Imagination and Salvation

When I was about five years old we lived in Mississippi. Sherry lived across the street and we played together a lot. As it is with most children, much of our playing involved considerable imagination. Once during a storm a tree fell in our yard. For several days it became our home while we were stranded on a deserted island. It provided our shelter, the way to cross high waters and our weapons to ward off dangerous animals. For most of a day we really believed we were on that island.

On another day I was sitting in Sherry's carport. It was a very hot day. Sherry asked me if I wanted some flavored ice cubes. That sounded wonderful and I asked, “What flavor?” She told me she had several flavors and that she would bring me lemon. After that piece she brought me grape. When I asked for another grape flavored piece Sherry began to laugh. “Can you really taste the grape?” she asked. “Of course” I said. She laughed even harder and told me the ice was plain and had no flavor at all.

Often we are told things which are incorrect but because we either trust the source or want to believe them, we accept those things as truth. In the 1800’s doctors often did not have a pain killer to administer before surgery. They would give a patient a placebo (“sugar pill”) telling them that it was a powerful pain killer. Often they could perform the surgery while the patient was awake and still, feeling no pain.

Could it be that there are those who think they are saved because they believe the message of a preacher who is actually teaching error? In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Did these people believe they were saved? Yes, they did. Were they? Not at all. Jesus said to them, “I never knew you.” These were religious people who felt they were saved and expected to be in heaven, but Jesus said, “Depart from me…”

If it is possible to think we are saved only to find out that it is not so, can we be certain of salvation? Yes, we can. We can have confidence. The key is to depend upon the written word of God, not the spoken word of a preacher or the teaching handed down from our parents.

What does Jesus say about salvation and freedom from sin? In John 8:32 He said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In His prayer to God Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17). So truth makes us free and the source of truth is God’s word.

In regard to salvation, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). He also said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16. Which of those statements do you believe? Your preacher may preach John 3:16 to you and tell you that all that is necessary for salvation is to believe in Jesus and say the sinners prayer. Has your preacher ever preached on Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21?

The truth on any subject is the sum of all the information from a reliable source. The Scriptures are certainly a reliable source. One must believe (have faith) that Jesus lived, was crucified and was raised from the dead as proof that He is the Son of God (Romans 1:4). However, faith alone will not save (James 2:24). One must also repent (turn away) from the sin in his life and be baptized (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Baptism is “for the remission of sins” and is the point at which God removes sin from the penitent believer (Colossians 2:11,12). One must have faith in God’s working at baptism or his baptism accomplishes nothing. To put it plainly, if you believed that you were saved before you were baptized, then you were not baptized scripturally and are still in your sins.

I really believed that those ice cubes were flavored lemon and grape. However it was my desire to believe an unreliable source that led me to an incorrect conclusion. A practical joke played by a little girl is very different from incorrect teaching by a man who claims to preach the word of God. Carefully examine the Scriptures above. Contact me to discuss this further. Whatever you do, don’t just imagine you are saved, be confident of it. Examine the word of God. “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160).