Built on the Bible
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Romans 10:17
Salvation is and always has been something that everyone thinks about. From Christianity’s claim that Jesus is the only way, to Buddhism’s teachings of reincarnation, to Atheism’s denial of the subject, everyone thinks about salvation. Why is this? God made us in His image, so we have a natural inclination to think about the eternal. While we may fail to do this often, everyone thinks about eternity from time to time. Today we are going to examine Romans 10:17 as we continue our series “Built on the Bible,” and we will see where and what salvation is.
Salvation from God Alone
Our first observation is that salvation is from God alone. God is the only source of salvation. This is absolutely counter-cultural. We live in a society that teaches that everyone has their own truth, and they are all equally true. That couldn’t be anything farther from the truth! The gospel is the truth, and if a claim is in contradiction with the gospel, then that claim is false. Salvation cannot be had in any other source. Our good works can’t save us (Rom. 3:23). Other gods cannot save us, for they are false (Jer. 10:10). Our standing is before God and no one else.
Because salvation is from God, salvation is also tied to God’s person. If God were limited, our salvation would be limited too. Think about it. If Jesus were a normal person and not the God-man, than even if he lived a perfect life, he’d only pay for His own sins. Since salvation comes from an infinite God, salvation is infinite and eternal too. The free gift of God is eternal life after all (Rom. 6:23).
Finally, because salvation is from God, we need to realize that salvation is not because of us. We are not saved because of faith, rather through faith. This may be confusing, but let me explain. You don’t get into heaven because you believe in Jesus. That would give credit to you, and you don’t deserve that. Rather, faith is simply the medium for salvation. Think of a wire. You don’t praise an 80 in. 4K TV because of the wire. While you can’t have the TV without the wire, the wire doesn’t get credit for the beautiful picture. The same is true with salvation. While we have to believe to receive salvation, we don’t earn salvation because of that belief.
Salvation in God’s Word Alone
Our second observation from Rom. 10:17 is that salvation is found in God’s Word alone. This is clear from the text. We can’t get saved if we don’t know the gospel. If we don’t have the gospel, our faith is empty because it isn’t in anything. The Bible tells us how we are saved. The Bible shows us that salvation isn’t because of us, rather it’s because of God’s work through His Son on Calvary.
We also see the ramifications of salvation from God’s Word. Not only do we see how we get salvation, but we also see the results of salvation. Think about it. The reason believers know they are going to heaven is found in the Bible (Rom. 6:23). The reason believers rejoice knowing that they will have glorified bodies is also in the Bible (1 Cor. 15). We know why we should want salvation because of the Bible!
Finally, we also see that no one can add to God’s requirements for salvation in the Bible. If one does so, he faces damnation (Rev. 22:18-19). That’s a tough pill to swallow, but we need to realize that any additional requirement for salvation is heresy. God requires that we believe in His Son for salvation. If we do less, we aren’t saved. If we try to do more, like cleaning up our act and then believing, we aren’t saved. To think that we need to be more righteous before we are saved is to miss the whole point of the gospel! Jesus takes our unrighteousness and gives us His righteousness!
Salvation must be Heralded
How will unbelievers hear if we don’t tell them? The only thing stopping sinners from going down their hell-bound road is the gospel. God has entrusted us with that gospel, therefore, we must share it before it is too late. The last command Jesus gave us was to spread that gospel so that others would be discipled and know God as their Savior.
Our responsibility as believers is to get as many people as possible worshipping the same God we worship. This can only be done by spreading the gospel. How will you spread the gospel this week? Who in your life will you spread the gospel with?
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.