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At certain seasons of the year, we find many religious celebrations being
conducted. We find that the natural man
wants to be religious and at times will do many things
thinking that he is performing an act of worship unto God.
But the Word of God teaches that religion is not
salvation!
The Word of God teaches that you can be religious and miss heaven!
Our text teaches us that there is not salvation in any other name than the
name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Our text teaches us that there is none other name given under
heaven whereby we can be saved.
You are saved by Jesus
Christ
or you are not saved!
How clear and concise: There should be neither confusion nor contradiction.
There are many names under heaven
in which we can find religion; but salvation can be found in one
only, and that is the name of Jesus Christ.
There is no salvation in priests, prophets, penance or prayers, but only in
Christ. You may have your service and
sacraments, churches and charities, tears and treasure, ritual
and reformation, but all are powerless to produce eternal life.
The Word of God tells us in I John
5:11,12, "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He that hath the Son hath life;
and he that hath not the Son hath not life. "
Men are willing to give head knowledge to the claims of Christianity, but
they refuse to accept in their hearts the
Christ of Christianity. Men and women are willing to take the high place in the work and ritual of
the church;
while refusing to take the low place of guilty sinners needing a sinner's salvation.
Men and women are willing to believe in the moral precepts of God's Word, as
based on the Ten Commandments;
while refusing to believe in, rest on, and receive God's Son as
Saviour to their souls.
RELIGION
is the improvement of the old
nature. SALVATION
is
the imparting of a new nature through receiving
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Word of God tells us
in John 1: 12, "As many as received him (Christ),
to them gave he power to become the sons of
God.
RELIGION
clothes us with the robes of our
own righteousness and God tells us in Isaiah that our righteousness is as
a filthy rag.
SALVATION clothes us in the perfect righteousness of
Christ, which alone can make us acceptable in
the sight of God. God's Word tells us in
Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness
which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us.
RELIGION
is what man does for God;
SALVATION is what God does for man. Isaiah 53:6 tells
us, "All we like sheep
have gone astray; we
have turned every one to
his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him (Christ) the
iniquity of us all.
RELIGION
says: Something in my hand I
bring. SALVATION says:
Nothing in my hand I bring. Ephesians 2:8,9 says,
"For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works,
test any man should boast.
RELIGION is trusting in a work we do.
SALVATION
is trusting
in a work that has been done. Hebrews 10:10,
"By
the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
RELIGION
depends on our behaving,
SALVATION depends on our believing. Acts 16:31,
"Believe
on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
RELIGION
says we must act our best.
SALVATION says we must accept God's best. Romans 6:23,"The gift of God is
eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. "
RELIGION
depends on the sufficiency of
character. SALVATION depends
on the Sacrifice of the Cross. I Cor. 1:18,
"For the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
RELIGION
tries to furnish a sacrifice.
SALVATION trusts in a finished sacrifice. John 19:30,
"When
Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, IT IS FINISHED: and he
bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
RELIGION
is striving for a better
attainment. SALVATION
is
secured I through a perfect atonement. I Peter1:18,19, "Forasmuch as ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot.
RELIGION
tries to bring us from darkness to
light. SALVATION
does
bring us from death unto Life. John 5:24,
"He that heareth my word, and
believeth on Him
that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.
RELIGION
says we must be found in God's
house. SALVATION
says
we must "Be found in
him (Christ), not having" our "own righteousness which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ. " Philippians 3:9.
Again I remind you of our text; "Neither is
there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven
given
among men, whereby we must be saved.
My dear friends, do you have religion or
salvation? If you only have religion, then you
will miss heaven and spend
eternity apart from God and His Son in a place of torment.
If you have salvation, you now have the promise of
eternal life with God and His Son forevermore.
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