What things does God do for a believer in salvation?
In salvation God does everything on behalf of the believer who cries out as a sinner and believes Christ died for him. He imputes righteousness, forgives, cleanses, baptizes the believer into the body, and does everything needed. This is received by faith, not feeling or sight.
Les explains that “salvation” is an all-inclusive word implying everything God does on the behalf of the believer who cries out, “I’m a sinner, I’m in need of salvation, I believe that Christ died for me.” Then God does everything else: He imputes righteousness, He forgives, He cleanses, He baptizes us into the body, and He does everything that needs to be done. The believer knows He did it by faith, not by feeling or seeing, but because the book says so. Les also stresses that the Gospel—not church membership, not baptism, not a work—is the power of God unto salvation.