GOSPEL NUGGET #384

Jg 7:2 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'

Although what the Lord is talking about here is physical deliverance, the intent and design of His rescues and redeeming acts are the same---no creature should deprive Him of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him.

And it is just exactly so with spiritual salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says:

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

If you can contribute something meritorious to effect your salvation, then you have robbed God of the full glory that rightfully belongs to Him alone.

The scheme of salvation must be in a way that our mouths can only glorify
God 100% of the salvation that was wrought on our behalf. The only way for that to take place is salvation by grace through faith in the Savior and what He did on the cross. A salvation that is not the result of our own efforts. A salvation that we could never proudly claim: "My own hand has saved me."

GOSPEL NUGGET #383

Ps 32:10 "...he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him."

Many find fault and oppose the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. They say that it is not enough. One must do other things besides putting one's faith in the Savior and His work on the cross in order to be saved.

However, this verse clearly says that faith, trusting in the Lord, can make the Lord surround the trusting one with His mercy. When we trust in the Lord, when we take refuge in Him, we are acknowledging our helplessness and impotency. It is an act of humility. And anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

Lu 18:13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'

14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross and you will be saved!

GOSPEL NUGGET #382

Why Do Saved Sinners Have To Confess If All Their Sins Are Already Forgiven By God?

If you are someone who has trusted in Christ alone for salvation, then you must know that the death of Christ took care of the penalty of all your sins, past, present and future.

Since the penalty has been paid, you don't have to pay for it yourself. The Lord Jesus took care of it. Salvation forgiveness has been granted to you at the moment of faith. An eternal relationship between you and God has been established.

However, with unconfessed sin in your life, the fellowship (the fellowship not the relationship) is broken. You are still a child of God, but you don't enjoy having dinner with your Heavenly Dad down in the dining table. You are relegated to your room alone.

The fellowship is only restored if we humble ourselves, go to Dad and confess our sins. When that is done, we can sit down and enjoy a hearty and happy fellowship with Dad and the rest of His family.

Learn to distinguish between salvation forgiveness (Acts 10:43) from parental forgiveness (1 John 1:9). The condition of the former is faith while the condition of the latter is confession. The former is for an unsaved sinner, the latter is for a saved sinner.

If you are still unsaved, you don't confess to be saved. You can confess all you want but if you have not trusted in Christ alone for salvation, you will remain unsaved. Admitting that you are sick is no substitute for taking the medicine.

GOSPEL NUGGET #381

People Who Feel Worthy Of Heaven Will Not Go There

Yes, it's true. People who feel confident that they are worthy of heaven, that they deserve to be in heaven, will surely not go there. You ask: "Why?"

Answer:

Because salvation and eternal life are not given to those who deserve it. All are sinners and therefore deserve to be condemned. People who feel that they are worthy of heaven, that they deserve it, are trusting in their own worth.

They are trusting and relying on themselves. They are not trusting and relying on the Savior and what He did on the cross.

Ac 16:30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 So they said, "Believe (trust or rely) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...

Salvation is by trusting and relying on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for our salvation. It is not by trusting and relying on ourselves. It is not by being confident of our worth before God. Salvation is given as an undeserved favor (grace). It is offered to those who do not deserve it in the first place.

One of the first steps to salvation is to acknowledge that you don't deserve it at all to begin with.

GOSPEL NUGGET #380

Ru 2:10 "...Why have I found grace in your eyes...seeing I am a stranger?"

Mt 27:46 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

If the words of Ruth in the first verse are heard from the mouth of an inquiring sinner, the second verse is the answer to it. The former found grace because the latter was forsaken. 

The blessing, the grace and the favor of salvation is offered to a spiritual stranger or a sinner because it was denied to the One who paid the penalty of our sins.

Favor to one because of the Forsaken other! As they say, grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. Will you freely accept, by faith in the Savior, the salvation which He wrought on the cross for you?

GOSPEL NUGGET #379

Le 17:11 “…it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Latch on the truth presented in the verse at the head of this short article. Remember it. Pay close attention to it. Treasure it. Lean on it. Embrace it. Be content and be satisfied of it. Never add or subtract anything to it. The salvation of your soul depends upon it.

To “atone” means to cover so as to cleanse. Our souls are defiled by sins. Sin has turned it into a leper. And in the eyes of God, only the sacrifice of blood offered by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross, nothing else, can atone for it.

False, man-made systems have twisted it. Unbelief would not accept it. We hear many saying: “It is good works that make atonement for the soul.” Others say: “It is religion that makes atonement for the soul.” Still some say: “It is religious activities that make atonement for the soul.”

All these reject the blessed truth of God that says “…it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Have you entirely placed your faith and reliance in what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you when He shed His blood on the cross?

GOSPEL NUGGET #378

Ps 10:14 ...The helpless commits himself to You...

A principle with regard to salvation can be gleaned from this verse. It is an established principle that only those who realize and are painfully aware of their helplessness in saving themselves commit their salvation wholly and entirely to the Savior.

It is only when we realize that we are weak that we look for Another who can be strong for us. It is only when we become aware that we can't stand on our own that we lean on Another.

God gave us the Ten Commandments and commanded us to obey it perfectly in order for us to learn and realize that we are helpless and powerless in ourselves to obey it in its entirety perfectly from the inside out. The intention is to humble us. To make us see our helplessness.

It is only then that we are ready to totally commit, rely, have faith and throw ourselves to the finished perfect work of the Savior on the cross for our salvation. "The helpless commits himself to You."