The Covenant of Salvation
"This is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." — Romans 11:27
The First of Two
There are two covenants every Christian must make with the Lord. Both are clearly commanded in God's word. No one proceeds to a deeper relationship with God without first making both.
The first is the covenant of salvation. This lesson is about that one.
God makes a covenant with each of us when we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and to become our Lord and Savior. That transaction is not merely a decision, an emotion, or a card signed at a meeting. It is a covenant — binding, legal, and permanent — sealed in blood that was not ours.
What Actually Happens
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
"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 10:9)
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)
Notice what God binds Himself to in this covenant: to forgive, to receive, to adopt, to indwell, and to keep. Not to make your life easy. Not to arrange your circumstances agreeably. To save you and keep you — which is infinitely more.
The Question That Must Be Settled
This study assumes you have made this covenant. But a great many people who read books like this one have never actually made it, and some of them lead churches.
So settle it, plainly, now.
Have you ever, personally, asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and become your Lord and Savior?
Not: were you raised in a Christian home. Not: were you baptized as an infant. Not: do you attend, serve, give, or believe the doctrines are true. The devils believe the doctrines are true and tremble (James 2:19).
Have you come to Him?
If you cannot answer yes with confidence, then everything else in these hundred lessons is premature. Authority over darkness belongs to those who belong to Christ. There is no borrowing it.
If You Are Not Certain
Then settle it today. Not tomorrow, not after you have improved yourself, and not after you have understood everything.
You do not need special words. You need honesty and a real turning. Confess that you have sinned. Believe that Jesus Christ died to pay for it and rose again. Ask Him to forgive you, and give yourself to Him as your Lord.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
Whosoever. There is no clause excluding you, whatever you have done and whoever you have been.
Point to Ponder
Authority over darkness belongs to those who belong to Christ. There is no borrowing it.
Verse to Remember
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." — Romans 10:13
Question to Consider
Can I point to a time when I personally came to Christ — or have I only ever been near people who did?
Today's Practice
If you are certain of your salvation, do this: write out your testimony in full. When, where, what you turned from, what changed. Date it.
Most believers have never written it down, and most cannot tell it clearly under pressure. Writing it fixes it, and you will need it — both for the days when the enemy tells you it never happened, and for the people you will one day tell.
If you are not certain, do this instead. Go somewhere alone and settle it out loud:
"Lord Jesus Christ, I have sinned against You and I cannot fix it myself. I believe You died on the cross to pay for my sin and that God raised You from the dead. I ask You to forgive me. I turn from my sin. I give You my life — be my Savior and my Lord from this day. Thank You for receiving me. Amen."
Then write down today's date, and tell one other believer this week. Say it out loud to somebody.
Prayer
Father, thank You that the greatest covenant of my life was one I did not initiate and could never have earned.
Thank You that You bound Yourself to forgive me, to receive me, to adopt me as Your child, and to keep me to the end. Thank You that the blood that sealed it was not mine and that it can never be undone.
Where I have been uncertain, give me assurance. Where I have been presuming on a decision I never actually made, show me plainly and let me settle it today.
I belong to You, Lord Jesus. Everything else in this study rests on that. In Your name. Amen.
Everything ahead rests on this. Do not build a war on an uncertain foundation.