True Salvation and One Soul · Looking Back on the Journey
Study Topic: Are You Really Saved? · When a Soul Is Saved
What is most important in our faith?
Ultimately, it comes back to Jesus Christ and the question of true salvation.
We can attend church for a long time and take part in many religious activities. Yet before the most fundamental question, we must stand honestly:
"Are you really saved?"
And going further, we ask:
"How does a single soul, whom God values more dearly than the entire world, come to salvation?"
In this journey, we look back upon distinguishing religious life from true salvation, the truth of being saved through repentance and faith, and the glorious process of a soul returning into the Lord's embrace.
Beyond Religious Life to True Salvation
Religious Life Is Not Itself Salvation
The number of years one has attended church, holding an office, or fervent religious activity does not guarantee salvation.
The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' day also lived outwardly irreproachable religious lives. They knew vast amounts of biblical knowledge, regularly fasted, and gave tithes.
Yet Jesus did not look at their outward religious appearance; he looked at their hearts.
We must not feel secure in our salvation merely because we have intellectual Bible knowledge in our heads or have grown accustomed to church culture.
Salvation is not intellectual assent; it is a personal relationship of life formed with Jesus Christ.
The True Beginning of Salvation: Repentance and Faith
In the authentic response of a person standing before the gospel, there are two key elements.
They are repentance and faith.
1. Repentance — Turning from the Seat of Living as One's Own Master
True repentance does not stop at emotional regret, merely being sorry for several shameful past mistakes.
At its core lies the whole-person decision to honestly acknowledge before God, "Without God, I have lived as the master of my own life," and to turn away from that path.
To stop walking in the way one desired and to turn the direction of life back to God—that is the essence of biblical repentance.
"God, I departed from you and lived according to my own will.
Now I halt those stubborn steps and return to the Lord's embrace."
This confession is the center of a repenting heart.
2. Faith — Receiving Jesus as Savior and Master of Life
When we repent and turn to God, we receive Jesus Christ, the only Savior sent by God, by trusting in him.
Believing in Jesus does not mean merely acknowledging Jesus' existence as a historical figure in an abstract way.
- Jesus is my only Savior: Acknowledging that one cannot pay the debt of sin through one's own power or good deeds, relying solely upon the precious blood of Christ shed on the cross.
- Jesus is my true Lord: Stepping down from the position of being "the master of my own life," welcoming Jesus into one's life as Lord, and beginning a life of obedience (John 1:12).
3. A Present Relationship of Life Receiving the Holy Spirit as a Gift
God pours out the Holy Spirit as a gift within the person who responds in true faith (Acts 2:38).
When the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, he opens our spiritual eyes to understand the truth of the gospel and causes us to live daily within new life in communion with God.
Salvation does not remain merely a future promise of entering heaven one day; it is a present reality where an intimate relationship with God is restored right here and now, living by his very life.
How a Soul Is Saved
Now Behold How a Soul Is Saved
When the gospel becomes clear within me, my gaze naturally begins to turn toward others.
"God, whom do you desire to save?"
We cannot change a person's heart by force, nor can we open it against their will.
The sacred work of saving a soul is always initiated by God first.
In the lesson, three vital elements are explained in the process of a soul reaching salvation.
First, God Moves That Person's Heart First
One day, deep questions about life arise within a person's heart:
"Why do I feel so empty inside?"
"What is there after death?"
"Does God truly exist?"
A person who previously had no interest in God whatsoever begins asking questions about life.
At times, facing great hardships or limitations in life causes cracks to appear in a hardened heart. As the worldly conditions that once supported them begin to shake, they seek true help from the depths of their heart.
In the lesson, this prior providence of God is explained as prevenient grace.
God is already knocking upon the door of that soul.
Second, an Awakened Evangelist Responds to God's Movement
When God is knocking on a soul's heart, if the person who is to share the gospel is not awake, they may miss that holy sign.
Therefore, one entrusted with the gospel must always be sensitive to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
There are times when a particular person lingers unusually deep in your heart, when that soul comes to mind every time you pray, or when their circumstances weigh on you more than usual.
In that moment, rather than passing by indifferently, one quietly asks:
"God, do you desire me to serve this soul?"
A single small message of greeting can be the beginning of life:
"How have you been doing lately?"
"While praying today, you came to my mind."
A sincere word can bring warm comfort to someone and become a precious first step for them to open their heart toward God.
We are not the ones who save people, but when God himself works, we can become channels of life held in his holy hands.
Third, Serving in Love, Proclaiming the Gospel, and Waiting for Their Response
Pouring out a flood of hasty words to someone whose heart has opened is not all there is to evangelism.
One must first approach with genuine love.
Sharing conversations together, genuinely serving that person's difficulties and needs, and embracing them warmly.
Yet it must not stop only at loving service without proclaiming the essence of the gospel.
Discerning the time God permits, one must clearly share the gospel of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The person who hears the gospel may respond immediately, or longer times of prayer may be needed.
Yet the one sharing the gospel humbly sows the seed of the Word, envelops them in prayer, and waits in love for God himself to bear fruit within that soul.
God Is Seeking the Single Soul
Jesus did not seek out flashy crowds; he sought out the marginalized, lonely individual. He met personally with that single soul whom everyone else passed by without notice.
Because to God the Creator, a single soul is more precious than the entire world.
Beside you and among us, there may be that very person upon whom God has set his gaze.
