This Gideon Bible was used to explain salvation to me in 1964

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This Gideon Bible was used to explain salvation to me in 1964
This was the Bible the pastor brought to me at my house on the afternoon after I had walked the aisle of the church on Sunday morning.

This Gideon Bible was used to explain salvation to me in 1964. I had walked the aisle on Sunday morning at First Baptist church in Eunice, NM. The pastor had prayed for me and then asked my mom and dad if he could come by our house that afternoon. All these years later, no other day stands out in my memory like this one. Sure, there were other great days: the day Janet accepted a date with me, the day I proposed, the day we married, the days when each of my children were born… I can even tell you where I was when the Lord spoke to me about each of the turns he gave me in my life. But this day was above all days, because it made all the rest of them worth more.

This bible was marked by hand by the pastor who gave it to me. Each marking gave the page to turn to as the pastor sat next to me on an old brown couch and explained each of the scriptures and made sure that an eleven year old boy understood each of these steps toward the cross. inside the front cover…

We sat on an old brown couch in my parents living room and I looked inside the front cover to that gave me the instruction to turn to page 307. I turned to that page and read how all had sinned and needed salvation. On the next page I saw how those who did not accept Jesus as Lord would get eternal death. The pastor explained that this would be eternity in hell.  BUT, God gave us a gift of eternal life through Jesus.

 

The pastor explained how God loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. If I was willing to accept this gift and believe, I could have the gift that God gave for me and have this eternal life. He noted that this was not something that I would get in the future, but something I would have now and for the rest of my life. Then he let me know that this could only be received as a gift. I could not get good enough on my own to have eternal life.

The pastor explained how God loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. If I was willing to accept this gift and believe, I could have the gift that God gave for me and have this eternal life He noted that this was not something that I would get in the future, but something I would have now and for the rest of my life. Then he let me know that this could only be received as a gift. I could not get good enough on my own to have eternal life.

Then he explained that confessing Jesus as Lord meant that Jesus would be my master now. By praying the prayer to confess Him as Lord, I would be making a promise that I could not keep on my own. (remember it is a gift), but if I would make the commitment, Jesus would make me able to keep the commitment that I make by faith. Confess and believe just like this scripture says… That evening he baptized me at the church. Jesus has been my Lord ever since that day.

Then he explained that confessing Jesus as Lord meant that Jesus would be my master now. By praying the prayer to confess Him as Lord, I would be making a promise that I could not keep on my own. (remember it is a gift) But if I would make the commitment, Jesus would make me able to keep the commitment that I make by faith. Confess and believe just like this scripture says... That evening he baptized me at the church.

3 Comments

  1. Whether or not you are saved I do not know, but if you are basing your salvation on Rom 10:9-10 then you got “saved” by works and not by grace. Confession/prayer is a work, furthermore none of those verses mention the BLOOD! It is a bloodless gospel which cannot save anyone.

    The Gideon Bible’s prior to 1960 had it right:

    Where You may Find:
    Salvation through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. Rom 3:24-26

    Today Gideon Bible’s send you to Rom 10:9 which is not how a person obtains justification before God.

    • Bob,
      I agree that our salvation was fully paid for by the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Without Him dying on the cross we would have nothing. Confession without a recognition of that sacrifice would be just empty words. We know from Matthew 7:21 that there will be many that will do just that and end up standing before the Lord on the day of judgment crying about that very confession.
      That being said, there are some things that will happen as a result of our faith in Christ. Even Ephesians 2:8-10 not only says that we are saved by grace and not by works, but concludes with verse 10 saying that we were created unto good works. Some of the things that are evidence or a result of our salvation are clearly stated in the Word of God. Confession, repentance, baptism, loving God, loving our brothers in Christ, not continuing in sin, etc. are all things that will happen if we are true believers. These works without faith in the finish work of Christ on the cross are nothing, but to claim to be saved without these things is just as much error as the former.

  2. Deserthighway, I agree with you 100%. Praise God that you, just like me, have seen the the truth in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Savior. God bless you bro’.

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