In 1967, a famous radio panel show began, called ‘Just a Minute’. It was created by Ian Messiter, whose history teacher once caught him daydreaming in class and asked him to repeat everything said in the last minute, without hesitation or repetition. A further ‘deviation’ rule and scoring system was added and Nicolas Parsons hosted the show for over fifty years.
Can you spare ‘Just over a Minute’ to consider ‘The salvation of your soul’?
First – without DEVIATION:
In order not to deviate from truth we turn to God’s word, the Bible. After all, He is the Creator of the soul and upholds all life. Why do we need to have our souls saved? Because we have all strayed from God’s pattern: for ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’.[1] The Bible also tells us that there is only one way to be saved. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’.[2]
Second – it requires no REPETITION.
Christ has died on the cross and God is satisfied with the price which His Son paid to save sinners. He has proved this by raising him from the dead. As God is satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son, there is nothing else that we can bring, because the work is all done, the price has been paid. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus are made right with God — salvation requires no repetition. No-one can condemn those who have once believed and had their sins forgiven. Neither the sacrifice nor the moment of salvation requires repetition.
Third – the salvation of the soul must be received, without HESITATION.
In ‘Just a Minute’, a soul may be lost, but, thankfully, it takes ‘Less than a Minute’ to receive eternal salvation. The reason is that God ‘will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry, when He hears it, He will answer you’.[3] ‘If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’.[4] A story in the Bible records that the fisherman, Peter, as he began to sink into the water cried out, ‘Lord save me’. We read that ‘immediately [or, without hesitation], Jesus stretched out His hand, and caught him’.[5]
Will you be like Peter, who, without hesitation, with no need for repetition, and without deviation, called out three words — ‘Lord save me’?
Adapted from Tom Merriman – Your542day
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