Title: How Can You Be Saved?
Content br> (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"By grace you have been saved through faith
This is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
I am not born, so that no one can boast."
A few years ago, heavy rain fell in the northern part of Gyeonggi-do, Korea, and many people were injured, and there were people who were washed away by the current and died. Let's say a person here is dying, buried in the raging mud. What would that person need most at this time? Needless to say, it would save that person's life, wouldn't it? right? Then he didn't need money. It's not even good food. Not a jeweled ring, not an expensive high-end suit or shoes. Would he need a nice cottage then? Need a luxury car? Need a college diploma or PhD? Not all of these. It is salvation that saves lives.
What is most urgent for a soul dying in the muddy waters of sin? it is saved from that sin
is that
Jesus said.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
“God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but through him the world was saved.
that he might receive” (John 3:17).
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous.
I have come to call sinners” (Mark 2:17).
Paul wrote the reason why Jesus came to this earth like this:
“This is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptance, saying that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
come"
How important is the salvation of your life, would the Son of God come into this world in the flesh?
We recognize the importance of being saved at this point, and one inevitable question is inevitable. this
The question is this.
How can a person be saved?
An unsaved man living in Philippi, Asia Minor, 2000 years ago asked Paul and Silas:
is.
“Teachers, what must I do to be saved?”
Before I give the Bible the answer to this important spiritual question, I want to know that there is no way
Now I want to tell you.
In fact, people are putting in a lot of effort in their own way to receive salvation. They believe that their efforts will save them
You may not know if it is for the sake of salvation, and you may think that it means something else, but in reality, it is a desperate effort for salvation. the reality
In other words, to try to find the meaning of life, to find the existence of life, to find the true happiness of life.
All actions.
Today's text Ephesians 2:8, 9 denies all human works related to salvation. that act is so
Even if I am tall, tall, beautiful, valuable and imaginary, I am thoroughly denied all.
“It is not of yourselves” “It is not of works” These words cannot be the means of salvation.
It forms the basis. That is, salvation cannot be achieved by anything that pertains to man.
Man cannot attain salvation through knowledge.
People study hard. Why do you study? To find the meaning of life. It's for being happy.
But can science find meaning in life, happiness? Philosophy is said to be the best of all disciplines. But
Can you own this as a philosophy? Philosophy seems to give meaning to life to some extent, but in reality it deceives people and
hey don't Philosophy does not save our souls. Because philosophy does not leave the realm of the human mind,
It is because they cannot even engage in the problem of sin, which is the central problem of the soul.
Human art is long, but art does not give the human soul a true value of life and happiness. Art is also about
It only imitates a little, but it doesn't use any power. Neither art can save the human soul. art is a problem
can't solve it.
Can wealth save a person? no. Not even as a commodity. Wealth causes great pain in the human body,
gives concern. If wealth is used well, it can help the body to some extent. But the problem of the human soul
There is no power to solve the problem of sin.
On one occasion Jesus spoke of a foolish rich man.
The rich man sang about riches like this. “I have no place to store grain, so what can I do?” he said again.
I will do this: I will tear down my barns and make them bigger, and I will store all my grain and all my goods there;
He said, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; rest, eat, drink, and be merry."
(Luke 12:17-19)
God said to this foolish rich man.
“You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you, and whose will are your provisions?
That night, the rich man who loved only his wealth, died without being saved. That's right. Wealth is also human
You cannot save souls.
Can a good conscientious life save a person? The Bible said no. Often when you preach
There are people who say this. “Whether there is heaven or not, whether there is hell or not, if you keep your conscience and live a good life, you
I'll send you to a better place." I'm half joking, half serious. But it's a big deal.
shouldn't either. The Bible said
“He saved us, not because of our works of righteousness” (Titus 3:5).
“It is not of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
“All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
I did not deceive others, I did not speak evil of others, I gave food to the poor, and I gave scholarships to high school students.
Giving gold is, of course, a good thing and a good deed. But it cannot save man from sin. yourself and family
Even if you have lived a perfect life with sincerity to you, that sincerity cannot save you.
Can a person achieve salvation by striving for character development?
Even a person who has been cultivated cannot attain salvation. For this purpose, the problem of salvation can be solved through discipline, cultivating the Way, and asceticism.
Can't solve it. Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night, was a thorough person, but the Lord said to him, “Be born again
He said, “You must be saved.” Even a person cannot escape the limits of human sin.
The will, strength, and labor of human beings are not enough to save one's own soul.
Can power lead to salvation? No power. The emperors who exercised the mighty power of the Roman Empire were saved.
did you get Did the kings of England solve the soul problem with that monarchy? The mighty power in the land of Judea in the time of Jesus
Was the powerful Herod saved? did not receive Humans have made great efforts and efforts to achieve power.
Even if they do everything, that power cannot solve their sin problem.
Salvation cannot be achieved even with human mental strength. Modern New Age activists “use their mental powers to
If you repeatedly suggest that you are a saved person, focus your mind, and acknowledge it as it is, that will happen.
This claim is a deception about salvation. Humans such as anxiety, goodness, mind control, hypnosis...
No human effort using the spirit of God can achieve salvation.
Can Religion Be Saved?
People usually think so. “All religions are aiming for good because it is good. With all my intellect, I
If I belong to any religion and lead a religious life, won't salvation come to me? This idea is wrong. dangerous
thinking. Paul was the supreme leader of Judaism before he was saved. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, and as a Pharisee,
He was a Pharisee, a man who immersed himself in the strict religious life of Judaism according to the law,
He was a man who was completely obedient and gave his life to Judaism."
I was a thoughtful person. He himself knew he had been saved, but that was a big mistake.
Religion and religious life are powerless for salvation. It cannot solve the soul problem. can solve the problem of sin
There is not.
Then, can we achieve salvation through Christian offices and rituals?
This cannot be done. You are not saved by the offices of a deacon, elder, clergyman, evangelist, or pastor. Some people are baptized
It is mistakenly believed that baptism and participation in the Lord's Supper will completely solve the problem of the soul and result in salvation. group
Christian offices and ceremonies have meaning only when they are used and utilized by those who are being saved.
It is not used to bring salvation to people. The Christian office is powerless in salvation. of Christian
The esophagus is powerless. No matter how holy and plausible the ritual may seem.
“It is not of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
“He saved us, not because of our works of righteousness” (Titus 3:5).
Thinking about it, acknowledge how powerless human beings are for salvation.
Then how can we reach salvation? Let's go back to the Bible. Here is God's Word for the salvation of souls
Please note.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
“That whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:15).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
that he might do it” (John 3:16).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will be condemned
not, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).
"For my Father's will is that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
(John 6:40)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
D first to the Jew and also to the Greek, in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith
one, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).
"If you