TRUE SALVATION EXPLAINED
What is Salvation? Who can save us? How can we be saved?
ACTS 4 : 8-12 NKJV
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
In the above scripture it is clearly stated that we can only be saved through Jesus Christ.
ROMANS 3 : 10-26 NKJV
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none
who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all
turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their throat is an
open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full
of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift
to shed blood;
16 Destruction
and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way
of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is
no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the
law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by
the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the
law is the knowledge of sin.
God’s
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God
apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the
Prophets, 22 even
the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all
who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, 24 being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom
God set forth as a propitiation by His blood,
through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God
had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus.
From
the above scripture we can see that all mankind has sinned and have therefore
failed to meet GOD’s righteous requirements. This passage also makes it clear that a person can be saved by
faith in Jesus Christ.
What then does it mean to believe in
Jesus Christ? And how can one be saved?
JOHN 3 : 1-21 NKJV
The New
Birth
3 There was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man
came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher
come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God
is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man
be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and
be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. 6 That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The
wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where
it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How
can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these
things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak
what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our
witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and
you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No
one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the
Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. 17 For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is
not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds
should be exposed. 21 But
he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen,
that they have been done in God.”
Firstly
in the above scripture we can see that person who believes in Jesus Christ is not
condemned but that the person who does not believe is condemned. In verse 19
and 20 the condemnation is explained. This condemnation therefore describes those who do
not believe. They practice evil! They therefore remain sinners as described
in the Romans scripture above. Sin is deliberate disobedience to God and Jesus
was crucified that our sins may be forgiven. If therefore we continue to
disobey God we are denying Christ and His mission to reconcile us to GOD. This mission
is that Jesus came to save mankind by bringing sinners to repentance.
Secondly
in the above scripture Jesus says , “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. “ Therefore one cannot be saved unless
they are born of The Holy Spirit. This is the starting point of salvation. If a
person is genuinely seeking after God, (and God alone knows those who are), that
person can ask God for salvation and can be born of the Holy Spirit. That is
only the starting point. One must also be repentant. The Holy Spirit is given to those whose
desire is truly to obey God. He will empower those who are led by Him in
salvation.
ACTS 2 : 38 NKJV
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 8 : 13-14 NKJV
13 For if you live according to the
flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God.
Therefore,
if you obey The Holy Spirit, He will empower you in salvation.
1
JOHN 2 : 27 NKJV
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you,
and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same
anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a
lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
In
other words, The Holy Spirit will teach you how to obey God, if you will obey
Him. Obedience to God is righteousness and disobedience to God is sin.
ROMANS 5 : 6-11 NKJV
6 For when we were still without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone
would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates
His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. 9 Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if
when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His
Son, much more, having been reconciled,
we shall be saved by His life. 11 And
not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Therefore
those who are born of the Holy Spirit have been given the gift of
reconciliation, that they may be saved through it. This is the Grace of God.
Notice that we have the reconciliation but we are still to be saved. (This is clearly stated in verse 10 above.) The
working out of our salvation is by the Grace of God in the power of The Holy
Spirit.
PHILLIPPIANS 2 : 13-14 NKJV
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it
is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good
pleasure.
In
the above scripture it is clear that no one is just saved but the one who is being saved must “work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling” I
want to make this clear as many preach the lie that once a person has
made a commitment to Jesus Christ that they are saved.
ROMANS 6 : 1-23 NKJV
Dead to
Sin, Alive to God
6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound? 2 Certainly
not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know
that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried
with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together
in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he
who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if
we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing
that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no
longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the
death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the
life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise
you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive
to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin
reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments
of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God. 14 For sin
shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
From
Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of
lawlessness leading to more lawlessness,
so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for
holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin,
you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What
fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But
now having been set free from sin, and
having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end,
everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Clearly
a person who is being saved is the one who obeys God, not the one who continues
in sin. The one who “work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling”
MARK 16 : 16-18 NKJV
16 He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will
follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they
will speak with new tongues; 18 they will
take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Believing in Jesus Christ (Which as I have previously shown involves turning away from all sin in the power of The Holy Spirit.) together with being baptized into Him is the way of salvation.
