By Pastor John Fry
May 16, 2007 — Jude 3-3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
I have often been ask, “Why is there so many different churches?” We live in a society where those who don’t know God or the scriptures do not know what to believe. There are so many different faiths out there in Christendom that it is difficult to know. Many have an experience with God and feel that that is all there is. While the initial experience is great the Bible exhorts us “…To grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” II Peter 3:18. I am reminded of the story of Cornelius in the 10th Chapter of the book of Acts. He was a devout man who prayed always and gave alms to the people and his prayers came up as a memorial before God. Yet God dispatched an angel who said for him to send for Simon Peter and he will tell Cornelius what he must do. WHAT!! Do you mean to tell me that despite all the religion he had there was more he needed to do? Yes!! Even though he had what people would term today as a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ There was yet more God wanted to show him. There was and is that common salvation that we all can have.
That “common salvation” is the “faith that was once delivered to the saints.” Down through the years man has done the same thing to Christianity that the Jews did to Judaism. Jesus condemned the scribes and the Pharisee’s in Mark 7:6-13 for laying aside the commandment of God and teaching for doctrine the commandments of men thereby making the word of God to none effect. We must be careful today that as Christians we don’t make that mistake. The “common salvation” today should still be the same “common salvation” that Jude and all the Apostles delivered to the people of that day. The message has never changed. Peter preached to the Jews and devout men out of every nation on the day of Pentecost, the day the Church was born into existence, he told them that they by wicked and cruel hands they had crucified the Lord of Glory. Conviction hit them Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Is that not the question today? People are asking, “What do we do with this Jesus? I believe he came and died for our sins, but how do we apply His death, burial, and resurrection to our lives? How do I get rid of my sin and guilt? WHAT SHALL WE DO?” Peter gave the answer in the next verse and opened up the door to that common salvation which we now have available to us.
Acts 2:38-39 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Paul exhorts the Ephesian church in Ephesians 4:4-6 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. In other words there is only ONE common salvation. He further exhorts in verses 11-13 that we need to be unified in THE FAITH. Not the faith of modern religions that cater to carnality, and where humanistic values abound, but rather Christianity today needs to get back to “the faith that was once delivered to the saints”.
P.S. Seek for that Common Salvation not religion
Pastor John Fry
Gregoryville Apostolic Truth Tabernacle
474-9743
jhfry2003@yahoo.com
