someone means that you trust them with something that is personally precious or valuable. When we say that we trust in Jesus for our soul's salvation, it is with the understanding that He is the only hope of having eternal life. 

The result of completely trusting in God or knowing God beyond all doubt, fear, or unbelief is to have peace in our heart. Therefore, we must question whether we possess the trust and peace that are necessary to be sure about our eternal destination? If we do, then we understand salvation and have arrived at a place of peace in our relationship with Christ where we can now rest. However, if you still struggle over your eternal security in Christ, then you haven't yet learned to trust God completely. Consequently, God has me writing this word of encouragement to you so that you might learn how to both develop trust in God for salvation and have peace in your soul.

Let me give you a couple of natural examples that can help bring clarity to the subject of eternal salvation: Someone is swimming in a pool or a body of water. Something happens, and they begin to drown; if someone rescues them, we call this, "saving his or her life." Someone is involved in a car accident, and their lives are placed in danger because of injuries sustained in the crash; if the first responders are able to keep them alive until they can get proper medical assistance, we can also call this "saving his or her life." 

Even so, Jesus came to deliver or save us from being a prisoner of sin. When He died on the cross and descended into hell, He took back the keys of death and hell and stripped Satan of his authority over mankind. Remember, Jesus didn't die just for Christians; He gave His life for the entire world.

Have you encountered some trials since you believed in Jesus as your personal Savior? If so, then, please don't consider it a strange thing that your faith has been tried. Now that you have placed faith in Jesus to save your soul, it is His responsibility to save you from the storms of life and the attacks of Satan that are launched against you. It is through the fiery trials and storms of life that we learn how to trust in the faithfulness of God to deliver us out of all our afflictions. The trials that you and I face as believers in Christ prepare us to trust in the Lord with full assurance concerning our eternal salvation from death, hell, and the grave.

You may think what I am teaching today seems foreign or strange, but can I tell you it is scripture? Romans 8:28 reads, "God will work all things together for good to them who love God and are the called according to His purpose." Since God is with you during the storms and trials of life, He can transform the situations we face into builders of faith. Consequently, He is teaching us to trust in His wisdom and grace, and not in ourselves. 

The lesson we must learn when we find ourselves in "a situation" is to be still and keep our eyes on Jesus. We have to turn to the Lord for wisdom, direction, and His timing on the decisions that need to be made that will lead us through and out of the trials. Relying fully on the Lord's help will teach us to trust Him; and the trust we gain will cause us to know Him at a deeper level. As a result of trusting in the Lord during the storms, instead of running in fear or unbelief, we will be much stronger spiritually. You can do all things through Christ, who gives you the strength.

My Help Comes From the Lord,

Pastor Asa