Wednesday, October 25, 2017

What Is Salvation (Part 2)


For the first half of this article, please click on What Is Salvation (Part 1). 

Upon believing, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our salvation

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14

When we put our faith in Christ, we received the Holy Spirit and are sealed in Him. The word for seal (sphragizo) refers to a signet mark, such as a stamp made with a king’s signet ring as a mark of authenticity and ownership. It means we belong to God. The presence of the Holy Spirit is also a pledge or “down payment” of our heavenly inheritance and redemption.

How do we know we are sealed and belong to God? The Holy Spirit tells us:

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children.” – Romans 8:15-16

The Holy Spirit and our spirit testify that we belong to God. In other words, we inherently know in the deepest part of us that we belong to Him. We sense the affirmation of the Holy Spirit by faith.

Further evidence is demonstrated by the fruits of the Spirit growing in us, i.e. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. We begin to reflect the character of Christ instead of the worldly values of selfish ambition, hatred, arrogance, etc.

Some say speaking in tongues demonstrates a true conversion or being “Spirit-filled.” But I don’t believe the Scriptures support this. Firstly, as the verse above states, we receive the Holy Spirit upon believing in Christ, not upon manifesting a spiritual gift. Secondly, the Scriptures say we receive different gifts according to God’s good pleasure:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, NASB

Since we operate as a body, people have different gifts and ministries for the benefit of the whole. God doesn’t single out one spiritual gift for everyone to have.

Thirdly, and this is important to understand, supernatural manifestations can be animated by God or Satan. We have to use discernment and cannot assume the supernatural is always of God. Remember, the Pharaoh’s magicians Jannes and Jambres replicated the first three plagues of the Lord with sorcery and witchcraft. Jesus also warned:

False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” – Matthew 24:24, Holman

Supernatural gifts are real and Christians do perform miracles by the Holy Spirit, but it is also possible for demonic spirits to be behind prophecies, tongues, healings and even miracles. Satan uses these counterfeit manifestations to deceive people (1 John 4:1 tells us to “test the spirits to determine if they are from God.”). So there is a danger in saying everyone should speak in tongues, because it encourages people to seek supernatural experiences for their own sake, apart from their calling in the Lord, which can lead into the world of the occult.

However, if we focus on the witness of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit as evidence of true faith, then we are on solid ground.

Saving faith endures to the end

Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him—if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.” – Colossians 1:21-23

In the verses above, the Apostle Paul summarized the gospel message and salvation concisely, and added a condition: If we are steadfast in the faith and don’t turn away from the hope of the gospel.

In fact, the Apostles and Jesus himself were fervently concerned that churches under their care remained committed and persevered in the faith. Consider these verses:

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. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:12-13, King James 2000

Paul said we must work out our salvation with great care and commitment. This is not salvation by works – only the blood of Jesus reconciles us – but salvation unto good works. He was talking about the sanctification process, our growth in the faith, which is  essential. In truth, God works through us to perform his good will in the world as we “work out our salvation.”

The Apostle Peter said:

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 3:17-18a, Holman

Be on your guard, or “Be sober!” and “Be on the alert!” as Peter put it elsewhere, so we are not led away by deception and sin and fall from our own steadfastness. Instead we should grow in our faith in Christ.

The Apostle John said we must “remain” or “abide” in Christ:

What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.” – 1 John 2:24, Holman

Jesus Christ in his letters to the churches in Revelation encouraged them to “hold on,” “be faithful until death,” and, for those who fell short in their faith, to repent.

To the church in Philadelphia:

I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.” – Revelation 3:11, Holman

To the church in Smyrna:
Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” – Revelation 2:10, Holman

To the church in Sardis:
I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent.” – Revelation 3:1b-3a, Holman

Why all this concern about readiness, faithfulness, repentance and growth? Because God knows saving faith is fruitful and endures to the end.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained:

When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.” – Matthew 13:20-23

People respond differently to the message of the gospel. Some reject it outright; some seem to respond positively but then quickly fall away; some hold on for a while, but the worries and pleasures of the world choke it out. Jesus and the Apostles wanted as many people as possible to be in the last category: The seed sown in good soil that produces a many-fold return. This is why they consistently preached perseverance, faithfulness and growth.

A growing faith is a solid, reliable faith

People have different mindsets about salvation. Some aren’t concerned about it. These people may go to church, but in their daily life they mostly go along with the world. Prayer and obedience are not part of their daily lives. Do such people really know God? Others may live in constant fear of failing and losing their salvation, struggling with feelings of condemnation, fear and shame. To them I would say, Jesus came to heal us and set us free; it is the devil who is the accuser. I believe God would have us in between these extremes: Actively engaged with Him, growing in our faith and the grace and peace of God, and confident that:

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6, NIV

[Side note: When is God's good work in us complete? The day of Christ Jesus!]

