The Four S’s of Salvation, Part 1

April, 2007

by: Tim Carns

You’re sitting at your house with your neighbor just after having lunch together or you’re at Starbuck’s with a co-worker. The subject of Christianity has come up with Frank before and you realize that now you have the time and the opportunity to explain to him the way of salvation. As you sit there thinking of a way to transition to the Gospel, you wonder to yourself, “What key points of the Gospel does Frank need to hear and believe to be saved?” We know that God can (and has) used many means to bring someone to saving faith. It is not our job to save the person, but we must be faithful to bring him or her the message of salvation clearly and accurately. Paul said that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). What do they need to hear about Christ? The basics of the Gospel can be framed around four key elements in what I call “The four S’s of salvation.” You can give these points in less than 20 seconds.

Sovereign

God alone is the all-powerful, holy, Creator King who must be obeyed.

Sinner

All mankind has rebelled against God, deserving the punishment of hell.

Savior

Jesus Christ, the Lord will judge His enemies and save His friends through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

Summons

You must repent from your sins and believe in Christ to be saved.

At the heart of the message of the Gospel is “Our God reigns.” He is bringing about that reign through the coming King, the Lord Jesus Christ. The call of the Gospel is to believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved. Understanding the four S’s of salvation provides the foundation to this Gospel call. I encourage you to memorize them in order to help you not to leave out any key truth of the Gospel. In this and subsequent articles of the Review we will look at each of these points in detail so that you can be better equipped as you proclaim God’s message of Good News to the lost.

So, now you’re back in the coffee shop with Frank …

Frank, what do you think God requires from you for Him to accept you into heaven? I know that you’ve been exposed to some things about Jesus and the Bible. I hope to be able to clear up a few questions that you have. People all over the world have many differing ideas of what will happen to them after they die; about whether there’s a heaven or hell; about what God is really like; and about who Jesus is. Fortunately, we don’t have to be in doubt about these things because God has given us all of the answers in the Bible which is His perfect Word to us. The message of the Bible centers on God and His relationship to mankind. Despite what you see in the world today with hunger, wars, violence, death, disease and sadness, God does have a message of Good News. Let me share that hope with you today.

This Good News starts with God. Now, the world is full of religions which teach many strange ideas about God that aren’t found in the Bible. Some say that there is no deity at all, while others say that there are many gods. Others claim that god is an impersonal force or that we are all a part of god. However, the Bible is very clear that there is only one personal and all-powerful God (Deut 6:4; Is 43:10). God Himself says, “Besides me there is no god” (Is 44:6; Deut 4:35, 39; 32:39). This one true God made everything that exists as it says in the very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). God made all that exists—the sun, stars, earth, trees, sky, animals and people. The fact that He created all things shows two important truths about God and His creation.

The first truth it shows is that since God made everything He has the right to rule over it (Ps 24:1-2). The Bible says that God owns everything because He made everything (Exod 19:5; Job 41:11; 1 Cor 10:26). For example, I made that table there that you have your coffee cup on. I am the one that decided its height, its color, and what it was to be used for. I can do whatever I want with it. If I want to change its color or even throw it away, I have every right to do so. It’s my table because I made it. In the same way God owns all of creation, including the stars above us, the earth beneath us, the creatures of the earth, and all of mankind as well. This includes you and me. We are God’s property because he made us (Pss 24:1-2; 139:13).

The second important truth seen from God’s creation of the universe is that it shows He is all-powerful (Jer 27:5; 32:17). He can do anything He wants. Think about the awesome power that is contained within a nuclear bomb. Just a handful of Plutonium can generate a blast powerful enough to destroy everything within several square miles. The energy harnessed within the atoms which make up matter is unbelievable. And yet, God made this entire vast universe. He is truly all-powerful! The Bible says that God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, wherever He wants. No one can stop Him (Pss 115:3; 135:6; Dan 4:34-35; Eph 1:11). Because God is our all-powerful Creator who owns us, we answer to Him. He is Lord and King over all that He has created (Acts 17:24; Matt 11:25). We must obey Him. Not only does He have a right to be the authority over us because He made us, He also has the power to back up that right.

Some people think that God made the universe but He isn’t involved with it at all. They compare Him to a watchmaker who made a watch, wound it up and then walked away. But, the opposite is true, for the Bible teaches that not only did God create everything but that He also sustains everything. He gives life and breath to all living things (Acts 17:25). In fact, at this very moment, you are being kept alive by God. If at any point in time God decided to remove Himself from His creation all of life would perish (Job 34:14-15). We would not just die but we would cease to exist. Not only that, but the entire universe would collapse for God sustains it at all times as well (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3). I tell you this because you need to understand that you owe God everything. He didn’t just create you but is keeping you alive this very moment. You and I both owe Him our allegiance. The fact that He takes care of you also shows how good He really is (Mt 5:45; Lk 6:35) and how He deserves devotion and worship from you (Rev 4:11).

Even though God is the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer of the universe some people think of Him as being like us with faults and weaknesses. But, God’s Word tells us that God is very different from His creation. He is not like a man because He is holy (Is 6:3). This means that God is separate and unique from all of His creation (1 Sam 2:2). It also means that He is perfect morally—He does no evil (1 Pet 1:16; Lev 19:2). He is the standard of what is right and wrong and He expects His creation to keep that standard (Matt 5:48). God demands that we obey Him completely and keep the standard of morality and goodness that He has set for you and me as given in the Bible…

That’s it for now. Stay tuned next month for more details on the next point in our Gospel outline.