p. 3 | The Conditions of Salvation by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 19, 1909

The Conditions of Salvation

By Editor

Editorial

The Conditions of Salvation

THE conditions of salvation are plainly stated in the Scriptures. Our Lord declares: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” In answer to the question, “What shall we do?” propounded by those “pricked in their hearts” by the words of Peter, he responds: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” When God threw down the walls of the Philippian prison by an earthquake, releasing his representatives, the jailer “came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” We learn, then, from these scriptures, that the conditions of salvation consist in being converted, in repenting and being baptized, in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. These terms express in different forms one complete work. He who truly believes on Christ will repent and be baptized, and he will be converted or changed into a new creature in Christ Jesus. His faith will not be one of mere mental assent, but one which is manifest in a living experience, in the manifestation of the life and character of the Author of his salvation. There is much that passes for faith which is nothing more than feeling, an arousing of the emotional nature. Living faith, or saving faith, leads to a reformation of life. The old life of sin is buried, and the Spirit of Christ Jesus purifies the motives and controls all the purposes of the believer. Thus by the spirit and power of divine grace, through faith, is the disciple of the Master transformed into the character of heavenly citizenship.