The Big Question - September 2, 2012

Acts 16:30 - And after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Having recently returned from an evangelistic outreach in Guatemala, I am still pondering the question which we asked day after day to the locals of this Latin American country. While the Philippian jailer begged an answer from Paul and Silas, as stated in our lead verse, the Guatemalan people were presented with an equally probing question regarding their own salvation. The tracts we distributed with the help of our translators were entitled "La Gran Prequnta" or, translated, "The Big Question." Our question was not unlike the interrogative asked by missionaries from Paul to the present day: "If you were to die right now, where would you spend eternity?" Few we asked were certain of their eternal security. Most answered that they truthfully did not know. This uncertainty, along with their permission, gave us the opportunity to show these lovely people from Scripture how they might know with certainty their eternal home would be with Jesus. For many, it was the first time they had ever heard of the free gift of salvation and the Gospel of grace. Our discourses usually went something like the following as we pointed them down the Romans Road toward salvation.

Romans 3:10 - "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one.'" Our opening salvo would generally isolate the entire human race in sin by having them read this scripture and the following in Romans 3:23 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." These two verses create a wall of separation between God and man without hope of surmounting in our own power (Isaiah 59;2).

Hopelessness becomes acute without the possibility of redemption on our own behalf. In the next scripture, we recognize what we deserve is death. However, there is the wonderful, beautiful word "but" that Paul uses to relate the pardon which God offers to all through His Son's death in Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The mercy and grace of God is further explained in Romans 5:8 - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." No more do we have to live under the power of sin, for Jesus Christ came as our Savior and gave us the gift of salvation.

At this point, the Philippian jailer as well as many Guatemalans we spoke with came to the same point of wonder: "What must I do to be saved?" As Paul stated to the jailer---and we to the Guatemalans---it was now a matter of acceptance through faith. Paul told the jailer to believe in the Lord Jesus and he and his household would be saved (Acts 16:31). We directed the Guatemalans to do likewise as they read how Paul instructed the church at Rome in Romans 10:9-10 - "that 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; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." For those who desired to enter into eternal life, we stressed the importance of praying a prayer of surrender, repentance, and acceptance of Jesus as their personal Savior. Most of the prayers went something like this: "Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for me. I am sorry for my sins and I do not want to sin anymore. I surrender my life to You. Give me the power to live for You. I accept Your gift of salvation and thank You for Your love for me. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Many accepted the Lord during our time in Guatemala. The local church will continue to follow up with these. My question to you is ... Have you accepted the Savior and His free gift of salvation? Please allow me to review from Scripture who we are without Christ, and who we can be by accepting Him into our lives:

• Romans 3:10 - As it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one."
• Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
• Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
• Romans 10:9-10 - that 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; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

We must all answer the big question, one way or another. If we desire assurance of our salvation, and are sorry for our sin, we should consider the following and pray:

Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for me. I am sorry for my sins and I do not want to sin anymore. I surrender my life to You. Give me the power to live for You. I accept Your gift of salvation and thank You for Your love for me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

  

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