“Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness,” Romans 6:18 NASBS
Dear Reader, Christianity is often mingled with traditions in the lives of those who claim to be saved. This is true of everyone to some degree, especially of those who have been raised in a Christian home. These traditions have been handed down for many years and it seems to set the tone of how the cross is viewed and the accomplishments of Jesus’s death, resurrection, and His ascension to heaven. Now, I am not saying that all of these traditions are bad, but when it comes to the new birth, that is regeneration, we cannot merely base our understanding of this on what we think concerning certain traditions that we learned from the homes we were raised in. Do not get me wrong at this point. I believe all of the formalities that we adopt concerning our faith in Christ must be pressed through the word of God. Ordinances such as baptism, the Lord’s Supper, preaching, scripture reading, and prayer cannot be taken lightly within the church. There is a reason that we have different denominations and these things have been discussed throughout all of church history. Again, these things are very important issues so we need to know why we believe what we believe concerning them. But when it comes to being saved, the discussion is closed.
The word of God tells us in the third chapter of Titus concerning this salvation, “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” In other words, salvation is the supernatural movement of God upon the soul of the one who is being saved, which results in righteousness. Romans ten verse nine is often used in a call to salvation which says “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” But verse ten is nearly always left out which also says, “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Reader, understand that according to the scriptures, believing always results in a change in your deepest affections concerning God’s holiness, and your unholiness.
Paul said to the church in Rome, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” John speaks of the renewed heart as well, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God.” So beloved, when the soul is born again, there is a sight of Jesus that you can’t deny, a hearing of his voice that you will follow, and deep affections that long for Him. It is then and only then that you can truly cry out, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If anyone seeks heaven another way, he is a thief and a robber, worthy of eternal damnation. So then, if you are putting your hope in a moment when your emotions were moved in a service, and you prayed a prayer that has not resulted in your affections longing for holiness, then fly to Jesus. Come to Him with a postured heart and do not delay. My friend, examine your life regardless if someone welcomed you into the kingdom of heaven the day you walked an aisle and prayed a prayer.
