The doctrine of salvation is the central truth of the Book of Romans, emphasizing that salvation is a work accomplished entirely by God through faith in Jesus Christ's atoning death, not by human works. The sermon highlights that Christ died for the ungodly and sinners, demonstrating God's love and initiating reconciliation. Believers are not only saved by Christ's death but are also kept saved by His ongoing intercession in heaven and will ultimately experience complete salvation with the redemption of their bodies. This salvation is a gift of grace, offering assurance and a future hope of eternal glory, urging believers to share It of divine love.
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Now we turn in the word of God to the book of Romans chapter five, the fifth chapter in the book of Romans, reading from verse six through verse ten. The word by the Spirit of God given through the Apostle Paul in this wonderful book of salvation, the book of Romans. Beginning at verse six and reading through verse ten. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die.
Yet peradventure for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more than being now justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath to him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Chapter eight of the Book of Romans, if you please, a little section in the eighth chapter.
beginning to read, if I may, at verse twenty-two, and reading down through verse twenty-four. Maybe verse twenty-five. Verse twenty-two of chapter eight. For we know the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, and not only they but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man sees, why he doesn't yet hope for?
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? May the Lord bless the reading of this portion from his precious words. May I emphasize, and I believe some of you in your Sunday school class have been studying the subject of witnessing for the Lord Jesus as fellow believers in the faith. But may I emphasize this blessed book of Romans. You have it fine, you'll find it dividing the three great sections. From chapters one through chapter eight, you have the great doctrinal teaching of the Book of Romans.
And may I emphasize that the great doctrinal teaching of this book is one truth that every man, woman, boy and girl should know. But particularly every believer should understand it, and that is the doctrine of salvation. Now the second section of the Book of Romans is in chapters nine, ten and eleven. A parenthetical section dealing particularly with the relation of the nation of Israel. Since the Gospel has come by the Lord to both Gentiles and Jews and shows the position of Israel, the history of their past, and their present situation, and in chapter eleven their future.
Then in the remaining part of the book, twelve through the end of the book, you have the practical application, telling the believer particularly how he or she should live to the glory of God. For this morning in the reading that we have taken, I wish to emphasize the doctrinal part of the book. and it covers the doctrine of salvation. There are many doctrines in the Bible, many doctrines, but without question of doubt, the most important one for the world to know and learn is the doctrine of salvation, meaning how to be saved.
Now let me give you three reasons. that I believe certainly should be sufficient and will be for us who are here today, as most others are believers, to recognize why the importance of this doctrine is so great. First of all, and I'm sure every believer will confess it, until I know the doctrine of God's salvation I shall never be saved. I am saved by it. I find the salvation of my soul through it. I think of the words in chapter one and verse sixteen, where the beloved apostle introduces it, to say that wonderful statement, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God under salvation.
To everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, one rejoices. It's the gospel of salvation for every man and every woman. And I can look back, thank God, and may I say, thankfully, for that very verse preached that very night, when as a sinner I trust to the Lord Jesus as my Savior, I believe the gospel, the gospel of God unto salvation, not only to the Jew but also to the Gentiles. And what a message. I found my salvation through it. And so did you, my fellow believer. Then may I give another reason for knowing the doctrine of salvation, as we should, perfectly?
It is the one message that God permits and expects that every believer will tell others. We may not all, and we should not all, of course, be in the pulpit preaching the gospel or teaching the Word of God. or even in the Sunday school class, teaching it perhaps. But I think of the words of the Lord Jesus, as he told the disciples in the upper room after his resurrection. As he said to them, they will be indeed by the Holy Spirit baptized. And in Acts chapter one and verse eight, he told them, Ye are my witnesses.
And what is the witness? My beloved, let me say, a witness is a person who can only tell what he has heard and what he has seen. And John himself in the epistle of John mentioned the fact of the Lord Jesus that he had seen and heard and even handled from the beginning when he first met him. And the joy of being a witness to tell of the wonderful Savior whom you found. And may I say, personal evangelism can be even the greatest. And even one by one we can witness to others of the Blessed Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So that is the second reason we should understand and know God's way of salvation to be perfectly able to tell others. One wrote the lovely chorus, We are saved to tell others. of the Christ of Calvary, and our precious to realize it. And oh, may God help us all to realize, as the Lord Jesus said, Ye are my witnesses. But then there's a third reason we should understand the way of salvation perfectly, and be able to tell it. It is the one message above all other doctrines you may find in the Bible that declares to every man, woman, boy and girl, the love of God for them.
