Saturday, October 19, 2019

Salvation

    Content:

    • Introduction
    • Why we need a Savior
    • Important words to understand
    • Misconceptions about how to get to Heaven
    • God's only provision for our salvation
    • Example of a salvation prayer
    • How I live my life in Christ

      Introduction:


      First watch these short videos:

      Why we need a Savior:

      1. Our condition before God is that we are all sinners before him
        (Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8, 10, Ecclesiastes 7:20 (21 in some translations), Proverbs 20:9, Psalm 130:3, Isaiah 53:6, 64:6a).
      2. God can’t have fellowship with sin or sinners because of his holiness
        (Isaiah 59:1–2, Gal 5:19–21).
      3. God will judge us for our sin
        (Acts 17:31, Rev 20:11–15).
      4. Death is the penalty for our sin 
        (Rom 5:12, 6:23). Death in the Bible is a separation, not a cessation of existence, not an annihilation. Physical death is when the spirit and soul are separated from the body, see Body, Soul, and Spirit in The Danger with Gnosticism.
        Spiritual death is when the spirit is separated from God. Failure to repent in this life means spiritual separation from God forever, first in Hell and then in the Lake of Fire. It’s an eternal conscious punishment where we are forever separated from God.
      5. We are in a situation where we can’t save ourselves 
        (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2).
      This puts us in a situation where we need a Savior to get us to God's Heaven instead of going to Hell. See also the following short videos: 
      God has made salvation very simple. It’s about accepting or rejecting Jesus, believing or not believing in Jesus:
      • John 3:17–18, 36, 14:6
      • Luk 19:10
      • Acts 4:12
      • Psalm 62:1 (2 in some translations)
      It's important to be clear about this and not to teach a false gospel (Gal 1:6–9).
      It matters what we believe.

      There is disorder and confusion about how to be saved because of the following:
      1. Sin:
        After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin has passed down to all generations. We have a sin nature that man follows. Man prefers to go his own way instead of God’s way (1 Cor 2:14). Man doesn’t understand God’s way (Eph 4:17–18). Man invents his own plan of salvation instead of obeying God.
      2. Satan:
        Satan blinds us from seeing the true gospel (2 Cor 4:3–4).
      3. Self:
        Besides our sinful nature, there are people who just don't want to listen to God, they don't want to hear the truth. Even if they know the truth, they don't want to act on it. Adam and Eve had one rule to follow, not to eat of the forbidden fruit. Satan brought temptations, he brought lies, he tried to get Adam and Eve to follow his will instead of God's will. Satan didn't force them, he deceived and lied to them. Adam and Eve used their free will to eat the forbidden fruit. Likewise, people follow false teachers because they say what people want to hear (Col 2:8, 2 Tim 4:3–4, Proverbs 3:5–7).
      Disorder and confusion don’t come from God (1 Cor 14:33).

      Important words to understand:

      1. Saved (Acts 16:30) (sozo in Greek):
        We are saved from God’s judgement, from eternal punishment and separation from God because of our sin (Rev 20:10, 15).
      2. Salvation (1 Pet 1:9) (soteria in Greek):
        Deliverance, to be saved from God’s wrath, from the punishment we deserve for being sinners (John 3:36, Rom 5:8–9).
      3. Savior (Luk 2:11) (soter in Greek):
        Jesus is our Savior, our only Savior (Isaiah 43:11, Luk 2:11).
      4. Believe (Acts 16:31) (pisteuo in Greek):
        It’s more than an intellectual acknowledgement that Jesus existed. It means trusting in him alone (and not in our good works), to have confidence in him, to put faith in him (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2, Gal 2:16–21). A belief that Jesus is the Son of God, who gives us eternal life in Heaven (John 3:18). That he died on the cross as full and sufficient payment for our own punishment.
      5. Faith (Heb 11:1) (pistis in Greek):
        It means to be firmly convinced, a conviction of truth, and it's required of God (Heb 11:6). True saving faith is based on a firm rational belief and trust that God is who he says he is, and that God will do what he says he will do.
      6. Godly sorrow (2 Cor 7:8–10):
        There are differences between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation, while worldly sorrow doesn't.
        Worldly sorrow is a sorrow of being caught and contains no repentance.
        See this described in The Book of Corinthians.
      7. Repent (Acts 17:30–31, 26:20, Luk 11:32, 13:2–3, Jonah 3:6–8,
        Joel 2:12–13) (metanoeo in Greek):
        It involves a change of mind with a request to God for help to go in the right direction. My actions change when I receive Jesus as Savior
        (Luk 24:46–48, Mat 4:17, 21:28–31). It then means starting to live a life according to God. Without repentance there is no salvation (2 Cor 7:10). 
        You don't necessarily have to be sad to decide to repent (Acts 26:20). Some are but some aren't. Repentance is also an ongoing thing: We need to repent when we do wrong or when we become aware of areas in our lives that need
        to change, and then start moving in the right direction.
      8. Confess (Rom 10:9–10, Acts 2:21) (homologeo in Greek):
        We need to speak the same thing as God says in the Bible,
        not necessarily publicly (1 John 1:9).

