Rather than being the instantaneous result of an action as we are told from pulpit and podium, salvation is presented in the Holy Bible as an “unto the end” process that can take many years to complete (Mat. 10:22). The Apostle Paul compares the process to a race in which much time elapses between the start of the race and its ending where the prize is awarded. As he pointed out, in the salvation race there are also many runners. However, only one–he who runs according to the rules–wins the “prize” of eternal life. In sports circles those who run but do not win are called “also-rans.” In the Lord’s circle the also-rans outnumber the winners billions to one. And in God’s race the participants “walk” (1 Jn. 2:6). Also, there are no silver and bronze medals awarded for having run the race–no “participation trophies.” In His race the Lord recognizes only one winner–the receiver of the gold medal (eternal life). The rules of the race are generally summed up by Christ’s statement found in Matthew 7:13,14 where we are commanded to enter the strait gate and follow the narrow way that leads to salvation. Only those who do so will win the “crown of life.” The Lord said that His gate and way are  so obscure and rejected that to find them one must search diligently for them. And for this reason, He noted, “few” manage to “find” it. In this passage Jesus warns that “many” would enter the wide gate (Catholicism/Protestantism) and walk the broad way (church doctrine) that leads to death. To prove how popular Satan’s wide gate and broad path are one need only check a local phone book under the “churches” heading.

The initial question concerning a person’s desire for salvation involves the mind/heart condition commonly called “conviction.” As I have Scripturally pointed out many times on this website, the vast majority of salvation-seekers have been led astray by Satan’s Bait and Switch ruse. See the postings by that name. Because the problem was discussed in detail in those postings, I will explain the salvation process according to God’s written Word without reference to the Church’s version.

The question concerning the initial response to God’s call to Himself–conviction–is: “Conviction of what?” The simple answer is: “Sin.” The question then becomes: “What is sin.” God’s answer is found in 1 John 3:4: “To transgress the Law is sin; for sin is the transgression of the Law.” SIN IS THE BREAKING OF THE TEN COMMANDMENT LAW. See God’s Royal Law. Before we delve into God’s convicting power, I need to write a few words concerning Satan’s power to inflict FALSE CONVICTION on the God-seeker. I will break every rule of correct writing by using a personal experience.

I was “born and reared” in the church. Before coming to the light of the Lord’s Truth, my mother–a churchite of the highest order–had me totally sold on the doctrines of Institutional Christendom. From an early age I embraced the church’s version of Christianity whole heartedly–the Sunday Sabbath being one of her most cherished precepts. One Sunday morning during cotton harvesting season when time was of the essence due to rain in the forecast, my father, who was not religious, asked me to stay home and help him gather the remaining cotton crop before it rained. I did so. I can still see my mother leaving for church that morning and can still feel the CONVICTION that Satan poured out on me as I watched her drive away. I felt as if God was going to strike me dead at any moment. That “guilt” had a long-lasting effect. It was only after coming to the Truth about the Law several years later that I was able to throw off the devil’s counterfeit guilt. To be continued. L.J.