There are many subjects in the Bible. There are many subjects in the Word of God that are indeed opposite to this, the love of God, as we may well know. But it is the one message that declares the love of God. And I'm sure many of us have enjoyed doing this, quoting the words of the Lord Jesus in John chapter three in verse sixteen. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And so what joy it is to realize those three reasons.
First of all, My soul must be saved and is only saved through the gospel. And then it is the one message. Every man, woman, boy, girl, brother and sister has the privilege of telling others. Oh, one thinks of the joy in my own soul as I look back to my boyhood days and my youth. The night that the Lord saved me. And the first person I met at work the next day, I said, George, I've been saved. And the joy was in my heart to tell him I found Christ. Though himself perhaps was never saved as far as I knew.
But nevertheless, what a joy to realize, telling others. And then to know it's a message of divine love and grace for a poor lost guilty world to every man, woman, Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Then may I emphasize another fact, though, regarding this message of salvation. Let me give a definition of it before going further. Salvation is a work that is done entirely by God, whereby God himself saves a poor lust but believing sinner and gives to that sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ eternal life and assures them he will bring them to eternal glory may I repeat it in substance please let me emphasize I want to re-emphasize this point and go a little further with it salvation is a work that is done entirely by God whereby he saves a
lost, guilty, believing sinner who does no more than put his and her faith in the blessed Savior and his atoning death. And gives to that sinner on believing everlasting life and assures him and her they will be brought to eternal glory. Now may I re-emphasize that in another way? And may I suggest, when seeking to witness to others in the gospel, there's one fact, a negative fact, that should never be forgotten, because you run into it.
You run into the problem. And that negative is this. The sinner must know they cannot be saved by words. For invariably, you find people telling what they're trying to do to get saved when you're trying to witness again and again. They may have many reasons. I think of a man once asked when I asked him, are you a Christian? He said, no. I asked him, why? Well, he said, I'm waiting to see that I can live a Christian life before I become a Christian. Well, he had the horse before the wagon. The wagon before the horse, Muhammad.
He's going the wrong way. No. Here's the thought. Please, may I say this, you'll run into the past. Many people believe they are seeking by works to be saved. Many will say, my father and mother were Christians. I was brought up in a Christian family. That doesn't save you. Or I'm doing the best I can. That doesn't save you. And may I also suggest, by way of warning, There are many religions in the world that are a religion of works, of salvation. A system of works. I've been many times witnessing in my early days in the South.
And I'd hear the answer. I'm working at it. Trying to get safe. Well, let me quote Ephesians two, eight and nine. I'm sure you know it. For we are saved by great true faith, and that none of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should vote. And I'm sure we will and we do confess. In witnessing, oftentimes, we meet people that are trusting in their good works. My beloved, may I say again, please, One thing is needed in all the religious surroundings that we find ourselves in today, most of the cults and some of the denominations too, for salvation offer a system of works.
I never forget, and I go back in memory to my early days in coming to Florence. back in nineteen thirty seven i think or thirty eight when i had a tent meeting and that tent was always visited night after night by two mormon missionaries and every night i knew it was going to be an argument with those two mormon missionaries on one occasion an allulid man came with them and i was preaching that night on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the center of two eternities. And then afterward I knew following the close of the meeting, invariably you have to talk to these men.
They won't leave until you talk to them. And they introduced me to this man, whom they said came from Colombia, evidently one of their elders in the Mormon church. And in conversation, we agreed with one or two points, but we disagreed on the way of salvation. And when we disagreed on the way of salvation, I made this comment to that man. I said, Why do you think I was preaching the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning death tonight as the only way of salvation? And the man answered, Oh, he did something for us, but not everything.
I looked at the man and I said, As long as I live, I'm going to preach Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. And the first thing he said, you don't believe in works. I said, I do, but not for salvation. After salvation. Beloved, please let me say, that's just one example. May I say also, in the Roman Catholic Church and many others, you find they have a system of works. Bowing down to the Bible? Doing this? Doing that? Doing that? No. Oh, I think of the words that one wrote.
It is finished. Every job. Tell me, sinner, this is all you need. Tell me, is it not? Oh, the joy of knowing is the finished one. But now look at our scriptures that we have read. I want to go over the way of salvation as God teaches me. And again, let me suggest. It is my conviction, one of the greatest studies and the first essential studies for a young believer would be the Book of Romans, and particularly the first eight chapters covering the doctrine of salvation. It tells us how we have been saved.
It tells us how we are kept saved. It tells us we shall ultimately be completely saved. at the coming of the Lord. Look in chapter five then and where we began reading at verse six. For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Go to verse eight. But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. My beloved, let me emphasize, I'm sure your soul enjoys it, knowing that you're saved. We have been saved by his death.
