One of the “truths” professing Christendom has embraced is the “fact” that when Jesus said, “It is finished” He meant that everything that must be done for one to receive salvation had been done, that one need only believe in Christ’s crucifixion and take Him as one’s Savior.  Nothing could be further from Bible Truth.  It is true that upon His death Christ had completed HIS commission from God the Father.  He had paid the ultimate price for man’s salvation–HIS WORK WAS COMPLETE.  However, for the one who would take advantage of what Christ had accomplished, the work was just beginning.  As this and many other postings prove Scripturally, faith alone is not enough to save the soul.  As the Apostle James declares in chapter 2, for the salvation seeker, faith is only the FIRST of many steps in the life-long “walk” that will end in the Kingdom of God (vss 10,14,17,18,20,24,26).

The Messiah’s sacrifice for man’s sins was necessary for man to receive eternal life.  His death was the first step in God’s plan for the eventual salvation of mankind.  Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Three.  That His death was essential is a universal belief within professing Christendom.  However, there is mass confusion concerning what the believer must do after accepting Christ’s substitutionary death on his behalf.  Where there is confusion relative to the Holy Bible we always find the devil’s fallen angels involved in the lives of both the minister and the congregation.

The vast majority of professing Christendom believes that Christ’s sacrifice was the “be all and end all” relative to salvation.  “Only believe” is an oft-stated church “truth” that has kept many a salvation seeker out of the family of God.  Recall that the rich man “went away sad” because he believed Jesus’ words (Mk. 10:17-22), including the words he did not want to hear–that his faith in Jesus would not save him (Jam. 2:14).  James 1:22,25 applies to the rich man and all other salvation seekers: “Be you DOERS of the WORD and not hearers (believers) only, deceiving your own selves ….  a DOER of the WORK will be blessed in his DOING.”  Note that the Lord unites WORD (vs 22) and WORK (vs 25), meaning that the WORD must be WORKED (obeyed) in order for it to have an effect in the life of the believer.  Religious man does not believe those words.  He believes that once he expresses faith in Jesus, takes Him as his Savior and is baptized, that all is done that needs to be done.  However, this is only the beginning for those who would join Jesus in the Kingdom of God.  Relative to this Truth, let us return to the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. to hear what the Apostle Peter said to the crowd that had gathered around the disciples.

Following the commotion that had developed upon the Holy Spirit’s entrance into the upper room, Peter said to the people who had asked him what had happened: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both LORD AND CHRIST” (Acts 2:36).  The tens of thousands who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and Pentecost where part of the mob who had shouted “crucify Him, crucify Him” when Pilate asked what should be done to the One Who claimed to be the Son of God.  Now they were coming under conviction for helping to orchestrate the murder of an innocent Man Who, they now knew, WAS IN FACT THE SON OF GOD.

When they heard what Peter said “they were pricked in their hearts” (minds), causing them to ask the disciples: “What must we DO?”  These people knew that just believing in Jesus as their Savior was not enough.  They knew there was work to DO (vs 37).  They had asked the right question.  Having believed in Jesus as their Savior, they wanted the disciples to explain to them their responsibility.  Peter, speaking under the power of the Holy Spirit, replied: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your (past–Rom. 3:25) sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (vs 38). ” If they had recognized Jesus as their Savior, why did they need to repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit?  Peter answered that question.

To REPENT of sin means that one understands what sin is.  These Jews knew what sin was but today’s church people do not and refuse to accept it when the answer is Scripturally revealed.  What is sin?  “To TRANSGRESS the LAW is sin; for sin is the TRANSGRESSION of the LAW” (1 Jn. 3:4).  The WORKS we are to DO relative to salvation center around obedience to God’s Ten Commandment Law which summarizes the entire Bible–God’s Book of Law.  Christ’s blood cleanses the supplicant of all of PAST sins, thereby justifying him.  At that point he is perfect, holy, pure, righteous–totally cleansed.  Baptism symbolizes the washing away of those sins, never to be remembered again by the Lord.  Following baptism the question then becomes, now what?  The justified one must live according to God’s Law until the end of his life in order to be saved upon the return of Jesus Christ (Mat. 10:22).  Read Hope and Salvation.  Key word–Hope.  The baptismal ordinance is symbolic of what Paul wrote in Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ Who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works (sin) (in order) to serve the living God (through obedience).”  Once repented-of sin has been symbolically washed away, obedience to the Law creates righteousness and holiness within the believer.  As Paul tells us in Romans 5:21 and 6:22, the END RESULT of obedience is salvation.

In Romans 2:5 Paul tells us what happens if, once we have received justification (removal of all PAST sins), we continue to sin and repent.  He tells us that God sees a sin-repent, sin-repent pattern as false repentance–the sign of an impure heart.  He tells us that the church’s sin–repent formula results in the church sinner’s “treasuring (saving) up” one’s sins until the day of judgment.  If a believer continues to sin after repenting, GOD DOES NOT FORGIVE THE SIN.  Rather, He allows his SINS TO ACCUMULATE until the sinner’s death, regardless of how many times he repents.  Come Judgment Day the sinner faces Him bearing a lifetime of sin.  You will not hear this Truth in church because Satan has hidden it from his prophets who unknowingly hide it from their congregations.

This Truth has roots dating back to ancient times.  The unchanging God stated in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and TURN FROM THEIR EVIL WAYS, THEN (AND ONLY THEN) I will hear from heaven and (THEN) I WILL FORGIVE THEIR SINS ….”  Notice that it is ONLY AFTER THE REPENTENT PERSON STOPS SINNING THAT GOD FORGIVES THEIR SINS.  The repentant must PROVE THAT HIS REPENTANCE IS REAL BY OBEYING GOD’S LAW (WORD).  This Truth applies to everyone, regardless of his religious pedigree.  This Truth destroys the church’s sin-repent, sin-repent system that Satan has implanted in the hearts of salvation seekers.  Rather than forgiving the repeated sins, the Lord allows them to accumulate until the day of judgment.  Then Jesus will say to the sin-repenters: “I never knew you.  Depart from me you who WORK INIQUITY” (Lawlessness)–Matthew 7:23.  Those who were “saved” in a sin-repent church and remained there have never heard Bible Truth, have not received justification, have not been converted, have not been saved and have not been born again.  Read Born Again and Hope and Salvation.  Key words–Again and Hope respectively.  L.J.