I have been thinking about salvation today because of a lesson taught on Matthew 16:13-20, something said to me after class, and a sermon preached on Psalm 67.
Today I spoke up because the topic is very close to my heart. I believe that my salvation is from the Lord and I believe that the salvation of all the elect is from the Lord.
The instructor asked, “What are your first thoughts when you heard this passage read.” His question assumed the historical debate between Catholics and Protestants about the apostle Peter. However, my first reading of this text had nothing whatsoever to do with this debate. I first read this scripture from a clean slate. When I read this text for the first time, my thoughts were on Jesus’ question to his disciples. “But who do you say that I am?”
The first time that I read this text I was an unbeliever, and had no prior knowledge about the historical church positions regarding the apostle Peter; therefore, my focus was on the question posed, “Who is Jesus?”
The instructor posed another question, a question as to how someone might conclude that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Some of the answers:
- Divine Revelation
- Scriptures
- Hearing
- Miracles
John 15:26-27,
When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (NASB95)
I said, “Let us reverse your question. Can someone come to the Lord by reason alone? Can someone come to a salvific faith in Jesus Christ by revelation alone? Has anyone in the history of the world ever done that? Can someone on an island, who never heard of Christ, nor had access to the Scriptures come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?
I believe that it is a very serious question indeed, for it was through my reasoning through the Scriptures that I came to know and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Am I saying that I came to this through reason alone? No, the Holy Spirit was doing a work in me during the years that I read the Scriptures and reasoned through them. Without election and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit I would not have trusted in Christ alone.
Do you want to know what convinced me that Jesus is who the Scriptures claim that he is? The apostles believed that Jesus, is the Christ, the Son of God, who died on a Roman cross, was buried in a garden tomb, and on Sunday morning arose bodily from the dead. These same men, who were running in fear at Jesus’ arrest, now boldly preached that Jesus of Nazareth, is the Christ, the Son of the living God, having all authority in heaven and on earth.
After class, a woman that I do not know, but was told by my wife that she is the mother of someone that I do know, said to me that Romans 1:19-20 proves that people can and have come to faith in Christ without hearing. I found this strange for three reasons. First, it is not what the text says but actually gives the reason that those who don’t hear are not without guilt. Second, it is not what all of Scripture teaches and is actually not Calvinism but Hyper-Calvanisim. Thirdly, just minutes later our pastor would preach a beautiful sermon on evangelism and missions from Psalm 67.
Yes, salvation is from the Lord but consider also that “Faith come from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17, NASB95)
