What is salvation?
The simplest biblical definition of salvation can be summarized into one word, "deliverance".
1 Thess.5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
God provides us a means to be saved from the penalty of death. We are separated from God due to our sins, but we can be delivered from the wrath of God by means of the grace of God which is found in His Son,
Rom.6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Jn.3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Salvation is the most fundamental issue in life. Salvation is the will of God for every person.
1 Tim.2:4 ...Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2 Pet.3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Why must I get saved?
We need to be saved because we are totally corrupt and lost in sin. We are in essence incompatible to the nature of God. We are the enemies of God in our sin state (Col.1:21, Rom.5:10).
Rom.3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. ...
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Salvation redeems us out of this sin state and brings us back into a relationship with God. Without salvation that comes from God, we will be recipients of His wrath which will end in eternal death. It’s not that we need to save ourselves—we cannot do so—but that we need to receive God's salvation to escape the debit of sin, which is death.
Rom.6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What message does NOT bring salvation?
We often hear these phrases today in the context of becoming saved,
- "you must invite Jesus into your heart." or
- "you must accept Christ as your personal Saviour."
Where in the bible can we find these? Such "invitations" have absolutely no Scriptural basis. If you don't do what the bible instructs, you are wrong! (Look at Cain and Abel for an example!)
Redemption is not responding to an altar call after a prosperity message; it is not being scared into heaven by a hell-fire preacher; it's not reading a baseless gospel tract. Other misconceptions of salvation that are frequently heard today are things like, you must,
- —repent, —be baptized, —join a church (God's family), —have a priest or pastor or evangelist pray the sinners prayer with you, —walk down an aisle, —have witnesses at your sinners confession, —sacrifice time or money or commitment to a religious group.
What is the gospel message that saves us?
Unlike the gospels of other dispensations which depend on works, and laws, and observances, and conditions, our grace gospel is plain and simple. Our gospel, and the salvation it brings, is already complete, and simply needs to be received. There is nothing else that is tied to it that needs to be done or observed or earned. The simplicity of our gospel is clearly highlighted in this passage of scripture below,
Rom.5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
We do not need to concern ourselves with Moses and the laws he received, or with Abraham and the promises he received. Our gospel message only deals with two persons. Adam and Jesus. Adam disobeyed, was condemned, and received the penalty of death. Since we are all of Adam, and all under the penalty of his offence, we all inherit death and separation from God. (Romans 3:23)
The gospel that God provides us and that can save us from this sentence of death is the message of what Jesus Christ has done for us to redeem us from death and bring us back into right standing with God. Paul writes the following of the grace gospel,
Rom.1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
In the scripture above, Paul refers to the gospel as 'the power of God unto salvation'. Stop and consider this. Out of all the content in the Bible, the only thing that is mentioned that actually 'SAVES' us, is the Gospel; the message of the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us!
The clearest scripture passage that defines the grace gospel is as follows,
1 Cor.15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The gospel encapsulates the cross-work of Jesus Christ. Therein is the power of salvation if you hear the message, and then believe the message. Salvation lies in the fact that there is nothing you could do to earn salvation for yourself. So Jesus Christ, God's Son, paid the sin penalty for us by His death on the cross. The price of redemption that He paid has bought you back from death, (1 Cor.6:20; Rom.3:21-26), if you receive His gift of grace and trust in His work for you. He died in our stead, and the righteousness of His life is freely imputed to us by God's grace as we trust solely upon His death and resurrection. Jesus Christ is your only hope and it's in Him that you trust alone.
Eph.2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
How do I get saved?
God, through Jesus Christ, has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive the salvation God offers (1 Cor.15:1; Eph.2:8-9). So, now that you know what the good news of the grace gospel tells you, and you are informed of what Christ has done for you, you need to decide what you want to do with this news. That's it! You do not need to do anything else but to believe that what Jesus Christ did for you is the truth.
If you choose to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and that He was buried and rose again from the dead, so that by His shed blood you are forgiven, and by His resurrection you are justified [declared innocent, pardoned, acquitted], then you are saved. The fact that you trust in the cross work of Christ as your ONLY means to be made right before God, is your salvation. That's IT!
- It's not about feelings or sensations!
- It's not about anything else you must do to prove your faith!
- It's not about being baptized or joining a church!
- It's not about what you did in life and how bad you were!
It is ALL about JESUS CHRIST and what HE has done FOR YOU. It's His life accredited to you that saves you! All you need to do is believe that and trust Him to do what He said He would.
What does it mean to 'believe' the gospel?
