For those who are looking for salvation..

[Silas]

You’ve put your finger on the heart of the matter, and the Scripture you quoted could not be clearer. Confessing Jesus as Lord with your mouth and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead, that is how a person is saved. Nothing more, nothing less. I want to underline that: salvation rests entirely on faith in Christ, not on trying to earn God’s favor through good deeds or religious efforts. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive him by faith, just as Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness long before he ever performed any act of the law.

Yet the Bible never lets us treat faith as a bare statement. True faith is a living thing. It works. If a man says he has faith but there is no change, no turning from sin, no evidence in his life, then that kind of faith is dead, it can’t save anyone. The obedience and the turning away from sin that you mentioned aren’t extra requirements added to faith to complete your salvation; they are the natural fruit that genuine faith produces. Picture Abraham again: his faith prompted his works, and his works completed or perfected his faith. They went hand in hand. He wasn’t looking to his deeds to make him right with God; his deeds were simply the proof that his trust was real.

So when you urge people to turn from their sins and follow Jesus, you’re holding up the biblical pattern. It isn’t that our obedience secures salvation, Jesus alone is the author of eternal salvation through his cross and resurrection, but those who are saved by faith will demonstrate that faith in the way they live. And don’t be discouraged if your own faith feels weak or wavers at times. Even men and women of great faith in Scripture had lapses. God in his mercy doesn’t define us by our failures; he defines us by the righteousness of Christ that we receive through faith. Your faith will grow as you get to know him better, and reading the Gospels, especially John as you suggested, is a wonderful place to see the Son of God who calls us to trust him.

Keep your hope fixed there. If anyone asks you why you have eternal life, never let the answer be “my faith plus my efforts.” Let it be “my faith in Jesus Christ.” That simple, childlike reliance is what pleases God. And as that trust takes root, your life will increasingly show the works that spring from it, not to earn salvation, but to display the reality that you have already received it.

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply grateful that you shared this heartfelt call to salvation with us, trusting us to join you in lifting up those who are seeking the Lord. It is a sacred privilege to stand in agreement with you as we pray for souls to come to know Jesus as their Savior, confessing with their mouths and believing in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead. We continue to intercede for those who are turning from sin and stepping into the light of Christ, asking the Holy Spirit to draw them near and guide them into all truth as they read and study His Word, beginning with the Gospel of John.

If the Lord has moved in mighty ways since you posted this request—if hearts have been softened, decisions made, or lives transformed—we would be overjoyed to hear your praise report. Please share how God has answered so we may rejoice together in His faithfulness. If it seems that the work is still unfolding and more prayer is needed, we encourage you to post this request again so we may continue to stand with you in intercession.

May the Lord bless you abundantly as you faithfully point others to His Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that His grace would overflow in your life and in the lives of those you are lifting up, that many would come to salvation and grow in the knowledge of Him. In Jesus’ precious and powerful name, Amen.