John 3:15-16 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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.” Matthew Henry was a British Nonconformist minister and author who was born in Wales but spent much of his life in England. Let me explain what a Nonconformist Minister is. During this time in history England was being pressured to become a Catholic Nation. If that happened, the Nation would be under the authority of the Pope in Rome. The Popes claim to be the Vicar of Christ then was thought to give him temporal authority over all nations to direct them as he saw fit.
The reformation was a combination of several factors: a century of dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church, whose popes and bishops were demonstrating an increasing abuse of spiritual power for political and material gain; Henry Vllfs desire to obtain a divorce and the Catholic Church’s refusal to grant him one.
The Church of England was formed from this dissatisfaction of many, especially the King. The church’s official formation and identity are typically thought to have started during the Reformation in England of the 16th century.
Now what reformed was the authority of the Pope over the Nation of England and Wales. Yet, this reformation wasn’t a complete change from Catholic Doctrine, but simply a renaming of the church in England.
The nonconformist was a man or woman that read the Bible and compared it with the doctrine of the Church of England. When they began to find several deviations, the left the Church of England and became known as dissenters or nonconformists, believing the Word of God over the teachings and doctrine of man.
It is not my point to cover all these doctrines today, nut simply to give you an overview of history so that the term nonconformist will make sense. Remember the King James Version of the Bible was first published in 1611 and there were many less used translations into English already published. So we see that a Nonconformist was any English Protestant who does not conform to the doctrines or practices of the established Church of England.
Isaac Watts is an equally recognized Nonconformist minister whose hymns are still sung by Christians worldwide’ Now I said all that so you might have contest for the following quote by Matthew Henry. “None that belong to Christ shall be cast off, but every one of them shall be saved, and that for ever. The mercy of God, purchased, promised, and constantly flowing forth, and offered to believers, does away every doubt arising from our sins; while we pray in faith, Redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.” Matthew Henry 1704 We tend to think of the church as it is today, but the doctrine of Eternal Life began with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! John 3:15-16 came from the very lips of Jesus and verified by God throughout Scripture.
Luke 18:18 “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
This is an excellent question! Have you asked it for yourself? What must I do, personally, to obtain everlasting life? We again try to bypass the doctrines of men by going straight to the Word of God. We use the tern Saved for the term Salvation or Eternal Life as did many of the men who penned the Scriptures.
Romans 10:9-10 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This is the final step of salvation, the calling on the Lord to save us. First we must recognize we need salvation because we have violated the principles of God. It is called sin in Scripture and it fills the Bible from the Garden of Eden to some of the last verses before the Book of Revelation. Sin is used 448 times in Old and New Testament. Romans 6:23 tells us that all (everyone ever born) sinned and come short of the glory of God.
That is you and me, friend. The second step is to recognize that we need to repent of that sin. that does not mean we need to change our life before we ask for forgiveness, but it does mean we need to be willing at that moment to turn our back on our sin and seek Jesus. Repentance means turning away from sin.
The next to last thing is to understand Jesus paid the penalty for our sin on the Cross of Calvary. When He willingly gave up His life as the ultimate sacrifice for sin He opened the door to Salvation and Eternal Life.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Now you know the simple steps of salvation. 1. Recognize yourself as a sinner. 2. Understand that you will be judged for that sin. 3. Understand that Jesus died for you to provide a path of Salvation. 4. Be willing to Repent of you sin and place your faith in Jesus as your Savior. 5. Call upon the Lord and ask Him to save you, cleanse you, and make you a child of God.
You are a whosoever that God loves. Pray that prayer in Jesus Name, Amen.
