What must a person believe in order to receive salvation?
A person must believe the God of creation took on human flesh, went to the cross, suffered, died, shed His blood as full payment for redemption, rose victoriously over sin and death, and now imparts eternal life. Salvation rests on faith in Him who justifies the ungodly, not works, and begins by recognizing need and crying out to God.
Les explains that salvation is for those who recognize their spiritual need. God will not try to save someone who insists, “I have no need”; He waits for the cry for help. As the Lord said, the healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. When a person realizes their need and cries from the heart for salvation, God is there in that split second. It all hinges on believing: that the God of creation took on human flesh, went to the cross, suffered, died, shed His blood as full payment for redemption, rose victoriously over sin, death, and the devil, and now imparts eternal life. The verse adds that it is to the one who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, meaning those without God.