How lovely to note
that when the Lord Jesus speaks of Himself, He uses no lofty imagery; rather He
speaks of Him-self in comparison to everyday things, so that we have no difficulty
in grasping the meaning of His message. In John’s Gospel, chapter 4, He
speaks of Himself as Water, in chapter 6 as Bread, and here as the Door. The illustra-tion
is simple. The Lord is saying that, just as you pass through a door to enter a
building, so by faith in Christ Jesus you can enter into God’s salvation.
Perhaps the Lord has spoken of Himself in this way in order that it may often
come to our attention! When you enter and leave your own house, you use a door.
As you enter a car, you use its door. You pass through a door as you enter a store.
Almost everywhere, doors meet your gaze. Our Lord seems to say to you, “I
will meet you wherever you are, and I would like you to be reminded wherever you
go that I am the door by which you can be saved.”
GOD’S SALVATION IS A PERSON
Now, I would like you to notice how particular the Lord is in His statement regarding
the way of salvation. He does not say, “The church is the door,” neither
does He say, “The sacraments are the door,” nor, “Baptism is
the door.” Rather, He points to Himself and says, “I am the door.”
Peter affirms this truth by saying, “Neither is there salvation in any other”
(Acts 4:12). Paul declares, “that in all things He (Christ) might have the
preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). Salvation is found only in the person of
our Lord Jesus Christ, for He said, “I am the door.”
A POSSIBLE SALVATION
The Lord declares, “by Me if ANY MAN enter in, he shall be saved.”
How wonderful! Regardless of their color or condition, the Lord invites all.
I remember preaching in a mountain village; a woman who attended those meetings
was yearning for God’s salva-tion. However, the devil had convinced her
that her life had been too sinful for God to receive her. One night as we spoke
of Paul’s words, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief”
(I Timothy 1:15), she saw for the first time that if Christ Jesus could save Paul,
the chief of sinners, He was willing and able to save her, too! She entered in
and was saved! The Lord “is longsuf-fering to us-ward, not willing that
ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
The blood of Christ can cleanse any sin (I John 1:7). Have you been made wretched
through sin? Listen, dear friend, the Saviour beckons you, “if ANY man enter
in, he shall be saved.”
A PRESENT SALVATION
Did you ever hear a person say, “You can’t know in this life. You
have to wait for the judgment to find out where you will be”? Such thinking
is “ecclesiastical rubbish" for I search in vain to find such a theory
in the Bible. In fact, the Bible tells us just the opposite! “He shall be
saved,” says the Lord. It doesn’t say that he might be, or can hope
to be, but, “he SHALL be saved.” When? The answer is simple. The very
moment he enters the Door, he is saved. When did you receive Christ by entering
the Door? When Zacchaeus received the Saviour, the Lord assured him, “THIS
DAY is salvation come to this house”(Luke 19:9). Salvation is not obtainable
after death. “Now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2).
A PRECIOUS SALVATION
The Hope Diamond is one of the world’s most precious gems, yet 10,000 of
them couldn’t purchase God’s salva-tion. But, thank God, the cost
was met by a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. “I am the good Shepherd: the
good Shep-herd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). We are “not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . But with the precious
blood of Christ” (I Peter 1:18,19).
Not only is salvation precious because of the price paid to procure it, but also
because of its delivering power. Hell awaits the sinner, but God cries, “Deliver
him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom” (Job 33:24). Faith
in Christ saves the soul from hell, judgment, and eternal punishment in the lake
of fire. How comforting His words are to those who enter in — “he
shall be saved.”
A PERMANENT SALVATION
When the Lord saves a soul, He does a perfect work. Did you ever observe sheep
and a shepherd? I have, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it is always
the shepherd who holds the sheep, and never the sheep who holds on to the shepherd.
Similarly, in salvation, I’m not holding on to the Shepherd; but thank God,
the Shepherd is holding on to me! He has put me on His shoulders, so I’m
safe and secure (Luke 15:5)!
If you enter the Door, He will assure you with this wonderful fact, “I give
unto them eternal life; and they shall NEVER perish, neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand'' (John 10:28).
My friend, the Saviour calls; will you come? Receive Him now and experience His
words, “by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.
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