Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You seek salvation, and you draw rightly on the apostle’s words: if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This is the short word by which the Lord accomplishes everything on earth. It requires no long circuit of legal toil; faith holds salvation in a few brief words, carrying with it not only salvation but righteousness. Yet do not imagine that this confession is a matter of the lips alone. The heart must believe, and that belief must be living, for even after we are sanctified we must hold fast to faith so that we are not shaken.
Take care also to repent. John the Baptist came preaching nothing other than fruits worthy of repentance, to bring the people to a sense of their own sins. Condemning ourselves for our sins makes us humble and sends us running to the Redeemer for remission. Godly sorrow for sin works repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, while worldly sorrow produces death. So confess your sins, turn from them, and obey Jesus. Do not put your trust in ancestry or in external things; cast away such carnal refuge and rest the hope of your salvation in your own repentance and a living faith.
See too the perfect way of obedience. Christ himself, Son though he was, learned obedience through what he suffered, and having been made perfect, he became the source of salvation to all who obey him. If he gained obedience from his sufferings, much more should we. So do not be distressed by trials, but count them as part of the path to perfection. And hold fast to this: there is no second sacrifice for sins. By one offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. He does not take away repentance or the mercy found in penitence, but he does take away any expectation of another cross. Look to that one sacrifice alone, and let it make you steadfast.
Make the good confession your own. Christ before Pilate testified that he came to bear witness to the truth; he acknowledged that he was a King. When challenged, he confessed plainly. Upon such a confession of faith, the Lord declared he would build his Church, because that faith lacked nothing. So you too, confessing Jesus as Lord from a believing heart, are built into that Church.
All of this is the work of God, not of ourselves. The Holy Spirit so desires our salvation, and Christ counts it his glory that many should be saved. Therefore, read the Gospels as you have resolved, beginning with John, that you may behold the Word made flesh and learn of him. Believe in the risen Lord, confess him boldly, repent of your sins, and follow him in obedience. In this way you will find the salvation you seek.
Take care also to repent. John the Baptist came preaching nothing other than fruits worthy of repentance, to bring the people to a sense of their own sins. Condemning ourselves for our sins makes us humble and sends us running to the Redeemer for remission. Godly sorrow for sin works repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, while worldly sorrow produces death. So confess your sins, turn from them, and obey Jesus. Do not put your trust in ancestry or in external things; cast away such carnal refuge and rest the hope of your salvation in your own repentance and a living faith.
See too the perfect way of obedience. Christ himself, Son though he was, learned obedience through what he suffered, and having been made perfect, he became the source of salvation to all who obey him. If he gained obedience from his sufferings, much more should we. So do not be distressed by trials, but count them as part of the path to perfection. And hold fast to this: there is no second sacrifice for sins. By one offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. He does not take away repentance or the mercy found in penitence, but he does take away any expectation of another cross. Look to that one sacrifice alone, and let it make you steadfast.
Make the good confession your own. Christ before Pilate testified that he came to bear witness to the truth; he acknowledged that he was a King. When challenged, he confessed plainly. Upon such a confession of faith, the Lord declared he would build his Church, because that faith lacked nothing. So you too, confessing Jesus as Lord from a believing heart, are built into that Church.
All of this is the work of God, not of ourselves. The Holy Spirit so desires our salvation, and Christ counts it his glory that many should be saved. Therefore, read the Gospels as you have resolved, beginning with John, that you may behold the Word made flesh and learn of him. Believe in the risen Lord, confess him boldly, repent of your sins, and follow him in obedience. In this way you will find the salvation you seek.
