By Gary Ray Branscome
Because the Bible is the inspired Word of God it has power,
the power of God, behind it. And, God works through it to accomplish His will.
As it is written, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God to salvation to every one who believes; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16). And, again, “So will the word that goes out of my mouth
be: it will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I want, and it
will achieve what I sent it to do”
(Isaiah
55:11).
The words, “He has given you life, who were dead in
trespasses and sins,” tell us that it is God who gives us life. (Ephesians
2:1). Because we are by nature “dead in trespasses and sins,” we can do
nothing to make ourselves alive. That is why the Bible says, “No one can say
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,” (1Corinthians 12:3). That
is why the Bible says, “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD”
(Deuteronomy
8:3). And, that is why the Bible says, “Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans
From man’s point of view it sometimes does look like we are
making a decision to believe. However, the words, “No man can come to me,
unless the Father who has sent me draws him,” tell us that apart from the
work of God no one ever could or would make the right decision (John 6:44). In
fact, without God’s help Satan would quickly fill us with doubt, and destroy
our faith. Therefore, just as God works through His Word to bring us to faith,
He works through His Word to strengthen and preserve our faith. That is what
Paul was talking about when He said, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but
God gave the increase” (1Corinthians 3:6). The words, “The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God,”
tell us that our assurance comes from the witness of the Holy Spirit in our
heart (Romans
Sometimes those whom God brings to faith in Christ feel an
inner joy or excitement that they refer to as “a salvation experience”.
However, because not all Christians have such an experience we should never
equate an experience with salvation. We are saved by faith in Christ, not
experience. The emphasis has to be on faith in Christ, not what we feel.
Whenever churches loose sight of that fact, they not only cause Christians who
have not had an experience to doubt their salvation, they also lead the unsaved
to seek an experience instead of pointing them to Christ. And, when that
happens there is a danger that people who do not trust in Christ will convince
themselves they have had a salvation experience, when they have not.
Any valid experience of joy or excitement resulting from
the Holy Spirit’s assurance of forgiveness in Christ should be regarded as a
fruit of faith, rather than faith itself. Many Christians, especially those who
have grown up in the faith, go through life without having such an experience.
However, they know they are saved because they are trusting in what Christ did,
not what they do, to get them into heaven. In contrast, it is often those who
had a hard time understanding the way of salvation, those who have been
burdened with guilt, or those who have been trying to please God with works
that experience joy when they finally understand that salvation depends on what
Christ did, not what we do. What’s more, a genuine “salvation experience” is
far different from the carnal excitement sought after by the whoop and holler
crowd. The excitement sometimes associated with faith in Christ might be
described as the happiness of a joyful reunion, the relief of having a great burden
lifted from the mind, and the fascination of something that you are eager to
learn more about all rolled into one. Martin Luther described that experience
in these words. “Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness
by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith.
Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into
paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning.” (From the book, “HERE I STAND,” by Roland H. Bainton,
page 49.)
The words, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, that lives and abides for ever,”
tell us that we receive the new birth through the “Word of God” (1Peter
The words, “What is the exceeding greatness of His power
toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,”
tell us that the Word of God does not just tell us how to be saved, but
actually converts us as the power of God works through it to bring us to faith
in Christ (Ephesians 1:19). That is why the Bible calls the gospel, “The
power of God to salvation to every one who believes” (Romans
Nevertheless, the words, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you
who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent to you, how often I longed
to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
and you would not,” tell us that the Word of God can be resisted
(Matthew 23:37). As it is written, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in
heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did,
so do you” (Acts