It’s more than salvation – it’s transformation

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes …” Romans 1:16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s more than salvation – it’s transformation”

Sound doctrine really does lead to strong faith. Having an accurate understanding of the faith we profess to have provides the foundation for right living. One of the most important understandings for a Christian to embrace is that faith in Jesus doesn’t just save us from an eternity in hell, it transforms us now and it changes the way that we live.

John Newton is a great example of that. In the early years of his life, he was a brutal slave-trading sea captain. He was known for his cruelty and his indifference to human suffering. But then he came to faith in Jesus Christ and went from that, to being a pastor, preacher, teacher, author, and the writer of numerous hymns, including the best-loved hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace”. He wrote that hymn about himself. “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” That happened because of faith.

Another example would be Chuck Colson. He was a very hard-shelled, mean-spirited political operative who worked for President Richard Nixon. Chuck was known as Nixon’s hatchet man. He did much of Nixon’s dirty work for him. But then Chuck came to faith in Jesus Christ and his life was radically transformed. He ended up founding the most extensive prison ministry in the world, and he wrote many very good Christian books. That happened because of faith.

Then there is Lee Strobel. A journalist and lawyer, he was also an atheist who was determined to use his considerable intellect and his investigative skills to prove Christianity was a lie. It turned out that he ended up convincing himself that there’s no way it could not be true and therefore by faith he turned to Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins. Lee even wrote many very good Christian books about all that he discovered in his own search for the truth – including the book “The Case for Faith”.

My point is that there is transformative power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But it comes through faith. It is a choice we make based upon a decision to believe.

Paul also said in verse 16 that he was not ashamed of the Gospel. That’s a crucial point and one that becomes very important to living a life of faith. This is a tough world and there are many opponents of the Gospel. If you are going to live by faith, and if you are going to be bold about it, you will encounter opposition, skepticism, ridicule, or maybe worse. The power of the Gospel – the conviction that God is real and the Bible is true, gives you the courage and the confidence to face that.

When I was the Pastor of Bancroft Baptist Church in Spring Valley, CA back in the 1990s, our children’s ministry was built around the AWANA program. AWANA stands for “Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed”. That comes from here, in Romans 1:16 but also from 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

The goal of the AWANA program is to teach our children, from an early age, to have faith, to live by faith, and to do so boldly and with confidence – not being timid, passive, or ashamed but confident and bold. That’s what Paul was writing about here. Faith leads to salvation and transformation characterized by courage and conviction.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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