I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Have you been saved?

                                                             1.      Every soul needs to answer this question, for every sinner needs to be saved from eternal destruction and reconciled to God.

                                                             2.      If a person answers “no,” then that person needs to realize the danger of his situation and should seek to correct it.

                                                             3.      If a person answers “yes,” then another question needs to be asked.

B.      How were you saved?

                                                             1.      The Scriptures make it clear that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

a.       “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

b.       “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’” (John 14:6)

                                                             2.      Salvation in Jesus is accepted by those who claim to be Christians, but there are different ways in which those people attempt to acquire that salvation.  Which is the right way?

II.      THE PHYSICAL WAY

A.      If salvation can be acquired through the physical acts of the body only, then it is simply a matter of doing that which is good and abstaining from that which is evil.

                                                             1.      Bible students know that doing good works and shunning evil is the way of life for Christians.  This has been the essence of God’s law from the beginning of time.

                                                             2.      However, Bible students also know that Jesus is the only man who has ever lived an unblemished life of good without sin (Heb. 4:15).  No one else has achieved this feat, and we are not likely to achieve it either.

                                                             3.      In fact, if we lived perfectly as Jesus did, we would not need salvation, for we would never be lost.

B.      The problems with salvation through physical means are that the flesh is weak and there are no works that can merit salvation.

                                                             1.      Because the flesh is weak, man has consistently failed to keep God’s laws without sin.

a.       The New Testament teaches that the Law of Moses could not save because it was dependent on the flesh, which was too weak to keep it (Rom. 8:3; 3:19-20; Acts 15:10).

b.       The Scriptures speak of the universal problem of sin for both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 3:9-12, 21-23).  Jesus is the only accountable man who has not sinned.

c.        Even now, those who are in Christ must admit that they have sin also (1John 1:8-10).

                                                             2.      When we sin, there are no works of merit that we can perform to redeem our souls.

a.       When we perform good deeds, we have only done that which we should have done (Luke 17:10).  There is no merit in doing that which we are indebted to do (Eph. 2:10).

b.       There are no good works that enable a man to earn his salvation or to obligate God to save him, for salvation is a matter of grace (Eph. 2:8-9; Matt. 7:21-23).

C.      Therefore, any attempt to acquire salvation through physical means will fail.

III.   THE MENTAL WAY

A.      If salvation is a matter of the mind only, then one can study and learn his way into heaven.

                                                             1.      It is good and right for us to study the Bible, for in it we find all that we need to know for salvation, life, and godliness (Rom. 10:17; 2Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 2Pet. 1:3; Psalm 119).

                                                             2.      However, there are many who know the word of God very well but remain rebellious and sinful.  Do we expect these will be saved simply because of their knowledge?

B.      One who learns the Scriptures will know that knowledge alone is insufficient for salvation.

                                                             1.      Knowing the right thing to do is inadequate if one fails to do the right thing (Jas. 1:22; 4:17).

                                                             2.      Also, a Christian who possesses great knowledge is like a buried treasure if he never shares his knowledge with anyone else.  His knowledge of the word of God is of no use if he fails to spread it to others (Matt. 28:18-20; 2Tim. 4:1-2).

                                                             3.      Moreover, some people study and learn for wrong motives, seeking to impress others or to gain worldly acclaim.  As the Lord would say, “They have their reward in full.”

C.      Therefore, salvation cannot be achieved through knowledge alone.

IV.    THE EMOTIONAL WAY

A.      If salvation is received through emotions, then it should be pursued only through experiences that provoke those desired emotions.

                                                             1.      Many speak of a “better-felt-than-told” experience that moves them to feel they are saved.  Such a person says, “I know I am saved because I feel it.”

                                                             2.      Others pursue a much different emotional experience as they attempt to bear the burden of sin’s guilt on their own.  This idea is that if one feels bad enough about sin, he will be forgiven.

                                                             3.      In either case, a person is basing the confidence of his salvation upon whether or not he feels saved.  This requires him to constantly seek new experiences that will stir his emotions.

B.      Thankfully, God has not based our salvation upon such a fickle foundation as our emotions.

                                                             1.      Emotions are subject to the individual who possesses them, and not all people are emotionally aroused in the same ways.

a.       Some people are naturally stoic, and their emotions are rarely provoked.

b.       Others are emotional “roller coasters,” who are unpredictable from moment to moment.

                                                             2.      Because emotions are subjective, they can be the product of an individual’s misunderstanding or bias.  Consider the example of Paul.

a.       Paul (Saul) felt that his hostility and rage against the Lord was justified because he was ignorant of the truth (Acts 26:9; 1Tim. 1:12-16).

b.       To him, his emotion was righteous indignation, but in truth he was “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.”

                                                             3.      Paul’s example also demonstrates to us that the feeling of guilt is not an indication of salvation, for in his sorrow and guilt Paul was praying without food or water for three days, yet he still needed to be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 9:9, 11; 22:16).

C.      Therefore, salvation is more that a mere emotional experience.

V.      THE SPIRITUAL WAY

A.      Truly, we are spiritual beings living in a material world.

                                                             1.      We were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and “God is spirit” (John 4:24).

                                                             2.      Although we live in the flesh in this world, the image of God is formed in the unseen and immaterial parts of us, which are our spirits.

a.       Often in the Scriptures the spirit and the flesh are contrasted, for they are nothing alike in their nature or desire (Rom. 7:5-14; Gal. 5:16-25).

b.       We must seek to save our spirits rather than our flesh (1Cor. 5:5), for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Cor. 15:50).

B.      As spiritual beings, God has given us spiritual means to save our spiritual lives.

                                                             1.      The gospel of Christ is “the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

a.       The gospel is a spiritual message.  Jesus said, “It is the spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63).

b.       It is only through a spiritual vantage that the power of the gospel can be realized, for otherwise it would appear to be foolishness (1Cor. 1:18-2:16).

                                                             2.      It is only fitting that the spirit would be saved through spiritual means.  To receive eternal, spiritual salvation through the temporal means of the body, the mind, or the emotion is impossible.

C.      This spiritual salvation affects our temporal existence – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

                                                             1.      Although salvation is not received as a payment for works of the flesh, knowledge, or feelings, these must not be discounted.  The spiritual message of the gospel calls upon us to employ the body, the mind, and the emotions.

                                                             2.      The Scriptures commend these things that involve our entire beings in our spirits’ salvation.

a.       Use the flesh to walk in good works (Eph. 2:10).

b.       Walk in the light, and do not sin (1John 1:5-2:2).

c.        Perform works of faith and love (Jas. 2:14-26; 1John 3:16-18).

d.       Hear, think, believe, and meditate (Acts 17:11, 17; Rom. 10:17; 12:2; Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:2).

e.        Rejoice and mourn (Matt. 5:4; Rom. 12:15; 14:17; Phil. 4:4).

D.      Therefore, let us recognize that the true way to salvation is through the spirit, and that our bodies, minds, and emotions must bear the fruit of the spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22).