Endless Possibilities - Luke 18:26

“And those who heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved?’” - Luke 18:26

How often I have heard unbelievers respond negatively to the outward call of God. It seems they object to the possibility of their own salvation on two fronts: (1) They don’t know “how” to achieve it, and (2) they simply cannot fathom the power of grace. In a word, most feel it would require some works related scenario for them to “find God.” This is perhaps one of the most perplexing issues facing us as evangelists - we have a group of unbelievers who can’t understand what must be done to be saved and when we tell them that it is by the grace of God through the atonement of Jesus Christ they look at us as though we had two heads! So how do we solve the conundrum? We could use some template for salvation similar to “the Graham Formula”: ( Sermon+Counseling+Follow Up = Decision = Born Again Decision), but that would be disingenuous and a lie. I believe that Dr. Sinclair Ferguson said best -  “The remedy for a culture that will not listen to the preaching of the word is to preach the word.” And it is in that preaching of the word that our audience will find the true road to salvation. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9.  God will open the hearts of those whom He has deemed to be saved, not because of anything they have done but because of His own pleasure. In their inability to understand the grace and love of God they need to be given God’s own words on the subject of “how” they can be saved - “But He said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’” - Luke 18:27
Think of someone who we wouldn’t necessarily consider “saved.” Is he or she any worse than we were before the grace of God overwhelmed us in our sin and regenerated our lives? When we think of salvation, wasn’t the thief on the cross next to Christ saved? “Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” - Luke 23: 42-43. And what of the likes of Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christians. Through the grace of God he too was saved. As for myself I know if He saved me; he can save anyone. There is no one above the grace of God.