Four Simple Truths About Salvation

FOUR SIMPLE TRUTHS ABOUT SALVATION

Romans 10:1-13

The humorous story is told of a baseball manger who decided to play a rookie in right field one day. The regular fielder wasn’t happy about it and loudly makes it know from the bench that it was a big mistake to play the kid.

As it turned out the rookie was so nervous that he messed up big-time. He made a couple of errors and misjudged several other fly balls that should have been called errors. Each time he messed up, the veteran complained loudly from the bench.

Finally, late in the game the manager replaced the rookie with the veteran, mostly to shut the veteran up. Not long after, the veteran mishandled the first ball hit to him for an error. As he came off the field at the end of the inning, everyone on the bench got very quiet so they could hear what he would say.

The manager was waiting for the veteran, but before the manager could address the man, the veteran ballplayer slammed his glove down in disgust and said, “Skipper, that kid has right field so messed up nobody can play it.”

Far too many preachers and pastors have messed up the doctrine of salvation. In our text we have salvation in simple language that the everyday person can understand.

Romans 10:13 contains four of the most impressive truths man can ponder. These four impressive truths are found in the simplest statement on salvation in the Word of God. Could the gospel message ever be reduced to simpler terms?

Romans 10:13 is the sweetest and the simplest as well as the profoundest verse in the Bible to me. Romans 10:13 ought to comfort and encourage any heart that will give meditation to it.

John Phillips has said, “Where, within the compass of one short verse, can be found a better statement of the scope, the simplicity and the substance of the gospel?”

I. The WIDEST conceivable HUMANITY

I. The SIMPLEST conceivable ACTIVITY

III. The GRANDEST conceivable PERSONALITY

IV. The GREATEST conceivable REALITY

I. The WIDEST conceivable HUMANITY - “Whosoever”

“Whosoever” is the widest scope or reach of humanity one can possibly imagine. “Whosoever” is a Scriptural word of immense importance. It is general, and yet it is particular.

A. “Whosoever” means ALL

There are no exceptions! The love of God knows no exceptions.

C. H. Spurgeon once said, “I have often thought that if I had read in Scripture that ‘if Charles Haddon Spurgeon shall call upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved,’ I would not have felt as sure of salvation as I do now, because I would have concluded that there might have been somebody else of that name, and I would have said, ‘Surely it did not mean me.’ But when the Lord says, ‘Whosoever,’ I cannot get out of that circle.”

B. “Whosoever” means ANY

There are none excluded. “Whosoever” means anybody!

C. Whosoever” means YOU

I read about a man who was reading his Bible when a man passing by stopped and said, “That book isn’t for you.”

“Indeed it is.”

“How do you know?”

“My name is in it!”

“Where?”

“Why right here,” and he began to read loudly John 3:16 until he came to the word “whosoever,” and then slowly spelled it out, and then he concluded his remarks by “There it is.”

II. The SIMPLEST conceivable ACTIVITY - “call”

“Call” means to cry. The first thing a child does when it is born is cry. You don’t need to teach it to cry, it just cries. I never needed to teach any of my children to cry. It is simple and easy to cry.

There is not a man or woman, boy or who cannot cry. How does humanity get saved, by the simplest act? It is not baptism or the Lord’s Supper or church membership. It is simply crying out to God in humble repentance and faith.

How easy it is to become a Christian? Occasionally someone will remark, “Preacher, you make salvation so easy.” However, the truth is, I did not make it easy, but God sure did. Salvation is so simple that the smallest child who understands right from wrong can accept it and be saved. Salvation is so simple that anybody who recognizes that they are a sinner and realizes that by faith they can receive Christ as Saviour can be saved.

Satan has tried to complicate God’s simple salvation. He has attempted to add more to it. “You must burn some candles to be saved,” the devil may suggest. Now you may get saved with candles burning, but you will not get saved by the candles burning. “You must be baptized to be saved.” Now, you may get saved in the baptistery but the baptistery will not save you.