The Spiritual Antidote For Depravity: Salvation    

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

If we fully understood the effects of sin and depravity, we would be desperately looking for a solution. When we’re sick, we don’t have to be in that condition very long before we are ready to take an “over the counter” medicine or see a physician to prescribe us something that will remedy our situation. After all, no one likes to feel less than 100% and walk around sick all of the time. But when we don’t address our spiritual illness, inherited from birth, we settle for living in a state of spiritual affliction. 

It’s true, the masses seem to have no concern for their spiritual health and well-being. How do we draw that conclusion? Look around. No church, no Bible, no love for the things of God and His kingdom, and a constant avoidance of anyone or anything that would bring people to the crossroads of a spiritual decision. Instead, distraction after distraction. Devices designed to make our lives easier bring with them, endless distractions. Whenever we get a moment to ourselves or have a spare minute or two, what generally happens? Often, out comes the phone. And while there is nothing wrong with a regulated distraction or two, like taking in a movie (wholesome) or just sitting by the fire and reading a book, we need to make sure that we are not living life in a constant state of amusement or escapism. Why? Our very lives should be centered around the person of Jesus Christ. He alone should be on the throne of our lives and nothing else. Diversions are a clever device used by the enemy to keep people entangled in anything but that of seeking Christ. After all, his endgame is that as many human beings as possible will pass through this life without ever experiencing authentic salvation and fellowship with our heavenly Father (Luke 8:12). 

But if you are a born again believer in Jesus then I suppose that you know that and make daily decisions that reflect that kind of understanding and wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-16). But in our culture today, the practice of addressing our depravity and running to the Savior seems to be limited to only the few, and Jesus told us that would happen (Matthew 7:13-14). But if we were to dig a little further and analyze the most important things to us such as our career, job, or other endeavors in which we spend much of our time working, would we say that those things are a calling, God-centered, or even God-honoring? Are we trying to get rich, just survive, or gain some sort of an advantage? Everything that we do should reflect our position in Christ and our standing before God. Our lifestyle should be one that demonstrates the power of God in our lives. 

So why all of this self-assessment and analysis? Because, apart from Christ, we are spiritually dead. It matters not how much we have in material wealth. It matters not how successful we are, in the eyes of the world, if we have no relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ (Luke 12:15-21). It’s not a stretch to say that the majority of people in the world today, are living in a state of sin and depravity, some, perhaps, with no knowledge of such. And the endgame of sin and depravity is death, physically and spiritually (Romans 6:23). So, if we care about our sin and depravity, recognize it as the spiritual disease that it is, and are seeking a remedy, a permanent solution to this problem…I’ve got good news!

You Need To Be Saved

The same call to salvation in Jesus Christ that went out in the first century, is the very same gospel still proclaimed today. And while our world continues to change and is becoming increasingly more tolerant and accepting of sin and depravity, even normalizing it, promoting it, and heartily approving of those who pursue it, all the while mocking God and His Word (Romans 1:18-32, Galatians 6:7), God has not changed nor has His Word. And the offer of salvation from all of the sin and depravity that infects the human soul is still available to anyone. Our passage from Acts is a perfect summary of the call for us to surrender our lives to Jesus. It calls for three things. 

Step 1: Repent

To “repent” means “to change your mind.” And yes, we can repent. God is not calling us to do something that we are incapable of doing. Salvation comes from God but our decision to either repent or not is ours. We might say that repentance is the precursor to salvation in that we all must come to the end of ourselves and, in humility, cry out to God for salvation, based on what Christ has already done for us on the cross (Romans 10:13). Repentance paves the way for us to come into fellowship with God through faith in Jesus, being born again, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

But human pride is the antithesis of repentance and causes the multitudes to miss out on life, abundant and eternal. Repentance is not a side issue of the Christian faith either but is consistently presented as essential for any of us to come to saving faith in Jesus. If your religion is teaching you that repentance is not necessary rather just promoting a participating in religious ritual that neither saves or changes your heart, look again. Repentance is taught throughout all of scripture. We see it in the Old Testament and the New. It is proclaimed by John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, Jesus Himself, and the apostles. Let’s take a look at some of these passages dealing with the all important issue of repentance. 

“Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.” “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Ezekiel 18:30b,32

In the Old Testament, we see repentance. Here, God is appealing to the consciences of the people to, “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions.” Notice the change that repentance brings, “turn away from all of your transgressions.” This is what repentance does. It causes us to realize the depth of our sin and depravity, something that our modern culture often ignores. But God is calling each of us to reconsider our life choices, directions, and lifestyles and come to Him in repentance. Again, human pride will yell in disapproval of such a call but the offer still remains. 

“Turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.” God is referring to the effects of unchecked sin and how it can keep us from progressing in our walk with Christ or even keep us from saving faith altogether. So the call goes out to “repent” and “turn from” all sin and ungodly lifestyles. 

Then God says something quite remarkable. He reveals a portion of His nature and character. “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. Don’t let anyone fool you. God cares about you and doesn’t want to lose any soul (1 Timothy 2:4). But while we can rejoice that God’s character and nature reflect His not taking pleasure in the death of anyone, we must still balance that with the reality that, for those who refuse to repent and turn, ignoring salvation from God through faith in Jesus Christ, will, in fact, lead to death, both physically and spiritually (John 3:18, Revelation 20:14). 

So, God was calling the people to repentance in the Old Testament, urging them to “turn from all,” all that opposes the very things of God, all of the sin and depravity that we have as a default setting apart from Christ, and all of the things which entrap and, ultimately, destroy mankind and the human soul. So, the call goes out, “Therefore, repent and live”, a call that is still echoed in the pages of scripture and from God-honoring pulpits across the land and around the globe!

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

  Matthew 3:2

Now let’s turn to the New Testament. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ. He was sent to pave the way for the Savior to come and walk among us. And if we were to reduce John’s ministry down to just one word, it would be, “repent.” Repentance was important for fellowship with God under the old covenant and it is equally important for those seeking God under the new covenant. 

Repentance always means change. The very opposite of repentance is for there to be no change in our lives. For us to think that we can be spiritually transformed yet walk in lifestyles that oppose God and are contrary to His will, would only be deceiving ourselves. 

Repentance means change…change of mind, change of heart, change in desires. And while none of this change comes apart from God’s working in our life, repentance is what leads us to this all empowering and saving faith, in which the Spirit of God transforms our minds, hearts, and souls so that we can now align our lives with His will, not ours (Luke 9:23). John the Baptist had one job, make way for Jesus! And his message? “Repent!” 

Therefore, bear fruit in keeping with repentance…

    Matthew 3:8

In order to demonstrate John’s intent in preaching repentance, his secondary message was, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” He was actually addressing the Pharisees and Sadducees, who had come for baptism as well. Listen to his response to the religious men of the day. 

“You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” They were religious but not spiritual. They were hypocrites because they followed not the very things that they taught others to follow. Their ways were steeped in tradition and obedience to laws and ordinances. So he tells them to, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” 

This is important because just being religious doesn’t mean that one is saved. The proof is in the life. That’s what “bearing fruit” means. Bearing fruit is indicative of a life that has been truly transformed and is now living in a state of repentance, pursuing the things of God rather than the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17). We can’t come to God until we come to the end of ourselves, own our sin and depravity, and, in humility, cry out to God for His saving power to transform our lives. And the good news? When we do this, He is faithful to come into our lives and to transform us from the inside out. This is the power of saving faith. But first, we need to repent.  

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

    Matthew 4:17

So, let’s look at the life of Jesus, during His earthly ministry. After His baptism (Matthew 3) and a time of temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4), Jesus begins to move about and make a proclamation. Would you like to guess what that proclamation was? That’s right. “Repent.” “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The exact same message preached by John the Baptist is now being proclaimed by Jesus (God incarnate). We cannot move beyond this first of steps to saving faith. If we are looking for a way to preserve our ungodly lifestyles while, at the same time, maintain our salvation and fellowship with a Holy God, we will not find it in the pages of scripture. Sure, there are religious systems that teach such things but they are contrary to the very truth revealed from God the Father (Ezekiel 18) and from God the Son (Matthew 4). As Christians, we will live our lives for Christ imperfectly, although He is perfecting us each day. We will make mistakes, have moments in which we struggle with our flesh, and even have disputes with others around us (Romans 7:18-21). But make no mistake about it, when we live a repentant life, having received salvation in Jesus Christ, and are living life filled with the Holy Spirit, we will seek to please God in all respects. Mistakes…yes! A consistent lifestyle that fails to honor God, doesn’t bear any fruit for the kingdom, or is apathetic to the things of the kingdom of God, no (Matthew 3:11-12).   

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

And that bring us to our passage at the top of the article. But first, an important note. When we talk about repentance and turning to Jesus, we need to be careful that we are not sending the wrong message to a lost and dying world. Repentance leads us to Jesus, but turning away from all of our sin before coming to Christ is not the message. We don’t ask a drunk to get sober and then come to Jesus. The drunk comes to Jesus and God transforms him so that alcohol no longer has a hold on him. We don’t ask the prostitute to stop turning tricks and then come to Jesus. The prostitute comes to Jesus and He delivers her from that lifestyle. We come to Jesus just the way we are…but we don’t stay that way! Jesus came to delver us from the law of sin and death and to give us new life, causing our minds to be restored, our hearts delivered, and our souls saved for all of eternity (Romans 8:15, Romans 6:12-14). Repentance leads to saving faith and saving faith leads to a changed life, demonstrated by our lifestyle and change of heart. 