      Misconceptions about how to get to Heaven:

      1. I am a good enough person and should therefore go to Heaven:
        The problem with this reasoning is that it uses man's standard, not God's standard. If you break one law, you break all (James 2:10). God demands perfection because he is holy. One sin violates perfection. Adam and Eve committed one sin, and it drove them out of the Garden of Eden. It's not because a person is good that he goes to Heaven, it's because he is forgiven.
      2. Doing good works:
        This is also man’s standard, not God’s standard. The wages of sin is death (Rom 5:12, 6:23, Eze 18:20). Good deeds don't make up for sins. Nor will a judge in court acquit a murderer, just because he has done good deeds.
        That's not justice. Likewise, sin is too terrible for a holy God to be paid by
        good works. The only payment for a holy God is death. 
      3. A God of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness will send me to Heaven:
        This is why many believe that most people go to Heaven. These are true attributes of God. But God is also holy (Isaiah 6:1–3, 1 Pet 1:15–16), righteous, and just, and such a God must punish sin. Holy means to be separated from sin and to have a hostility to evil and sin. God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness can’t override God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice. God can’t act contrary to his nature. God’s attributes can’t conflict with each other. They must work in unity and harmony (Psalm 89:14 (15 in some translations)), see God's Attributes. A judge in court won't acquit a murderer, just out of love and compassion. That's not justice.
      God loves us and doesn’t want us to spend eternity separated from him, first in Hell and then in the Lake of Fire (John 3:16–17, Rom 5:8–9, 1 John 4:9–10). Therefore, God almighty himself paid the price for our sin. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, took on flesh when he was born as a man so that he could die physically. God can’t die spiritually. Jesus shed his blood on the cross for our sin. He took the punishment
      (Mat 27:46, Heb 2:9,       1 Pet 3:18). Jesus is the only one who could do that (Acts 4:12), because he had no sin (John 8:46, Heb 4:15, 1 Pet 2:22, 2 Cor 5:21). This is why the The Virgin Birth so important. God takes the righteousness of Christ and gives it to us, we who have received Jesus as our Savior (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2).

      God's only provision for our salvation:

      1. I must repent:
        See the definition above about Repent.
        It doesn't mean that you act differently before you come to God for salvation. But a change of behavior should come after receiving Jesus as Savior 
        (James 2:18).
      2. Believe by faith that Jesus Christ is my Savior:
        See the definitions above about Believe and Faith.
      3. I need to confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior:
        See the definition above about Confess.
        God says that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
      4. Receive Jesus into my hart (John 1:12):
        That is, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, and asking Jesus to come into my life to be part of my life. God has given salvation as a gift. Many people miss it, because they don’t receive it as a gift (Mat 7:13–14), see The Narrow Gate. You can’t earn it, you will never be good enough for it, it must be received
        as a gift of grace through faith (Eph 2:8–9, 1 Cor 15:1–2). Grace goes against the principle that you get what you deserve (karma). Karma isn't biblical.
        God looks at your hart. You must mean it, you must be sincere. 
        Also see what really makes someone a Christian at time 3:34–5:08 in
        Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ August 2023.
      By doing this you get the following:
      • Forgiveness (Jer 31:34b, Acts 3:19).
        This is the main reason people come to Jesus.
      • God's Holy Spirit.
        You receive God's indwelling Holy Spirit
        (Acts 2:38–39, 1 Cor 3:16, Rom 8:9b),
        see Jesus the Light of the World. 
      • A new birth in Christ.
        You become a born again Christian (1 Pet 1:3, Titus 3:4–7, 2 Cor 5:17),
        see The Book of Peter        .
      • Become a child of God (John 1:12, Rom 8:16–17).

      Example of a salvation prayer:


      Example of a salvation prayer:
      "Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I know the truth is
      that I have sinned by my own choice, and I am responsible for it.
      I know that I deserve punishment from       You, and that the just punishment is death. Jesus, I believe You died in my place. Forgive me for my sin.
      I can't cover or take       away my sin, I trust You completely. You are the
      only one who can save me. I reject my sin, I turn away from it, I repent.
      Come into my life, take away my sin and show me how to live my life
      in a way that is right and pleasing to You." 

      See how to do it in time 47:12–49:42 in Questions About HELL.

      How I live my life in Christ (2 Cor 5:17):

      1. Pray, develop a life of prayer (1 Thess 5:17, James 5:16).
        You can't talk to God too much. You can talk about anything with God.
        You should be sincere in your prayers.
      2. Read the Bible (2 Tim 2:15, 3:16).
        God's basic instructions comes through his word. Read especially the
        New Testament. Get a good Bible translation. Study God's word.
      3. Join a good Bible-believing church or Christian group (Heb 10:24–25).
        God wants us to meet with fellow believers. It should be a church or Christian group that preaches the word in its context. You must study the Bible yourself to verify that the teaching doesn't contradict the Bible.
      4. Be baptized (Mat 28:19–20).
        This isn't a requirement for our salvation, but we should do it because
        of obedience to God's word. See Christian Water Baptism in
        The Book of Romans.
      After being saved, our walk with God begins, with sanctification as the result.
      For detailed information, see       Sanctification.

      The Christian life can be hard and difficult, it can bring more trials in your life.
      If you want to live for the Lord; the world, the flesh (your own sinful nature),
      and the Devil will come against you. You may lose friends. But God will always
      be with you       (1 John 4:4, Phil 4:13, Heb 13:5b). On the other side after death,
      there is unimaginable happiness that enters your life.

      Rejecting or ignoring the suggestion from God is the same as saying no to Jesus.
      Our body will eventually die, but we all have an eternal soul and spirit that will live forever. According to the Bible, it will live in one of two places: God's Heaven or Hell followed by the Lake of Fire. We don’t get any second chance after death. Then it's too late to regret it. God doesn’t want us to go to Hell (John 3:16–17). The Bible says that Jesus is the only way for us to get to Heaven (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

      See also Some stories in the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.
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