THE SALVATION OF SOULS How wonderful it is to think of souls being saved! Make no mistake about it. The Bible really does speak about the possibility of a soul being saved. In Hebrews 10:38,39, it is written: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw bac k, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul (Hebrews 10:38,39; emphasis mine, rdc). Let us look at some truths about the salvation of souls. The salvation of souls is available to all people thanks to the sacrifice/blood of Jesus. Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins for ever (Hebrews 10:12). It is in the Christ that we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). The salvation of souls is important to the Godhead. The Father wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). The Son gave His life as a ransom for sinners (Mark 10:45). And, the Spirit revealed the truth through which men can be set free and saved from sin (John 16:13; 8:32). The salvation of souls ought to be important to all Christians. Like our heavenly Father, we should not want to see even one soul perish (2 Peter 3:9). As the people of God, we must make certain that we worship Him in harmony with His will. It is also true that we need to be doers of deeds that benefit others in physical matters. But, it is just as true that we need to be lovers of the souls of men. If the salvation of souls is really important to us, then we will make our greatest effort to reach them with the gospel. The salvation of souls is incomparably better than the alternative, which is for souls to be lost eternally. Who in his/her right mind would choose eternal condemnation over eternal life?! As we already read, some saints draw back unto perdition, while others stick with it to the salvation of the soul (Hebrews 10:39). Let us choose wisely – choose the path that leads to life. The salvation of souls is conditional. Jesus is the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Hebrews 5:9). While the Lord’s salvation is available to all, it is enjoyed or received only by those that obey Jesus. Since obeying Jesus is required in order to be saved, that makes salvation conditional. The salvation of souls through the preaching of the gospel is the work of the church. As the pillar and ground of the truth, the Lord’s church is given the task of going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15). What is the motivation for doing such? Answer: The salvation of souls, which results when people hear the gospel, believe it, and are baptized (Mark 16:16). In far too many cases, congregations of our generation have gotten distracted with material affairs, food, and fun. Brothers and sisters, we must make the salvation of souls our top priority! The salvation of souls is not a Sunday-only affair. We gladly teach and preach the gospel during our classes and assemblies on the first day of the week. Every time we gather we extend the invitation and thereby tell lost people what they must do in order to be saved. We must avoid a Sunday-only mentality, however, when it comes to the salvation of souls. The early saints taught the gospel on a daily basis (Acts 5:42). We need to imitate their evangelistic zeal. If we do, we can be sure that God will bless our efforts! The salvation of souls is something that we ought to be talking about, constantly talking it up and sharing news of encouraging work and progress in evangelism. We all know how encouraging good news is. We rejoice when we learn that someone got good news from the doctor. It is especially encouraging to hear that someone has obeyed the gospel. Just today I received an e-mail from Southeast Asia telling me about a couple that recently obeyed the gospel. That is wonderful news any time. It was especially thrilling to me because I taught this couple for about five hours in private studies last year. Others have continued to teach them and do the watering. News of genuine conversions and restorations tend to keep us pumped up. Let’s keep working and sharing good news. We need to be telling about salvation. First, we need to tell/remind ourselves that saving souls is important. Second, we need to tell/exhort each other (other saints) to be busy teaching the lost. Third, we need to tell God that we want to help seek and save souls. I do not mean to tell Him in the sense of providing Him information as if He did not already know about it. Rather, I mean telling Him in the sense of petitioning Him on the behalf of lost souls and for opportunities to teach such people the gospel. Fourth, we need to open our mouths and tell lost souls about the wonderful salvation that is available in Jesus! When we become more excited about the salvation of souls, then we will become more involved in sowing the seed. If we can get the army of God busying sowing His seed, then watch out! Great things can, and will, happen. Remember, Jesus is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). -- Roger D. Campbell
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 08:57:26 +0000