RAISED FROM THE DEAD

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." - Ephesians 2:1

Television ministries can be a blessing and a curse.  Many ministries are a blessing because many bedfast Christians find spiritual nourishment from some of the fine ministers who broadcast via television.  Furthermore, some unbelievers are brought to faith in Christ after hearing a Gospel message from a faithful minister on TV.

We must admit that television ministries can be a curse.  For instance, some believe that watching a television preacher is a substitute for involvement in a local church.  Probably the worst aspect of television ministries is the few who bring shame upon the ministry because of their outrageous behavior and false doctrine.  The American public has been exposed to so much false teaching that the false teaching is considered proper orthodoxy to most Americans. 

While I do not wish to write extensively about all the false teaching that is broadcasted these days, I do wish to address one of these subjects.  If you watch some television ministers, you get the idea that Christian conversion is simply a matter of choice, a personal decision that can made at any time.  In fact, some of these ministers refer to conversion as "making a decision for Christ." 

The Apostle Paul did not view salvation in such a light way.  When he wrote to the Ephesians, he addressed the first century believers at Ephesus, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."  In other words, Paul stated that a lost person is "dead in trespasses and sins."  Salvation, according to Paul, was a dead person coming to life.

That is a dramatic description of conversion, yet it is very accurate.  A person doesn't become a Christian by "making a decision for Christ."  Here are some facts about salvation:

1.  SALVATION IS A MIRACLE

A person becomes a Christian because of a miracle.  It takes a miracle for a dead person to come to life.  A dead person does not revive himself.  I've visited funeral homes many times but I've never seen a corpse get up on his own and exit the casket.  A dead person cannot make himself alive.  Neither can a lost person simply "make a decision" and become a Christian. 

2.  SALVATION IS SOMETHING ONLY GOD CAN DO

Only God can perform a miracle.  God is the only One who has the power to raise the dead.  Jesus raised Lazarus after he had been dead for four days.  God has raised many people who've been spiritually dead for decades.  God, and God alone, has the power to bring life to spiritually dead people.

3.  SALVATION IS AN INSIDE JOB

Personal reform will not save a lost person.  While I think it is good for a sinner to quit drugs and other sinful, destructive habits, this will not make him a Christian.  In order for a dead person to live, something must happen within that dead person.  God must do an inside work.  Religion tends to put an emphasis on external matters (such as good deeds), but salvation is an inside work, performed by God alone. 

4.  SALVATION IS AN ISSUE OF LIFE

Many confuse religion and salvation.  Religion may be a matter of choice, but salvation is a work of Christ.  When a man or woman gets saved, spiritual life is birthed within.  That's why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again."  Nicodemus had religion, but he didn't have salvation.  The Bible says that there is life in the blood.  Life-giving nutrients are carried through the body through the blood stream.  When a person experiences salvation, spiritual blood begins to flow.  It is the blood of Jesus that gives life to an unbeliever.  Thank God, there is power in the blood!

5.  SALVATION BRINGS GLORY TO GOD

Often Christians will congratulate a newly saved believer.  Often you will hear phrases like, "I'm proud of you."  The fact is that the sinner is not the one to be congratulated.  God is the One who did the saving.  God is the One who deserves the glory for the salvation of a soul.  Too much credit is given to the sinner, the soul-winner and the evangelist, but not enough credit is given to Jesus.  He is the One who purchased salvation by His death upon the cross.  The Holy Spirit is the One who brought conviction of sin, bearing witness of the sinner's hopeless plight.  God is the One who did the saving.  As Lester Roloff once said, "Salvation is all of God.  The Father sought it, the Son bought it, the Holy Ghost wrought it."

Joining a church will never save a person.  Turning over a new leaf doesn't bring genuine conversion.  Making spiritual decisions will never transform lives.  A dead person can only be made alive through the miracle working power of God.  When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is communicated & the Holy Spirit works in the heart of the sinner, conviction of sin takes place.  The sinner is awakened from his deadness and made to recognize his lost condition.  The sinner is brought to life by the power of God through repentance and faith in Christ. 

It doesn't take rocket science to recognize the difference between a dead person and a living person.  When a man is made spiritually alive, it is evidenced by a changed life.  The man no longer lives the same way.  The God he once avoided and hated is now the One he loves and wishes to serve.  The man now acts differently, talks differently and lives differently.  "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature."  God has changed his life! 

Salvation is the miracle of all miracles.  When a person gets saved, he or she is spiritually raised from the dead.  Thank God for eternal life through Jesus Christ!

Have you experienced salvation yourself?