Salvation
Confession:
Considered the most important decision in a person's life. A question posed in the book of Acts is simply put “What must I do to be saved?” This question is considered by most people at some point in their life. This is also the approach taken by the ruler in Luke 18:18. The ruler asked Jesus “Good Master what must I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus answered there is none good except God. He continued and told him to keep the commandments. The ruler answered that he has kept them all, and Jesus responded with another work. He should sell all he has and give to the poor. The ruler went away sad for he was very rich. This shows the attitude among the religious rulers at the time: self-sufficiency, pride, and greed. He did not see any need for salvation. His concern was only that of mansions and streets paved with gold, greed. The need to give all he had away to earn these things was too great a price. In his eyes it was better to have wealth now. The need of this ruler is even better seen in a similar question posed to Jesus in Luke 10:25. This question came from a lawyer who asked “What shall I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus simply asks him to answer his own questions based on the law. He used two commands from the law that summarizes the law “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. The law the ruler in Luke 18 thought he kept instructed him and all living under that law to love their neighbor as their self. Yet that ruler would not sell what he had for the benefit of the poor. The ruler from Luke 18 has just vividly learned the truth...There is none good except God. This is what we must learn. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” We need to be honest with ourselves. We have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Faith:
Since we know we've sinned, we must now try to somehow pay for this sin to reconcile ourselves back to God. But Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The only payment for sin is death. There is no payment we can make in this life to reconcile ourselves for the afterlife. However, notice the last phrase takes the focus off paying for our sin ourselves and reveals eternal life to be a gift through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:8 explains the purpose of the cross “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The word commendeth means to exhibit. God doesn't tell us he loves us, he shows it. God sacrifice while we were yet sinners shows his love for us. It also shows that we need not be sinless to receive God's mercy and forgiveness. So, how do we receive this mercy and forgiveness. Romans 10:9,10 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Prayer:
God gives us three elements to accepting his mercy and forgiveness:
Faith: This includes Trust, not just believing in God but of trusting in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross as payment for your sins.
Calling: This is how the other two elements are expressed...in prayer.