“WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?”

 “And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: ....” (Genesis 47:25)

 Dear Reader have you ever heard the story about the man who had everything … cars, houses, billions in the bank … you know…. healthy and wealthy, ending up in the gutter saying “I’ve got TB, cancer and heart problems, and I’m now broke living with the rats and the vermin … and I freeze in Winter? I’ve been saved!” No? I haven’t either.

Or the one about the family who said “We were living in that house … but now we’re saved because it burnt down and we have to live on the street.” No? I haven’t either.

 The word “saved” describes an action from a bad situation to a good one.

 Here’s a diagram:

 
So when the jailer says to Paul and Silas “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:31) he is saying “I’m a wretched sinner! I don’t want to go to hell! I must get saved!” See … he knew he was in a bad situation.

 Dear Reader, when you’re studying the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15), it is good to keep in mind the Law of First Mention … whereby if you find a word like “saved”, as in Acts 16:31, find out where it first occurs in the Bible to get the general meaning.

 And here is the first mention: “And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: ....” (Genesis 47:25). Now under the Old Testament, this is obviously a physical situation … these people had been saved from death.

Now is the jailer in the New Testament referring to his physical life to be saved? No, of course not … as this is a spiritual question. The jailer is told that he can’t earn, work for or buy eternal life … but will he be fully persuaded that Lord Jesus Christ has done all the “paperwork” for him? All he has to do is ‘sign on the dotted line’.

 We note that Paul never says anywhere after that that the man needs to get water baptised. Why? It is Paul’s waterless gospel for both sides of the cross.

Dear Reader, where are you? If you are still trying to work your way to heaven, or trying to make your own atonement for your sins …  you are wasting your time! It’s  simple as that. IT’S ALL BEEN DONE! The penalty for all your past and future sins has been paid for.

It will be your unbelief or pride that will send you to hell. You will make a FREE WILL CHOICE where you spend eternity. God will simply obey your decision.

 Harley Hitchcock

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