The Protocol

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Ephesians 1:12-14 says, “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

     Years ago I had a template that was used to make flow charts.  You could map out actions from the beginning to the end of certain procedures on which you were working to come up to a desired conclusion.  In some sense, it established a “protocol.”  The first definition of the word “protocol” is “an original draft, minute, or record of a document or transaction.”  The typical flow chart can be used in a number of situations  such as treatment of a disease.  I was informed of the “protocol” of a certain hospital where I was a patient, of the protocol involved with a diagnosis of Covid-19.  There was to be no deviation of the prescribed protocol and you had to be isolated for twenty days even though the rest of the country was significantly less.

     It is interesting to notice that God has a protocol in regard to salvation.  The first step has to be true, or “yes” before you can go on to achieve the second step.  A person hears the Word of truth, then believes it and then is sealed by the Holy Spirit.  You cannot trust  in something that you have not heard.  I went a long time before I heard the Gospel but after I did, it took even longer for me to come to the point of trusting in Christ for my salvation.  Once you do trust, however, the sealing of the Holy Spirit takes place instantly along with Regeneration, Indwelling and being baptized into the body of Christ.  There are many people who try to substitute something of their own creation in order to be sealed, but it doesn’t work and they end up with a false security in their own method.  Some try to use a good moral character but end up just sugar coating a sinful one and resulting in false hope.  Others try to do good works in order to be sealed but that doesn’t work either.  Still others try to use a different method such as reincarnation and think that things will be different in the next life.  That doesn’t work either.  The only way is the one that is prescribed in John 14:6.  It is Christ alone.  There is no other way.  Acts 16:31 says that the way for salvation is “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Praise God today that He has laid out the path for salvation.