For ungodly sinners, Jesus died. God commendeth his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died. Take the two words, ungodly sinner. And beloved, may I suggest to you, that is the problem in trying to deal with a lost soul for them to realize their ungodly sinner in God's mind. You that have studied the book of Romans, well, remember back in the third chapter, the second and third, and the third chapter particularly, God takes the whole world in view.
and he comes to the conclusion in the evidence. All the world is guilty before God, and for all of sin becomes short of the glory of God. But may I say frankly, please may I say, one of the difficulties in bringing a soul to Christ is making them sure that they recognize and acknowledge I am a sinner. Do you remember that story the Lord Jesus told, the two men that went up into the temple to pray. In Luke eighteen, one was a Pharisee. The other was a publican, a despised man in the nation of Israel, though he was an Israelite.
And the Pharisee, of course, prayed with himself. And thank God he was not like the other fellow. He thought he was righteous. But that publican would not so much as lift his eyes heavenward, mowed his breath, Confess God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And God heard his prayer and sent him home saved, justified. Simon, let me say again, you know, you've got all kinds of sinners too. You've got some very ugly ones and you've got some very refined. I think of an incident, a dear servant of God that I knew intimately.
told of an occasion when preaching in a gospel tent in the Middle West. And where some of the Christians had invited friends amongst the friends were a very, very fine lady listening to the gospel that night. And she was introduced to my preacher friend. And I'm questioning early, asked her kindly, and it was always this kind way, an interesting manner, trying to find out if they were saved in the afters. Have you found that you're a sinner and have you trusted the Lord Jesus as your Savior? And she drew herself up very heartily and said, I'm not a sinner. And you know, that's one of the hardest things to do is convince somebody that says, I'm not a sinner.
But he was very, I think he was very rough. I don't think I could have done it, but he did. He said, why you ungodly rich? He said, the word ungodly means without God. But it was two nights later she was there asking him, I want to be saying. She had been convicted by the Holy Spirit. Christ died for who? The ungodly. Christ died for who? Sinners. And that's the first great fact. Salvation by grace through faith and the redeeming work in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So let's go down the chapter. By that I'm able to say, I have been saved by God. The joy of knowing it and the joy of resting upon it on a work that I did not do, a life I did not live, a work I did not do. I rest my soul on that finished work of Christ. I remember reading of a conversation. A Christian lady was having with a man to whom she had been witnessing many times. And who was insisting? The man was insisting. He was doing his best.
He was working for salvation. At last she said to him, There's a great difference between your religion and mine. Your religion is D-O. Mine is D-O-N-E. Done. The work that saves is done. I cannot work my soul to save, for the work that saves is done, but I should work like any slave in love for God's dear Son. The Beloved, that's the first essential thing. Salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus and is its own in death. Now let's read on as you go down to verse nine, if you please.
And note the words that follow in the opening of verse nine. Much more. Much more. And you have those words again in verse ten. Much more. Oh, beloved, may I say, I not only am able to say I have been saved, and as we shall see, God willing, here, I can rejoice to say I'm being kept saved. Let me read the word, beginning of verse nine. Much more then. being now justified by his blood, cleared from every charge by his... Can I pause for a moment?
Listen. In nineteen fourteen, my soul came under the blood of Christ by faith. Now let me say this, after eighty years, my soul has been under that blood all the time. You remember first John one seven. The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses from how much? All sin. Can I repeat it?
I know there's some people in this city, anywhere you may go, think they've got to get saved all over again. And when they sin, oh, wait a minute. Remember the old hymn? Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Let me ask you the question. How many times you should be washed in the blood? Again and again. Once. Once and for all. All happy condition. Jesus is bled and there is remission. And you've got it right here. Having been justified.
Cleared from every charge. How? By his blood. My beloved fellow believer, I guess you and I need to appreciate it more, don't we? We sing the song, What Can Wash Away My Sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me what? Whole again. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. So precious is the soul that makes me white as snow. No other found I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let me give you an example of it. You got it in John chapter thirteen. Where Jesus washed the disciples' feet.
And you remember that Peter objected, Lord, you'll never wash my feet. And the Lord Jesus said, if I don't wash your feet, wash your feet, you're not going to go along with me. And then the Peter said, Lord, not only my feet, but my hand and my hand. Wait a minute, said the Lord Jesus. All you need is your feet washed. You've been washed all over, and you're clean. He told him, Peter, you've been washed. You've been bathed, and you're clean. And you read John fifteen, he tells them that his word that he had preached to them, it cleansed them.