After hearing the gospel, it is the choice to believe it that is the doing part. The gospel does not save one simply because you heard it. No, one must respond to the gospel by making a conscious decision to believe it, based on the conviction that comes from the Spirit of God in the gospel, (Rom.1:16).
I see salvation happing in this manner:
Someone hears the effective presentation of the grace gospel. The gospel, at some point after hearing it, will sprout truth and start to affect the heart. It is at this point when conviction (by the Holy Spirit) occurs. This conviction of truth requires a decision. If the person ignores the conviction it disappears, and that moment of clarity (truth) is lost. Through either the up’s and down’s of life circumstances, or a repeat of hearing or recalling the gospel message, this person is convicted again of the truth of the cross. The Holy Spirit produces another moment of conviction (truth) in the heart. It is yet another moment of opportunity for this person to choose life (or death!). The point is, as you can see, there is an action present here. The person remains lost if they do not respond to this conviction and call out (verbally or silently) to God, saying that they choose to believe that it is in the cross-work of Christ that they find their only hope. If they make the choice to believe the good news, they are instantly and immediately saved, and the Holy Spirit seals them unto salvation.
So, this is the ONLY work a person needs to do. The work of choosing to believe in Christ. It is certainly not automatic. It requires a conscious choice. Thereafter, it becomes the work of God to lead them into an increasing life of sanctification, all the while the person making the choice to change based on the guidance and inspiration of the Spirt who leads them into righteousness and commitment to God.
Is baptism in water required for salvation?
No. In the grace dispensation, which we live in today, water baptism is not a requirement to be saved! If you need more details and qualifying scriptures, please see my post about the topic here.
Can we lose our salvation?
No. The grace believer's salvation is forever secure, and they are "sealed with the Spirit." (Rom.5:1-2; Rom.8:29-39; Rom.6:8; Eph.1:13-14; Eph.4:30; Phil.1:6; 2 Tim. 1:12).
Eph.1:13 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,
If a true believer in Christ could lose his salvation, it would mean GOD has rejected His Son's sacrifice for our sins! Jesus was raised from the dead "by the glory of the Father" (Rom 6:4), proving His sacrifice was accepted by the Father… thus we are "accepted IN the beloved" (Eph. 1:6).
Upon our salvation, we are "sealed with the Holy Spirit" unto salvation. Once you are sealed, you cannot be unsealed! God does not want you to doubt your salvation, and there is no reason for you to doubt God. Our salvation by grace does not depend on our performance, good works, or even our faithfulness. The salvation we enjoy today as believers is solely dependent upon what Christ has already done for us at Calvary's cross!
Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Must I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord for salvation?
No. The act of confessing Jesus as Lord was a required condition that was part of the Kingdom Gospel. Salvation in the grace gospel today simply requires you to BELIEVE that Christ died for your sins and was raised for your justification.
Our salvation does not have conditions to fulfil in order to merit, or earn salvation! Notice how the above verse starts. "IF you will confess...". The word "if" is a condition. It's something required of you! The proper context of this verse in Romans is part of Paul's writings to Israel.
Our salvation is simply to believe! To trust that the cross-work of Christ is all sufficient to save us and justify us before God.
For more details and qualifying scriptures, please see this post.
The Jews had to work for their salvation. Should I also?
Israel have always been under a covenant program. If they did what God commanded, they were blessed. If not, they fell under a curse. The very essence of the law was built on a foundation of works. This is why the book of James hammers home the need to prove your faith with works.
The Kingdom gospel held nothing back regarding faithful work and endurance. Yet in stark contrast to this, we find that the grace dispensation has nothing to do with works and endurance, but rather with waiting.
Romans 8:23 ... waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
1 Thess 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
2 Thess 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
The reason why we wait in expectation is because Christ has done everything necessary to redeem us. We do not need to prove ANYTHING! We do not need to work out our eternal salvation in fear and trembling! (See full explanation here). We do not need to work and endure because all (that was necessary) was done by Jesus Christ on our behalf. Christ has satisfied the sin payment and by His work we are justified before God.
Unlike the participants of the Kingdom gospel, who's salvation is tied into works that they had to merit, the gospel of grace requires no works and is utterly based on unmerited grace. God chooses to save us because of the work of His Son imputed to us by His choice, as is confirmed clearly in the following scriptures, Eph.2:8-9; 2 Tim.1:9; Titus 3:5.
Beautiful, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you. God bless. 🙌
DeleteAj mne sa to páči. Veľmi dobre vysvetlené.
ReplyDeleteTX Eva. Appreciate your kind words. 🙌
DeleteAwesome stuff brother
ReplyDeleteThank you. Appreciate the support and encouragement.
DeleteGod bless.