Peter was commissioned to preach the gospel to a lost and dying, first century world. We are called to do the same in the 21st century. That is why we cannot compromise or waver in our steadfast devotion to Christ and loyalty to the truth of His Word (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). People’s eternal souls are at stake. This is not a game rather it is the very issue of life, now and in eternity. As God demonstrated in Ezekiel, He does not take pleasure in the death of anyone, and neither should we. We should take the declaration of Acts 2:38 and proclaim it to the world so that some will come to saving faith in Jesus Christ and move from spiritual death to spiritual life. 

Paul also addresses the issue of repentance:

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God…

    Romans 2:4-5

There are three things of vital importance in this passage.

(1) God is patience, kind, and tolerant in His dealing with humanity and our sin and depravity. Have you ever wondered, “Why doesn’t God just wipe these people off the face of the earth?” If and when we have these thoughts, we should, first, praise God for His patience with us and for delivering us from the power of sin and death by giving us His Holy Spirit. But when we have these thoughts, we also need to turn to this verse and remember that a characteristic of God is patience. He wants everyone to come to saving faith and prolonging judgment is a way in which He provides that opportunity for the masses moving through this life without His forgiveness and without a relationship with Him. His gracious nature is to lead us to repentance. 

(2) People not responding to the gospel, in repentance, is a decision of their own making (John 3:19-21). “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart…” is the reason Paul gives as to why people remain in a spiritual state of deadness. A stubborn heart is an unrepentant one. People, through their own desires and philosophies, chase after the things of the world, and often forfeit the eternal life offered to them through Jesus. Often, they balk at the idea of repentance and go about their business as if there will be no consequences for such a decision. 

(3) Regardless of what this modern culture wants to think, there are consequences for ignoring repentance and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and eternal ones at that. “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God…” When we discard the truth of God’s Word in exchange for teaching that drives mankind to spiritual destruction, we get what we deserve. But God’s Word reminds us that, although there are those who will, in stubbornness and an unrepentant heart, miss out on eternal life, we don’t have to. There will be a day when Jesus will separate those who belong to Him, having demonstrated a transformed heart through their lifestyle from those who pass from this life apart from Christ, the biggest of all tragedies (John 3:18, Matthew 3:12). Paul reminds us about “the day of wrath” and the “righteous judgment of God.” Those who are lost and dying, having been blinded by the enemy, and in a refusal to repent, will be separated from God for all eternity and there will be no chance of retrieval. But for those of us who belong to Christ, who fellowship with Him daily, and who walk in the power of His Spirit, we face no judgment rather we will be greeted into heaven as sons and daughters, fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).  

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

    2 Corinthians 7:10

Repentance is more than just feeling bad for what we have done. In fact, if you let the enemy turn your failures and mistakes into a life of shame and despair, then he has accomplished what he set out to do. But if we have “godly” sorrow, it’s actually advantageous to us. Godly sorrow leads us to repentance which, in turn, leads us to the Savior, and meeting Jesus leads us to eternal life. And when we find life in Christ, there is no more shame, despair, or regrets over our past because all of it has been taken care of once we surrender our lives to Jesus. The enemy may try and take you back in order to trap you in your past, but resist him, firm in your position in Christ, and you will find that your past no longer dictates your future or your standing with God. That’s what Paul is saying when he says that this kind of repentance is “without regret.” In other words, when we come to the end of ourselves and run to the cross, we find everything that we are looking for…forgiveness, restoration, and purpose. And because of the power of the Spirit of God living within us, our past is powerless to bring us down. 

But before we put away this first step to salvation in repentance, don’t overlook Paul’s words when he says, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation…” There it is! Repentance, if it’s genuine and from our heart, brings us to salvation in Jesus Christ, something that our soul requires for heaven and our minds and hearts require for victorious life here on earth!

Step 2: Be Baptized As A Demonstration Of Your Faith In Jesus

Once we are saved, the first act of obedience to Christ is to follow through in believer’s baptism. “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” Repentance leads us to salvation, which is coming to the end of ourselves and crying out to God to save us on the basis of what Christ has already done for us on the cross. And when we have received salvation from God, we should want the world to know that we now belong to Christ and that He is Lord of our lives. And we do this by following in believer’s baptism. 

