Nearer Than When We Believed

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed, Romans 13:11.

One key to rightly dividing the word of God is to understand time. In the above verse there are three times given. "Now" is mentioned. The reader is instructed to think of himself as he is at the present time. The time of our salvation is spoken of in a future tense. That doesn't mean that we are to sit around and wonder whether or not we shall be saved when that times come. It refers to the oldest message preached in the New Testament.

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?, Luke 3:7. John the Baptist had been warning the Jews of the great tribulation to come. Jesus Christ warned of that time; For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, Matthew 24:21.

That "wrath to come" was not fulfilled when the Romans sacked Jerusalem as some men have taught. Certainly, that was a grievous time but it does not compare with Jewish holocaust, the Communist enforced famines in the Ukraine in the 1930s or in China in the 1950s. Jesus said that that tribulation would be greater than any time before or after.

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come, Isaiah 63:4. Jesus Christ has long known the day of wrath and has long kept it on his heart. The day is coming when the longsuffering of God with the folly and evil of man will be over. Yet, in the vow of coming vengeance is the hope of the saints; the year of my redeemed is come.

To be a Christian is to be among those for whom the day of wrath holds no terror. The Apostle Paul referred to that day as "our salvation" (which is) nearer "than when we believed". Today's church members are more apt to think of salvation as deliverance from hell, and it certainly is. Paul more often spoke of it as deliverance from the wrath to come.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1st Thessalonians 5:9. If you take a King James Bible literally, and I do, Paul speaks here of a future salvation. He is not speaking of "when we believed". There is a salvation to come.

1st Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

1st Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Our deliverance from the wrath to come is sure. We are sealed unto the day of redemption, Ephesians 4:30. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity, 2nd Timothy 2:19. We see three great works in 2nd Timothy 2:19, we see that great foundation, Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 3:11) standing sure having a seal. We see that that seal assures us that the Lord knows whether or not you belong to him.

We see the great letting work of the Holy Ghost as he lets us depart from iniquity. You are not forced to depart from iniquity upon salvation. For the first time in your life, you are able to depart from iniquity. You will spend a lifetime learning to let the Holy Ghost guide you through the events of your life without resorting to iniquity.

That brings us to "when we believed". That is the third time spoken of in Romans 13:11. It is the time when each individual reader of the Book of Romans was brought to repentance and found saving faith and grace in Christ Jesus. For me, that was January 13, 1982 in a warehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. Forty three years have passed and through the grace of God the seal of God has been upon me and has been letting me depart from iniquity.

Certainly, my salvation for which I have been sealed is nearer now than it was in January of 1982. My salvation is nearer than when I believed. It is sure. It is sealed. My new man, the inward man, is sealed so tight that it cannot sin; Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God, 1st John 3:9.

My outward man, this body of flesh so intertwined with my thoughts and desires is beset by sin daily. Were it not for the great letting work of God's seal upon me, I should have succumbed to the wiles of sin a long time ago. I would be dead by now. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live, Romans 8:13.

How then can a man know whether he shall be saved in that day of wrath? The Apostle Paul went into very specific detail about how a person can know that he shall be saved.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good, Luke 6:5. A person with Jesus Christ dwelling within his heart will have that come forth from his mouth. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, Matthew 12:34. I tried very had as a lost religious person to speak good things but the best that I could muster was to quote commentaries and preachers.

Upon receiving Jesus Christ, my mouth poured forth from its new abundance. I can look at Romans 10:9 and I can know that I shall be saved. I know that I shall believe in my heart all of my life, and I know that I shall confess with my mouth because my heart and mouth are filled with Jesus Christ. I know that I shall be delivered in that great day of wrath because Jesus Christ is my Lord and it is upon his name that I call.

I can understand when bible novices try to make Romans 10:8-13 to be mechanics of how to get a sinner to believe on Jesus Christ. The novice misses the fact that these verses speak of "thou" and "thy". These are singular pronouns written to the recipients of the Book of Romans so that each recipient can biblically judge for himself whether or not he shall be saved from wrath when that day cometh.

Who are the recipients of the Book of Romans? To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 1:7. The book was written to the Jews and Gentiles living in Rome who were beloved of God, called to be saints. In Romans 10:8-13, the Apostle Paul explains in detail how that regardless of whether they be Jew or Gentile, if they believe on Jesus Christ they shall (future tense) be saved.

We live in an age when rightly dividing the word of truth is rare. The key to understanding the bible is to believe every single word in the King James Bible exactly as it is written, to whom it is written in the context for which it is written. When you wrench Romans 10:8-13 out of its context and suddenly make the "thou" and the "thy" to be lost people seeking faith in Christ Jesus you can expect the mess that surrounds so many ministries today.

How then can a saint of God guide an unbeliever to saving grace? Get him under the preaching of the word of God. Let him be purged of his foolish thinking and learn to tremble at the law he has spurned until his guilty soul turns to Calvary. For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe, 1st Corinthians 1:21.