Even if countless people seem indifferent to the gospel, there is no reason to be discouraged. If out of a hundred people the heart of just one person is open, taking steps for that single soul is more than worthwhile.
Because God loves that soul with his whole heart.
The starting point of evangelism is not visible statistics or numbers, but the Father's heart that looks upon a single soul with deep compassion.
An Evangelist's Preparation for One Soul
The Salvation of a Soul Requires the Dedication of an Evangelist
The almighty God could do all things directly and alone, yet wondrously, he has entrusted the transmission of this sacred gospel to human lips and obedience.
That is why wherever a soul returns from death to life in salvation, the nameless tears and dedication of someone are always present.
There is someone who kneels and prays for that soul, someone who visits and quietly listens to their story, someone who proclaims the gospel of the cross in season and out of season, and someone who never gives up and waits in love.
That is the sacred dedication of one entrusted with the gospel.
"God, though I am lacking, please use me."
Through the very person who makes this humble confession, God's history of salvation flows.
The Gospel Must Be Prepared Within Me
If God sends a soul with earnest thirst beside us, and yet we hesitate, not knowing what or how to share, that would be truly heartbreaking.
Therefore, anyone who desires to share the gospel must be firmly equipped with the truth of the gospel.
What existential human sin is, what true repentance and being born again are, what the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ's cross and the life of his resurrection are, and what it means to be saved by faith—all of this must be clearly established in your spirit.
A person prepared with the gospel can, at the decisive moment when the Holy Spirit opens a soul's heart, share the message of life without hesitation.
A Soul Being Saved Is the Greatest Value in Life
Picture a quiet scene:
There is a person wandering away from God.
God knocks first on the door of that person's heart, and in that very moment, you remember them in prayer.
Approaching with small obedience, serving warmly, and finally sharing quietly the gospel God has given:
"Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again.
God loves you and is earnestly waiting for you to return to the Father's embrace."
That gospel falls upon the soul's heart, sprouts, and that person repents, receives Jesus as Savior, and returns to God.
The miracle occurs where a soul once under eternal death is transferred into life.
And you and I are used as the glorious messengers of that life.
In all this world, where could there be a value more noble and eternal than this?
The Vision and Passion of a Fisher of Men
Now We Must Raise the Standard of Our Faith
Our faith cannot forever remain confined to self-centered requests like "Solve my problem" or "Comfort my pain."
Of course, God our Father cares for our weaknesses and needs more deeply than anyone else.
Yet God desires that we take a step further and grow into a broader, more mature place:
The place of carrying the heart of God the Father.
Holding the aching heart of God as he looks upon lost souls, and viewing the world through his eyes.
Then the questions of our faith become new.
Instead of asking, "God, what will you provide for me today?", we mature into asking:
"God, whom do you desire me to love and serve today?"
"God, to what soul do you desire me to be a bridge of the gospel today?"
Living as a Fisher of Men
A person who has received the grace of the gospel is not the final destination of grace.
We are channels of life through which God's grace abides and flows outward.
The light of life that I have received freely must naturally flow to other souls beside me.
Therefore, we quietly pray:
"Lord, let me live as a fisher of men."
"Open my spiritual eyes to recognize the pain of lost souls."
"When the Holy Spirit knocks on a soul, let me also move in obedience to that calling."
"Pour into me a heart that loves, waits for, and serves a soul to the very end."
Viewing a Soul Through the Eyes of God
Our gaze all too easily becomes trapped only within our own circumstances and affairs.
Engulfed by my problems, my needs, my plans, and my hardships, we often fail to look around at others.
Yet God desires that we lift our eyes to look upon the souls around us:
The person living in emptiness without knowing God,
the person who has outward religious forms but has not yet met the gospel of the cross in their heart,
the person who has lost their first love of faith and fallen into deep slumber,
the person who has finally begun seeking God the Creator in the midst of a life crisis.
We must ask in our hearts for God's compassionate gaze toward those souls:
"God, show me the Father's heart."
"Let me look with the same eyes of mercy with which the Lord looks upon that soul."
"Use inadequate me in leading a soul to the Lord."
The Fire of the Gospel Must Blaze Once Again
We are all debtors to the gospel.
Simply through the fact that we have been saved, we have received boundless grace that a lifetime could never repay.
Yet God has even entrusted to us the glorious privilege of sharing this precious gospel of life with other souls.
Therefore, we must rekindle the sacred fire of the gospel once again.
"Have you truly been born again?"
First, quietly look upon yourself:
Have you met Jesus Christ personally through repentance and faith?
Is that life still living and working within your spirit today?
If so, now let that light of life flow out to the souls beside you.
If the assurance of salvation is not yet clear, we encourage you to stand humbly before the gospel of the cross today.
Lay down your own self-righteousness, acknowledge that you are a sinner, and receive into your heart Jesus who died on the cross and rose again.
And if you already enjoy the grace of salvation, pray quietly like this:
"God, let not my faith stop merely at my own personal comfort."
"Let me become a channel of life that saves a soul."
"Through my entire life, let me bear beautiful fruit for the kingdom of God."
God is still earnestly seeking that one lost soul even now.
And he is looking for one faithful person who will approach that soul and share the gospel of life.
"Lord, let me be that one person."
The gospel blazing brightly within our spirits once again,
that gospel flowing through our warm lips and lives,
and a soul that departed from God returning into the Father's embrace—
that is the holy work of a soul reaching salvation,
and the gospel journey that we, who are born again, are called to walk together.