Salvation Summaries

If you claim that Jesus is your Savior and possibly Lord too, then you should want to obey Him, right? But what does He want you to do?

Well, the best place to start is to read the gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Another place is Revelation.

Earlier this year, I wrote a post, “What does Jesus want You to Do?”, which was based upon a close reading of Jesus’ clear and implicit commands in Matthew. If you haven’t read it, you might consider doing so, as it contains a lot more details (guidance) than what are in this post.

In this post, I list a number of actions that Jesus wants you to do, and does not want you to do, based upon a reading of His letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation.

But before I provide you with a list of do’s and don’ts, and some practical steps on how to obey Jesus (these are ones I felt were appropriate to do, but you may differ with me on some of them), I believe it’s important to start with this:

According to Revelation, Jesus knows the mind and heart, and the thoughts and intentions (whether good or bad) of every person, including you. As such, nothing you say or do is hidden from Him. You might remember that.

Also, all of the items in the list of what Jesus wants you to do and not do can be done by every Christian, but the problem most of us face is a “lack of time”, though this is really a euphemism for misplaced priorities and a lack of discipline (sorry to say). I’m guilty too in not doing near enough for Him, but I aim to do better now that I clearly know, from reviewing Revelation and Matthew, most of what He wants from us. I hope you have the same desire as you seek to please Him with your words and actions.

This is what Jesus wants you to do:

• Hate sin (2:6)
• Recognize when you sin and repent (3:17)
• Be genuinely saved (3:17-18)
• Discern whether bible preaching is true or false; reject false teaching/teachers (2:2,6; 3:9-10)
• Overcome the world with all of its temptations and allurements (2:7; 3:10)
• Live righteously (3:4); be zealous for good works (3:2). Live for riches in heaven rather than wealth in this world (2:9; 3:2; see also 1 Tim 6:8, James 2:5)
• Patiently endure trials and persevere in your faith (in Him) in times of severe persecution, even death (2:2-3, 10; 3:8)
• Love other believers (2:4-5)
• Love Jesus with all of your being (2:4-5), walk with Him (3:4) and have fellowship with Him (3:4, 20)

This is what Jesus does not want you to do:

• Participate in sexual immorality (2:14, 20-21)
• Tolerate impure doctrine (2:14-15, 20-24) or compromise Christian teaching with worldliness (2:14, 20-21)
• Become spiritually complacent (indecisive, indifferent, uncommitted towards Him) and thus spiritually ineffective and useless (3:16-17)
• Rely upon yourself rather than Him (3:16-17)
• Allow your devotion to Jesus or your love Him and for other believers to weaken (2:4)

Practical Steps to Obey Jesus

To hate sin, we must first know what sin includes.  We are probably all familiar with the major sins of pride, sexual immorality (including a homosexual lifestyle), debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, jealousy, fits of rage, envy, drunkenness, orgies, etc. (as found in Galatians). But hatred for others, selfishness, worrying and anxiety are sins too.  In short, sin is not meeting God’s standard or expectation, and it also includes not doing what you know to be right. As such, we sin all of the time.

In my opinion, the problem we have is not so much not knowing what sin is, but actually hating it – namely, the sins we commit (it’s easy to see and hate the sins of others).  We simply must take sin more seriously, and repent (preferably often) whenever we sin so that we can be cleansed from it (even if we’ve already been forgiven from our sins).     

To be genuinely saved means more than saying a sinner’s prayer or having a casual belief in Jesus.  Genuine faith or belief and repentance are required.  Seeking to do God’s will and bearing fruit or good deeds should follow.  Knowing God experientially and having fellowship with Him is the ultimate assurance of one’s salvation.

To discern whether teaching is false vs true, you must know your Bible well, so a regular reading or study program is a must.  You should not listen to preachers who preach what the world wants to hear or what aligns with our culture if it goes against what the Bible says. In recent years, we have seen several church denominations split over what society and our culture now accept (and even promote) vs. what the Bible views as sin.

To overcome the world’s temptations and allurements requires spiritual growth, discerning what is true vs. false, and self-discipline. 

To live righteously and become zealous for good deeds requires being saved, having biblical knowledge (to know what righteousness is and examples of righteous living), seeking to please God rather than self, putting the interest of others ahead of yours, daily prayer and frequent repentance.   

To endure trials and persecution, you must have a strong faith. To have a strong faith, you need to study His word, pray often, make Jesus more important to you than anyone else, and seek to do God’s will rather than your will.  

To love Jesus with all of your being, walk with Him and have fellowship with Him requires having a sincere desire to do so, making Him the most important person in your life, seeking to do His will not yours, having frequent Bible reading and prayer, avoiding worldliness, striving to not sin, and setting aside time with Him where you seek to listen to/hear from Him.