You're clean. He says, all you need is your feet washed. For when you go through this world, you get dirty feet. And if you don't think the world's dirty enough, I'm sure you must. You can't go through. Please let me say very frankly, I think even on the news, if you may listen to the news, you get dirty. All you hear is a bunch of dirt, quite often. And we need our free wash. The washing of water by the word. But as far as the blood, praise God. Oh, praise God. Think of the book of Exodus?
God said, when I see the blind, I will pass over you. It's what God thinks of the blind. Go to chapter ten of the Hebrew epistle as a believer, having therefore boldness to enter the holiest. How? By the blood of Jesus, by that new and living way which he has consecrated for us through the veil. My beloved, the high priest of old, He put the blood upon the Ark of the Covenant on the Mercy City. One. Just one. But God. Oh, beloved.
Let me say it again. I don't care when you don't believe it. I'm going to enjoy it. I've been under the blood since February, nineteen fourteen. Just pick on it. By the blood of Jesus. Well, let's read on. we shall be saved from wrath through him. Future. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, please, I have been reconciled to God by the death of his son. Read Second Corinthians chapter five. As Paul speaks of the ministry of reconciliation, God made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made what?
Become the righteousness of God in him. Please take it in, fellow believer. It's the gospel of salvation. When you're saved, you're reconciled to God, and that's forever. But read on. Much more being reconciled. Now know the next words, and may God help us to understand them. We shall be saved by his life. Now forget the life of the Lord Jesus on the earth. There's no reference to the earthly life of the Lord Jesus. This is heavenly life.
Can I give you the blessed thought? Let me ask you a question. Would it be possible for you or for me to number all the sacrifices that have been made to God on behalf of sinners in the past? In the Old Testament particular, thousands upon thousands of sacrifices of animal victims upon the altar, all pointing to the coming death of the Lord Jesus.
But let me ask you one question. There's only one sacrifice that came alive again. the Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection life. Up from the grave he arose with a mighty triumphal repose. He arose the victor or the dark domain. And he lived forever with his faith to reign. Hallelujah Christ arose. He arose. And it's his resurrection life. Now let me emphasize, God willing, we may emphasize it again in our next message in the later meetings. But let me emphasize, we who are saved don't properly appreciate what he's doing in heaven for us now.
But if he wasn't there in heaven alive and what he's doing, you wouldn't be kept safe. But praise God what he's doing. He keeps me safe. You know what he's doing. Let me just quote one verse. Hebrews seven, twenty-five. Wherefore he's able to say then to the very end, that come to God by him. seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Praying. Praying. My beloved, let me say, joyfully, gratefully, from the time I trusted him, my Savior, then he prayed for me as his child. He never stopped.
Read John seventeen, that great prayer of the Lord Jesus. So blessed me, the high priestly prayer of our blessed Savior in heaven of ours for his own and the joy of... Let me ask you the question. Would God reject the prayer of his only Son? I'm always grateful for every believer whenever I meet them or whoever may write to me. As often I have it, when someone will tell me, all right, I'm praying for you every day. I thank God for... is the one in heaven that's right. That keeps me safe. My great advocate and my great high priest.
We are saved by his life. And as Paul goes on to say, and not only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received. And the word atonement should be the word reconciliation. And belovedly, let me say, let me put it together again. This is a way of salvation. And I tell you very frankly, and I say for humble experience, one of the difficulties that we need to face, and also one of the things that we should do when leading us over to Christ, bring before them the assurance he keeps them safe.
You remember the last words in the Epistle of Jude, will you? The last word in the Epistle of Jude, near the end of your Bible. And that last word, the very last verse in that chapter, in fact, you have the Apostle writing, and what a wonderful thing it is to read the words that he has written, saying that he is able to keep you from falling. Note them very carefully. Verse twenty four. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you while thoughtlessly for the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Savior, the glory and majesty and power both now and ever.
Amen. Oh, beloved, the joy of knowing. Let me repeat it. I know I have been saved, and from the word of God I know I'm being kept. Let me quote the words of the dear Apostle Paul. How appropriate. Second Timothy, one twelve. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day. that day of future judgment, and the joy of knowing he not only saves me, but he keeps me saved.
We go to chapter eight in the book of Romans where we read, there's a future path to that salvation, and the joy of reading about it, as we read in Romans chapter eight, beginning at verse twenty-two. Now may I say again, You take the whole doctrine of salvation in this epistle of Romans from chapter one through eight. In the first part of it, going down through chapter five, you got salvation through by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. You go on in chapter six and seven and even part of chapter eight. You find even by the Spirit of God, the believer is kept saying, as we've already suggested, And then when you come to the end of this doctrine of affection, you find there's a day coming when the believer will have a new body and never complete salvation.
