Salvation Available for All

August 1, 2021 Background Scripture: Romans 10:5 – 17 Lesson Passage: Romans 10:5 – 17 “God has made salvation available to every person.” That’s a statement that makes a lot of sense to a Christian. In fact, Christians should see this statement as a declaration of truth. But how would a non-Christian view this statement? If a non-Christian knows a person who professes to be a Christian, they will likely view this statement as “church talk” that has nothing to do with them. This is one of the major challenges of evangelism. Christians and non-Christians often understand religious statements totally different. Christians can sometimes say a lot of things that make sense to other Christians and yet make absolutely no sense to a non-Christian. We cannot evangelize the lost by having a Christian conversation. A lost person must sense the need for God on the inside before the word of God affects them. For this reason, it is important to understand the passage of scripture that precedes the Background Scripture if we are going to know how to apply this lesson to evangelism. Paul began by saying his prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. God must give people the thirst, or desire, that makes them receptive to His word. That’s the beginning of the process. Until that internal desire is there, then our Lesson Passage doesn’t matter to the lost. If we leave the lost out of the discussion of this lesson, then it will just be a discussion among Christians about our own salvation. We can discuss and revel in our own salvation while doing nothing to reach the lost for Christ. When we start with prayer for the lost, then this lesson reveals the possibilities of evangelism. A person must know they have a need for God to desire to be in the right relationship with Him. A person must know what is preventing them from knowing and experiencing God’s presence in their life. If we know that something in us keeps us from experiencing God, and there is nothing we can do to remove it, then we know the answer must be outside of us. Experiencing the presence of God in a personal relationship is what we call salvation. The desire to experience God makes us receptive to the way that God has provided. No one has to do anything new, but we must accept what has already been done. The answer is not hidden in heaven nor is it buried in a grave. Salvation is closer to us than we could have imagined. Jesus Christ has fulfilled everything that God requires of us for salvation. We were born separated from God by sin that is within us. Jesus was born without sin. Jesus chose to become sin and suffer for sin in our stead. This he accomplished by being nailed to a tree and dying a sinner’s death. God demonstrated His approval of what Jesus did by raising Jesus back to life on the third day. God extends salvation to all who believes what Jesus did and accepts it as being in their stead. So, why isn’t everybody saved already? First, everybody does not feel the need for salvation. That’s why evangelism must start with prayer. We pray that God places the desire for salvation in the hearts of the lost. Secondly, the persons who feel the need don’t know what Jesus has done for them. Somebody must share with the lost the good news of what Jesus has done for the lost. The only way a person can share the good news is that God must send them to do so. Pray and then spread the good news: Salvation is available to all. Robert C. Hudson July 17, 2021