Salvation of the Soul: We Stand Alone

Our heart’s desire is for our loved ones to belong to Christ. However, we cannot bring anyone into the kingdom of God. The truth is we stand alone regarding our salvation.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1: 12-13).

To begin with this verse tells us how to become children of God. This is by receiving Him and believing in His name. To achieve salvation through association with someone else is not Biblical. Neither do we have the ability to save ourselves.

Next John 1:13 states, “Those who were born in His name, who were born not of blood.” This verse means salvation does not pass from parent to child through the blood connection. To be saved we must have a second birth or conversion.

In addition, this scripture states, “Nor of the will of the flesh.” This simply means your own will does not have the power to save you.

Finally, the last part of the verse, “Nor of the will of man, but of God,” meaning no other man can save a person. Although we may be anxious to see a loved one become saved, we cannot produce their conversion. We all stand alone in our decision for Christ.

Let me explain. If our parents are Christians, this does not make us a Christian. In the same way if we raised our children in a Christian environment, this does not guarantee their salvation.

In addition, if our spouse is a Christian this does not make us a Christian. Also, if our spouse is a church leader, or belongs to a church related organization, or is a missionary, or a pastor, this does not make us a Christian.

In contrast, the desire of the believing spouse to see their husband or wife come to Christ cannot save them.

The point here is that many Christians make the assumption that their loved ones are saved. This stems from their heart’s desire for their loved ones to be saved.

So to be clear, it’s not because of our earthly families that we are awarded the privilege of salvation. Nepotism is not a consideration with God.  We will not find favor with Him because of our relatives.

We know the world works this way when it comes to gaining entrance into a privileged position or place. Nepotism is frequently practiced among those with power and influence.

God’s way of working is to call individuals to himself with no preferential treatment based on family relations. Salvation is based on a free will choice of the one individual. We stand alone in this decision.

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). We stand alone as we confess with our mouth and believe with our heart.

The confession of faith and belief of the heart go hand in hand. We have to believe with the heart. No one but the individual can make this heart decision. There is an outward confession of faith and an inward act of faith.

So if we think because our parents are Christians, we have gained entrance into the kingdom of God, we are mistaken. Yet I see many Christians (even older adults) who profess to be Christians because they grew up in Christian families.

Or if, on the other hand, we think our children are Christians simply because they grew up in a Christian home we are mistaken. Yet I have seen many Christian parents refuse to even consider this matter.

Why are the blinders on? Perhaps it is a pride component, maybe fear, or complacency. Similarly, for some it is too painful to consider the fact that they have unsaved loved ones. Then again for some there may be a lack of correctly understanding true Christianity.

Lastly, if you believe you are saved because your spouse is a devout Christian you may be fooling yourself. You cannot hang onto the coattails of your beloved for eternal security. You need to stand alone. Only God can grant you eternal security.

“And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26).

All of the above scenarios are a trap from the enemy. Why do I say a trap? If you believe nepotism or position ushers you into the kingdom of God you may never truly seek the Lord and become saved.

Furthermore, if you lead someone to believe (because that is your heart’s desire) that they are saved because of their connection (spouse, parent, child) to you they may never see their need for Christ.

Lastly, if you believe you are saved because of your connection to a loved one, you are misleading yourself. This is self-deception. True Christianity is based on the individual standing alone in his or her decision to follow Christ.

As we can see in today’s world, the enemy is intent on misleading as many individuals as he can.

The more souls he can keep out of heaven is his ultimate goal. So let’s not be oblivious to the things that are happening around us.

The good news is that the odds are on our side. That is if we have lived out our faith before our loved ones. Moreover, we may feel that we have failed our loved ones in some way. But our God is a God of hope, fulfilled promises and miracles.

Finally, let’s remind ourselves that God is always at work saving the lost. Meanwhile the hope that we have concerning our loved ones are God’s promises. To conclude, here are some promises to cling to and to utilize in our prayer times:

• “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
• “Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you” (1 Corinthians 7:16 – NLT)?
• “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
• “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
• “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).