1 JOHN 1 : 5-10 NKJV
5 This is the message which we have
heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no
darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have
fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us. 9 If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned,
we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Just
as stated in Romans Chapter 3 above, we have all sinned and all have fallen
short of the glory of God. Therefore if we deny that we have sinned then we are
calling God a liar.
1 JOHN 5 : 1-21 NKJV
Obedience
by Faith
5 Whoever believes that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves
him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that
we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His
commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that
we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever
is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has
overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who
overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
The
Certainty of God’s Witness
6 This is He who came by water and
blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is
the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For
there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And
there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the
blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive the witness of
men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God
which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who
believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not
believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony
that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the
testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who
does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that
you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue
to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Confidence
and Compassion in Prayer
14 Now this is the confidence that we
have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears
us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we
ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a
sin which does not lead to death, he will
ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to
death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say
that he should pray about that. 17 All
unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
Knowing
the True—Rejecting the False
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has
been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not
touch him.
19 We know that we are of God,
and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked
one.
20 And we know that the Son of God
has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who
is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from
idols. Amen.
If you compare the verses from 1 John 1 and
1John 5 above that I have highlighted with bold print you will see that they
seem to oppose one another, but they do not. You see that everyone has sinned,
but those who are born of God do not sin anymore.
JAMES 4 : 17 NKJV
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to
him it is sin.
Sin
is clearly defined in James 4:17 as a deliberate act of disobedience to God.
ROMANS 7 : 15-25 NKJV
For what I am doing, I do not
understand. For what I will to do,
that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what
I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I
who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)
nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to
perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I
do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I
practice. 20 Now
if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil is
present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For
I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I
see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will
deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
In
the above Romans Chapter 7 verses we can see that the apostle Paul is
describing indwelling sin and how it controls a person so that they even do
what they hate to do. In verses 24 and 25 Paul is saying that the only way to
be saved from this indwelling sin is through Jesus Christ.
ROMANS 8 : 1-14 NKJV
Free from
Indwelling Sin
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and
death. 3 For what the law could not do in that
it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the
flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law
might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but
according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live
according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but
those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. 6 For to be [carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace. 7 Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law
of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those
who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if
Christ is in you, the body is dead because of
sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But
if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He
who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit who dwells in you.
Sonship
Through the Spirit
12 Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the
flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the
body, you will live. 14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
So
then from Romans 8:1 we can see that though a person has indwelling sin
controlling them, that person is no longer condemned if they are obedient to
The Holy Spirit. The fruit of this obedience is salvation from all sin as
described in Romans 8:13.That is to say that if we obey the Holy Spirit, He
will empower us in putting to death the deeds of our bodies so that we may have
eternal life.
2 TIMOTHY 2
: 19-21
19 Nevertheless the solid
foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are
His,” and, “Let everyone who names the
name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work
Therefore
the person who cleanses himself from his iniquity is the one who is being sanctified.
2
THESSALONIANS 2 : 10-15
...10 and with all unrighteous deception
among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for
this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe
the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand
Fast
13 But we are bound to give thanks
to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the
beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification
by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to
which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore,
brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught,
whether by word or our epistle.
Salvation
is a journey of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and belief in the truth.
If
you want to be saved you need to obey the Holy Spirit as He is the only one who can empower you to
stop sinning. If you do not stop sinning you are condemned.
MATTHEW 7 : 21-23 NKJV
21 “Not everyone who says to
Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and
done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Clearly
many people who call Jesus Christ their Lord will not be spending eternity with
Him. These ones are lawless or sinners and have never known Him. How can one be
Led by someone that they do not know? If you are to be led and empowered by The Holy
Spirit to put to death the deeds of your body then you must be Born of The Holy
Spirit and have a personal relationship with Him.
JOHN 10 : 27 NKJV
27 My sheep hear My voice, and
I know them, and they follow Me.
Note: All of the above scriptural quotations are taken directly from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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