It doesn’t matter the location of your baptism, it can be in a church, in a baptistry, in a river, or even in a swimming pool. It’s not the water itself rather it is the symbolic demonstration of what has happened in your life as a result of being saved. Salvation is nothing short of moving from spiritual death to spiritual life, from being under the wrath of God to receiving forgiveness and a complete pardon from Him. So baptism demonstrates that we have already undergone a spiritual transformation in Jesus and now walk in newness of life in Christ. As we go beneath the water, we are symbolizing the death of our old lives and when we come up out of the water, we are celebrating our new life in Christ. Fellow Christians will celebrate this new life with you while the unbelieving world may not, as they have no spiritual understanding of what has taken place in your life. But find those Spirit-filled Christians who are also saved and like-minded, for these are the ones that will support you throughout your life as you put Christ first and walk with Him daily. 

A word about baptism contrary to the Word of God: If you were baptized as an infant, this can cause some confusion as to what you should do now that you have truly been saved. We don’t enter into the kingdom of God by the actions of our parents (see “From Religion To Salvation” and “From Religion To Salvation (Pt 2)” for more on that).  Believer’s baptism is for those who have come to Christ and made the decision to give their lives to Him. This is a decision that we have to make for ourselves thus baptism is also a decision that we should make as the first act of obedience to God. Some may struggle with dishonoring their parents by moving away from what they were religiously taught all of their life to now being excited about their new life in Christ and embracing the salvation that they now enjoy. If this is you, I want to encourage you to be obedient to Christ and follow through with believer’s baptism. When it comes to a choice between honoring other people or God, and the choice of those two options is conflicting, we must always choose to honor Christ. There is nothing more honoring to parents than for us, as grown children, to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, even if our parents do not fully understand what that means. Your witness, in baptism, may even be a framework for leading your parents to Christ as well. Once we are saved, our first act of obedience to God is to follow through in believer’s baptism. 

Step 3: Receive The Holy Spirit Into Your Life

What is the difference between someone who is saved (a Christian) and someone who is not? Answer: The Holy Spirit. Consider the following:

In Him (Jesus), you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…”

      Ephesians 1:13

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us in God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

    2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

          2 Corinthians 5:5

What do all of these passages have in common? They all speak of the Holy Spirit as the down payment, the pledge, that we do, indeed, belong to Christ and are heaven bound. Contrast that to Paul as he speaks about the natural man, someone who has yet to receive salvation in Jesus Christ:

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

      1 Corinthians 2:14-15

There are two kinds of people in this world…those who have repented, called on the name of the Lord, and received salvation and new life in Christ and those who have not. For those of us who belong to Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. The unbelieving world does not enjoy this same fellowship with God nor are they positioned in Christ, and they are void of the Holy Spirit. So the difference between a Christian and an unbeliever doesn’t lie in what a person intellectually believes rather these two contrasting spiritual conditions are determined in whether or not we have been saved, whether we have been born again. 

This is why Paul reminds us that those without the Spirit of God do not accept the things of the Spirit of God. Why? For unbelievers, the things of God are foolishness to them. In addition to that, they can’t understand them, they do not have the ability.  Spiritual comprehension is not arrived at through intellectual understanding alone. It is the Spirit of God that reveals truth to our minds, hearts, and souls. This is why a Christian can stand in spiritual confidence while the unbelieving world continues to debate and waver back and forth between various philosophies. When Paul says that the things of God are “spiritually appraised,” this is what he is talking about. It is the Holy Spirit alone that illuminates the truth in the hearts of those who belong to Christ. 

This is why Peter proclaims: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

And how can you tell if a person is saved? There is a unity, an understanding, a spiritual likemindedness that comes because of the Spirit of God living within our hearts. Consider Paul’s words:

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were also called into one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 

            Ephesians 4:1-6

This was written to the church, the body of Christ, which is all of the born again believer’s who have received the Holy Spirit of God. What causes Christians to be unified and likeminded? Answer: The Holy Spirit. What causes the unbelieving world to reject Christ and the gospel? Answer: They are void of the Holy Spirit. That’s why it is imperative that we receive salvation and the Spirit of God and are not just found to be religious, yet spiritually dead. 

The spiritual antidote for our depravity is salvation in Jesus Christ! We must be born again or we will not see the kingdom of heaven. We must humble ourselves and come to Christ as a little child or we will not enter at all. But when we find authentic saving faith in Jesus, are baptized in obedience to His Word, and receive the Holy Spirit of God into our lives, we can say that we are the very children of God!

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

  John 3:3

…and (Jesus) said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

  Matthew 18:3-4