The Four S’s of Salvation, Part 2

May, 2007

by: Tim Carns

In the last review, we began a series addressing the key elements of the Gospel. What truths need to be communicated in order for a person to understand the Gospel? The basics of the Gospel can be framed around four themes which I call “The four S’s of salvation.”

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.

The heart of the Gospel message is the Good News that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back to establish the righteous reign of God and will save His friends and judge His enemies. His friends are those who heed the call of the Gospel to believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved. The four S’s provide the pillars to the Gospel message. In last month’s review we were engaged in a Gospel presentation with a co-worker of yours, Frank, where we initially focused on the first key element of the Gospel—Sovereign. This month we will see how you could explain the second pillar of our Gospel outline—Sinner.

Let’s get back to our conversation with Frank in the coffee shop…

So, Frank, the first thing we need to know is that God is the One who made all things and has authority over all that He created, including you and me. We are to submit to His authority. But, here is where we have a big problem. Both you and I have not obeyed God perfectly—we have not submitted to His authority. For example, God has said in the Bible that we are not to lie, steal, murder, or commit adultery (Exod 20:1-17). When He says not to commit murder, this not only includes the act of killing but even being angry at another or having hatred towards someone else (Matt 5:22). Adultery is more than the sexual act but also includes having any lustful thought or look at another woman (Matt 5:28). Not only are we not to steal (Exod 20:15), we are not even to be jealous of what someone else has or want it for ourselves (Exod 20:17). These are just a few examples of how high God’s standards really are. God’s standard is perfection in what we do and think (Matt 5:48; James 2:10). In fact, the two greatest commandments in all the Bible are to love God above anything else, with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:36-40). How do you measure up to what God requires of you?

The Bible says that there is no one who has ever lived who has met God’s standard (Is 53:6; Rom 3:10-18, 23). In fact, we all live in open rebellion against God (Gen 6:5; 8:21). This rebellion shows itself overtly by direct disobedience to God (lying, hatred, stealing, murder, selfishness, sex outside marriage, stealing, cursing, etc) and covertly by ignoring God or making God into something He is not—something different than what He has revealed Himself as in the Bible. We do not spend our energies in service to God but to ourselves. This disobedience and rebellion is what the Bible calls “sin.” Sin is breaking God’s laws (1 Jn 3:4). If you are honest with yourself, I am sure that you would agree that you have not kept God’s laws perfectly, that you have disobeyed Him. I know that I have. Remember, God’s standard isn’t just the act (like murder) but even the thought or attitudes (like anger).

The problem is that our sin comes from a wicked heart (Jer 17:9; Mk 7:20-23). We do evil things because we are evil (Eph 2:1-3). Most people think that we can make up for our sinful acts by doing acts of good. But there is no act of goodness which can make up for our evil deeds (Titus 3:5; Eph 2:8-9). In fact, the Bible teaches that our good deeds are really like a filthy rag before God (Is 64:6) because they come from a sinful heart. Sin brings God’s wrath and anger (Rom 1:18) because it is a rejection of Him, the One who deserves our honor and obedience. God promises consequences for all who have sinned against Him as He says, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). These are terrible wages for they involve a punishment which lasts forever—an eternity of suffering apart from God (2 Thess 1:9). And not only will this punishment be eternal (Matt 18:8), but it will also be one of great pain and torment in a lake of fire called “Hell” (Rev 14:11; 20:10, 15). Some people make fun of Hell, saying that it will be a big party with all their friends. But believe me, it will only be a place of great suffering and sorrow. You, my friend, do not want to go there. It is a very real place where there is very real pain. The sobering reality is that without God’s help there is no way that you or I can be freed from our sin (Jn 3:19) or saved from the punishment of Hell. We cannot perform any act, ceremony or ritual to save ourselves from God’s just punishment. But there is a way out. There is hope…

Stay tuned for next month’s topic: Savior.