The Holy Spirit has ministered to me concerning the word, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25 NKJV). We are not always faced with a gun to the head and an ultimatum to denounce Jesus or die, but we are always faced with the temptation to attempt to be our own salvation and let our works be our righteousness. Isaiah tells us, “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV). Paul wrote to the Romans, “If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10 NKJV). We cannot be what Jesus has been and is for us, our righteousness and our salvation. If we attempted, through our own works, to be righteous and earn salvation and save our own life we will lose it.

All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. Jesus left heaven, where He had dwelt with God forever, and came to the earth, because of God’s love for us, to die and remove the penalty for our sins. The blood of Jesus removes the filthiness of our earthly covering and covers us with God’s forgiving love (a fruit or the Holy Spirit). We are all like an unclean thing and then Jesus comes to us and dies for us, spilling His blood to cleanse us. Jesus lived a sin free life, as a man, and then died for those of us that are like an unclean thing (and that is all of us). His righteousness is the righteousness God accepts for our righteousness. His righteousness is our salvation. If we attempted, through our own works, to be righteous and earn salvation and save our own life we will lose it, but if we let Jesus be our righteousness we are saved already. If we lose our life for His name sake, give up our life and take on His life (to the glory of His name), we find life.

We shall be saved by His life. First, Jesus had life with the Father always; “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV). “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20 NKJV). Second, Jesus lives, having been raised from the dead. “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NKJV). “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10 NKJV). Jesus lives!

We may not have to face a gunman or have a knife at our throat or be beaten and nailed to a cross to die for our belief, but we do have to face a real enemy that would like us to deny Jesus Christ. That enemy will use our pride and tell us that we are doing the works that will save us. There is no works that we can do to gain salvation. We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. That enemy will tell us that our sin is greater than our Lord Jesus, but the enemy is a liar. I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins. The enemy will tell us that he can give us the promise now, but he is defeated and has no kingdom to deliver. “He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you'” (Luke 10:18-19 NKJV). Only Jesus the Christ is our salvation. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'” (John 14:6 NKJV).

How do we resolve the fact that works are required? James wrote that faith without works is dead (see James 2:26 NKJV). “If someone says he has faith but does not have works. Can faith save him?” (James 2:14 NKJV). NO! It is not faith that saves, but what we have faith in, namely Jesus the Christ. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him” (1 John 5:1 NKJV). That is the key. Jesus came because God so loves the world (see John 3:16) – Jesus died for our sins – God raised Jesus from the dead and we have life with Him – we return the love that God sent to us and do works out of love. “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23 NKJV). “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 4:18 NKJV). My faith in what? That God so loved the world and sent His Son to die for our sins. My faith in God’s love. Now I do not seek to save my own life by works but give my life to the love of God and find life in Jesus the Christ whom God sent out of His love.

If you have never given your life to Jesus the Christ and accepted Him as your righteousness and salvation, you can do so now by praying. The prayer that needs to be spoken to the Father in the name of the Son, Jesus, is one of repentance and acceptance. First, admit your need for a Savior. Second, confess your belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and He died to pay for your sins, rose from the tomb, and was seen by witnesses after the resurrection as written in the scriptures. Lastly, ask for God’s help in turning your life over to Him and receiving His life into your heart; ask also that God guide you to a fellowship of believers to pray with. God bless you and keep you.

© 2005 Tim D. Coulter Sr.