Salvation Belongs to God, Not the Church (#1100 - Elim)

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Salvation Without Religion | John 14:6 | The Thief, the Cross, and the Truth About Eternity

Welcome to Unshakeable: A Daily Christian Devotional Podcast with Reverend Ben Cooper

What if everything you thought about salvation was incomplete—or even upside down?

In this bold, theologically rich devotional, Reverend Ben Cooper invites us to rethink everything we’ve assumed about being “saved.” Drawing deeply from John 14:6, where Jesus proclaims, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” this message challenges the notion that salvation is tied to church attendance, denominational loyalty, or religious rituals.

Instead, we are reminded that salvation belongs to the Lord alone (Psalm 3:8), and that God’s grace reaches beyond the walls of religion to meet us wherever we are—just as He did for the thief on the cross.

🕊️ Biblical Exploration & Theological Insight

Using the powerful image of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43), Reverend Ben unpacks the radical simplicity of biblical salvation. That thief:

• Was never baptized
• Never joined a church
• Never recited a formal prayer
• Yet received eternal life from Jesus himself

We travel through Genesis to Golgotha, seeing how Jesus, as the eternal “I AM” (John 8:58), was present from the beginning and fulfilled the Passover promise in Exodus at the cross. This devotional emphasizes that salvation was never about ritual—it was always about Jesus.

In a startling and inspiring turn, Reverend Ben shares testimonies of Muslims around the world encountering Christ through dreams and visions, affirming Acts 2:17 where God declares: “In the last days… your young men shall see visions.” These miraculous conversions remind us that God saves beyond human boundaries, bypassing institutional gatekeeping to reach the hearts He’s calling.

This is a direct call to examine whether we’ve been depending on religion instead of relationship. Are we trusting in church structures, or in the finished work of Christ alone?

Life Application - This message speaks especially to:

• The disillusioned churchgoer
• The seeker unsure of how to be saved
• The believer longing for freedom from religious pressure

Salvation is not performance-based. It doesn’t hinge on attendance, affiliation, or approval from religious leaders. It hinges solely on believing in the One who said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Let this episode free you from striving and lead you into the peace of knowing that you are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Whether you're in a cathedral or on a commute, God is reaching out to you now.

Feeling stirred? Questioning religion but seeking truth? Tune in today and rediscover the simplicity and power of the gospel.

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God bless and see you in the next episode.