Real Salvation

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: 1 John 3:1-9These days, we have many churches full of empty people who have never really been saved. Adrian Rogers says, “They have culture, but they don't have Calvary, they have ritual, but they don't have reality. They have form, but they don't have force, and they have religion, but they don't have righteousness.”What we need is real salvation, which is outlined in 1 John 3.First, we see the rebellion that proves our sinfulness.“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).To maintain its order, the universe works according to the fixed physical and moral laws of its Creator. Sin is the transgression of the law. Because we are sinners by nature, we are naturally inclined to rebel against God’s laws; and when we break God's laws, we break His heart.This passage also reveals the righteousness that proclaims our sonship.“Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:6-7). We are saved when we bow the knee to Jesus Christ and make Him Lord of our lives. When we are saved, we become sons and daughters of God. Though we are new creations, we are still bound to sin, to slip and fall, to make mistakes. But if we are Christians, we will not make sin a lifestyle; instead, we will live by God’s commandments.Finally, we recognize the redemption that provides our salvation.“And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin” (1 John 3:5). Because of Jesus Christ, we have been delivered from the penalty of sin, the power of Satan and the principle of self. As new creations in Christ, we have a new dynamic -- we’re born again.Adrian Rogers says, “The Word of God and the Spirit of God together, in the womb of grace, have made me a new person.” We also have a new desire to remain holy and righteous, for we are now under the conviction of the Holy Spirit when we sin.Apply it to your lifeHave you experienced real salvation through Jesus Christ? Is there evidence in your life that you have been redeemed—a new dynamic, a new desire to remain holy, and a new deterrent from sin?