Now know verse twenty-two. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain. Take care of it until now. May I hope you'll pardon me being Maybe a little crude, but I want to tell you, the whole world's got a big bellyache. Summocates. The literal creation as well as the human creation. They've grown us in pain. Travelling until now. You know what caused it?
S.I.M. S.I.M. Let me tell you, frankly, every time you hear of a crime, every time you hear of sin, whatever form it may be, just remind you, whoever did it, it's because they're sinners. I remember in Sunday school one time I asked some of the children in the congregation, I said, how many of you boys and girls know how to be naughty? Every one of them put their hands up. I said, now tell me who taught you. I got no answer.
They were born sinners. Their father and mother were sinners. Their grandparents were sinners. Go all the way back to Adam. It's the nature of the human heart. The heart. is desperately written and deceitful above all things, wrote the prophet, who can know? But even the literal creation, the animal creation that come under man's sin and its judgment and its punishment, and the whole creation groundless, the ecologists, the animal creation, the birds and so on, as well as humanity, groaning together.
Now, I want to tell you, the groans are getting louder. And my fellow believer, I'll tell you that it's crucial to groan if you have to, but don't grumble if you have to, can't help it. Grown. But notice one of the apostles goes on to say, not only that literal creation groan, but ourselves also which have the first proofs of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves. And may I comment? I have never known so many Christians growing as they are now. I say that frankly. There's hardly a day passes that we hear of someone groaning in the body under the weight of sickness and pain.
Now, I tell you one thing, you hear more about medical aid today than you do anything else. and they yet haven't hit the root of it ever. Because of it. I tell you one thing. It's only the Lord Jesus that can take care of the root of it and will and the cause of it. If you ever noticed something in Mark chapter five, read that chapter sometime. You find the Lord Jesus manifesting his power over the power, his authority over the power of Satan. as he casts out the demon, the legion of demons out of that man, sending him into two thousand swines who flee into the lake in the drown.
I remember one time a barber has cut my hair. He asked me why the Lord cast those demons out to go into the swine and have all those pigs die. I said, will you tell me one thing? What was that Jew doing, raising pigs? Calling the word of God, he was not supposed to. He said, I never thought of that. But they're the Lord Jesus. I may emphasize another thing. You never find an occasion where the Lord cast out demons that that person who was affected by the demon could never ask and never did ask the Lord to do it. He didn't have the power. They were under the power of Satan. But thank God for the Lord Jesus.
He destroyed the power of the enemy. And then in that same chapter, he meets a woman on the way to the home of J.I.R.S. And she touches the hem of his garments because she has it, his being, the fruit of sin. And all she does is touch his garments, believing it would heal her. It does. And virtue goes out of them to heal. He heals the fruit of sin. And then at the end of the chapter, death. J.I.R.S.' 's daughter died. He raises it from the dead. Please. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Deliver from the power of Satan and all of his hosts.
Someday from the very deeds of the sin. Someday from the very power of sin with his consequence death. For the wages of sin is death. And the choice. This is a Savior. Praise Jesus. But the fulfillment, the ultimate, what he's going to do. Let's read on in our chapter. And read verse twenty-three again. Not only they but ourselves also which have the first proof of the Spirit. Even we ourselves grown within ourselves. But we're waiting for something. Waiting for the adoption. What is it? The redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope.
But hope that is seen is not hope. but what a man's tears wind up he had hoped for. But if we hope for that, we see enough. Then do we with patience wait for some. Tell you frankly, I defy you to deny the fight. There's a lot of dear Christians, and I know a lot of them myself, who are suffering in the body, but they're waiting for the redemption of their body. That is their blessed hope. That is the final aspect of their salvation. The body. Many years when my mother was in her old age, and oftentimes we would ask her, mother, how are you feeling?
She invariably asked him, answered and said, Fine, accept my body. Well, that's what we wanted to know about, but look, that day is part of our salvation. A new body. A new body. And let me tell you something, it's going to be new forever. Praise the Lord. No more pain, no more sickness, no more sadness, no more sorrow, no more crying, no more death. The former things passed away. A new body. Praise God. Look, can I say it again? Right the night the Lord saved me.
I didn't know he was going to give me a new body. Thank God I learned it later. And thank God I'm looking forward to it now. the joy of knowing, the redemption of our Father. For we are saved by hope. When he died on the cross, we are saved by his blood. Now he's on the throne. We're kept by his intercession there. And then he's coming. Come to me. Spirit, soul and body. Really. Yeah, no. Foy, if I wasn't saved now, I think I could convert myself.