Riff's Christian Journal

The sin of most Christians is one that we do not realize we have done. This sin, about which I speak, is the sin where we take credit for being born again of our own will and not by the will of God.

People are always being told to just “accept” Jesus as savior and you will be saved. I thought this as well, even saying it, until I started studying the scriptures for myself.

The following verses made me see that it was by God’s will that we are saved and not by our own will. I could no longer say, “I was saved when I accepted Jesus.” Instead, what I now say is, “When God saved me…”

We all realize that we are a sinful people. Because of this sinfulness, we are spiritually dead to God. As we read in these scripture verses.

In Ephesians 2: 1 we read the following:

1 – “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

From Colossians 2: 13 we read:

13 – “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”

In being spiritually dead our will is free only to act according to our nature and, since we have a sin nature, it is our nature to commit acts of sin. That is why we take credit for our salvation. It is natural to say “I” and we see no wrong.

The word “quickened” in these verses talks about the act of being “born again”. So when does the act of being quickened or “born again” occur, and when are we saved if we cannot choose to be saved of our own will?

In my studying this question, these verses made me see that it is by God’s will that we are saved and not by our own will.

In Ephesians 2: 4, 5 we read this:

4 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

5 – Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”

Now we see that the act of being “born again”, and awakened from being spiritually dead, occurs by God’s grace while we are still dead in our sins.

Further on in Ephesians 2: 8, 9 we read these verses:

8 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

9 – Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

We must be given life before we can respond to God calling us. Just like Lazarus had to be given life before he could respond to Jesus calling out to him to “come forth”. If he had not been given life, Lazarus would have stayed in the grave. So we, too, would remain in our dead spiritual grave unless we are first given life to respond.

In Romans 9: 11 – 16 where the Apostle is giving a defense of the doctrine of election, he explains why God chose Jacob over Esau:

11 – “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 

12 – It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 

13 – As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 

14 – What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 

15 – For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 

16 – So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

We see here that it was not by Jacob’s will, or because of any works that he might do, that God choose him over Esau. No, for it was by God’s will, according to election, that Jacob was chosen.

One last verse that sums all this up quite nicely is found in John 1: 12, 13 where we read the following:

12 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name:

13 – Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Many pastors will quote verse 12 but never follow up with verse 13, which explains verse 12.

You will be told that if you receive Jesus you will be given the right to become children of God. When actually this verse is saying that God first gives man the right to become children of God and, in response, man will receive Jesus.

Verse 13 explains this and tells us how this happens, and when. The first thing we read in verse 13 is “Which were born”. This is talking about being “born again” which has to happen first, and the act of being “born again” is not by one being born into a Christian family, or because of any good works, NOR BECAUSE OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of God.

You see, it is by God’s will that anyone is saved, and we are saved by grace which is the act of being “born again”.  Because we are spiritually dead, we have to be given life, spiritual life, first before we can believe on Jesus and confess Him to be Lord.

In saying, “When God saved me…” gives God credit for our salvation, and rightly so. For it is by His will, not ours, that we are born again and given the power to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to be brought into the family of God.