Salvation

What Is Salvation?

Salvation in its simplest form is the concept that God, as part of Divine Providence, saves humanity from spiritual death and eternal damnation by providing for them an eternal life.

This deliverance is from sin that entered into humanity from one man: Adam. Adam was created in a state of knowing God. He freely chose to against the command of God and as a result, the state of "knowing God" was lost. This is widely known as the fall of man. Our nature as created by God (spirit, soul, body) was changed by sin to a fallen nature (body, soul, spirit). This fallen nature was transmitted by way of generation to all people.

Salvation is the restoration of man to the original nature (spirit, soul, body) of man: bringing us back to a state of "knowing God".

Genesis 3:1-24 | Romans 3:23 | Romans 5:12-14

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How Can I Obtain Salvation?

After the fall of man, God set in place a plan to restore man from his fallen state to a restored state. To guide man into an understanding that his ways were against God, God provided the Law through Moses. The Law was not a way of salvation, but a rule of life. Neither Moses nor any other Jew was ever saved by keeping the Law. When man transgressed the Law, the shedding of the blood of animals was required. This pointed forward to the death of Christ, the perfect sacrifice for sin.

God through His grace, sent His Son to die in place of man. Man was destined to account fo rthe original sin committed by Adam and passed to all generations. However, even though sin entered the world through one man, sin was also attoned for through one Man. Jesus Christ attoned for the sins of all men by hanging on the cross and being pierced in His side and left to die. Being pefect [blameless and sinless] at the time of His death enabled Him to be the perfect sacrifice for sin.

It is through belief in the Gospel (the birth, the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ} that men are saved from the penatly of sin. There is only one method to salvation. It is not based on works or deeds or following the Law, but rather through faith in Jesus Christ and the acts He committed for all mankind.

The Apostle Paul recorded that if an individual acknowledges and confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and in their heart believe that God raised Him from the dead, they are instantly saved.

The steps to obtaining Salvation are:

  1. Acknowledge God as the Creator and our humble position as God's creation.
  2. Realize we are sinners and in our fallen state we are condemned to death.
  3. Confess that Jesus is Lord of all and was the perfect sacrifice for sin.
  4. Believe that after Jesus death on the cross, God raised Him from the dead.

It is only through Jesus Christ that we are saved. There are no mystical words the bring salvation, however here is a prayer to use as a guide:

Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that You created everything. I realize that Jesus is the only Son Jesus Christ, shed His blood on the corss, died for my sins, and rose again on the third day. I am truly sorry for the deeds I have committed against You. Cleanse me and forgive me of my sins, as I forgive anyone who has sinned against me. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life. with my heart, I believe that God the Father raised His Son Jeus from the dead. I accept my salvation and I thank you Jesus for coming into my life and hearing my prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 5:1-23 | Hebrews 9:22 | Romans 10:9-10

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Can I Loose Salvation?

Salvation is a gift from God; a gift He will never take back. The more important question to understand is if I recieve salvation and continue in sin will I go to Hell? The belief of once saved, always saved is not biblically sound. There are several scritpures that indicate that a born again believer must continue in the way of righteousness to go to Heaven.

Being Saved vs. Born Again

We must note there is a difference between being saved and being born again. Many confuse the two "categories" as being the same. However, an in depth look at what being "saved" is and what being "born again" is, helps bring to light where a Believer should desire to live. Our eternal salvation is the result of first believing the Gospel of Christ, second being saved by the washing of Jesus' blood, and third being reborn by the repenting of our sinful habits.

Saved

The word saved means to "rescue or deliver someone" or "to deliver from sin." After the Gospel has been heard, the hearer has the option or the free will to believe or deny what was spoken. Those who believe the Gospel and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour, are washed by His blood. The washing by the blood saves them from the Father's judgement on the sin in their lives. Each time a person sins, they need a new washing. Similarly to taking a shower. Before you take a shower, you are dirty. After you get out of the shower, you are clean. However, as you continue through the day, new dirt attaches to your body, requiring another shower.

In like manner, this is the life of a Believer who is only "saved." They go through life constantly needing to be re-washed by the blood of Jesus. If only there was a way to eliminate the constant need to be re-washed. This is where being born again helps the Believer.

Born Again

Being born again is repenting from the type of life a Believer lived. Repentance is a change of mind, a change of thinking, and a change of behavior toward sin in relation to God. A Believer who is born again operates their life in conjunction with the Word of God; meaning they no longer allow Sin to make decisions about their actions but rather lean on the Holy Spirit to guide their footsteps.

Being born again is the equivalent of a new life; something being saved cannot provide. Being saved is momentarily. Being born again is life long. It is important to note that although a Believer is born again, their life can become dead to God if they revert back to the practices of their previous life (backslidden condition). However, if we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will guide us and direct us on our journey.

Ezekial 3:19-21 | John 3:1-21 | Romans 11:1-22 | 2 Corinthians 5:17 | 1 John 3:9

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