The Apostle Peter said we should strive for a faith that grows:

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.” – 2 Peter 1:3-11, Holman

This statement begins with the foundation of our entire faith experience: His divine power. The power of God in Jesus Christ, expressed through the promises of Scripture, enables us to escape the corruption of our flesh and the world. 

Then the passage urges us to continually grow and build our faith: goodness on faith, knowledge on goodness… self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection and (the greatest) love. If we are growing in these attributes, then our faith is healthy, fruitful and strong. In fact, it says we will never fall.

In this life, we do not arrive or cross the finish line – not until the day of Christ Jesus. We are not yet perfect. Even the Apostle Paul said he was not yet fully mature:

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14

If anyone thinks they know it all or have arrived, he is fooling himself. None of us have. Instead, we press on in our heavenly calling.

What’s the opposite of a growing faith? A stagnant or non-existent faith. If anyone is in this condition, first ask yourself whether you know God. Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit? As the Apostle Paul put it:

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can't you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you actually fail the test?” – 2 Corinthians 13:5, Berean Study Bible

If your faith is genuine but stagnant or regressing, then you need to repent. Listen to what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, which He first praised for their works, labor and endurance, but then said this:

But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” – Revelation 2:4-5

Jesus is not satisfied with being anything other than our first love. The lampstand in this verse represents that church. I’m not completely certain what removing it means – perhaps dissolving the church because it no longer fully represents Jesus. Yet He also held out this hope to those who respond and overcome:

Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.” – Revelation 2:7

The book of Hebrews also has more to say about stagnant or regressing faith. Its recipients received numerous admonitions, such as:

We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.” – Hebrews 2:1

After pointing out that the recipients were still immature in their faith, and expressing a desire to move beyond the basics of the faith, the author said:

For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.” – Hebrews 6:4-8

This passage says it is possible for a believer to fall away in such a way that he cannot be restored. Honestly, I do not know precisely what that means. This is mystery here. Because the Scriptures also contain the story of the prodigal son who comes back to the Father in the end. In the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, even in the admonitions to people who were spiritually “lukewarm” or “dead” or engaged in idolatry and sexual immorality, Jesus urged them to repent and held out the hope of all the blessings of the inheritance of the saints. The phrase “impossible to renew to repentance” implies a heart so hardened that the person never wants to repent. However, the Scriptures also say anyone who wants to repent, can, and be restored. Even the author of Hebrews, immediately after this statement, shifted the tone to hope and encouragement:

Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation.” – Hebrews 6:9

All I can say is, Christian salvation is not to be taken lightly. Salvation not a notional belief in God or a heavenly insurance policy received after someone “prays a prayer,” but then lives however he wants. It’s following Christ to the end.

Our goal should be to have a strong, growing faith. If we have that, there is no need to worry. Seek the Lord daily and follow him. If we need to repent – and we all do at times – then repent and move on. Ours sins are covered by the blood of Jesus.

The question arises: Can we be secure in our salvation and heavenly calling? My belief is that only God can give that to you by faith. If it’s lacking, ask Him for it. Certainly I am not perfect and have not arrived, but I believe by faith that He who began a good work in me will complete until the day of Christ Jesus.

In his final words, King David said:

Is it not true my house is with God? For He has established an everlasting covenant with me, ordered and secured in every detail. Will He not bring about my whole salvation and my every desire?” – 2 Samuel 22:5

My personal answer to those questions is yes, by faith, He will.

The Holy Spirit brings repentance, healing, peace, and hope; the devil brings guilt, shame, despair and condemnation

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10, NIV

Finally, I want to talk about the difference between the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of Satan. Their messages and intentions are completely opposed, though the devil is tricky and often tries to pass himself off as God speaking. The Holy Spirit brings conviction leading to healthy repentance, healing, peace and restoration. The devil brings accusations that lead to doubt, shame, guilt, fear and condemnation.

In the verse above, the Apostle Paul said godly sorrow (the good kind) brings repentance (i.e. a change of belief and behavior) that leads to salvation (i.e. sanctification, purification). It does so without regret (i.e. guilt, shame, self-loathing). In other words, godly sorrow frees us from sin and the psychological baggage of guilt and self-condemnation. We are free, free, free! God doesn’t want us to go around beating ourselves up. It’s the devil who wants that. Worldly sorrow (the bad kind) brings death, which in the Bible often means a distancing or separation from God. Worldly sorrow brings guilt and condemnation, which causes us to feel unworthy and despicable and to hide and run from God, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they sinned. Thus, it brings death.

The truth is we are worthy because of the blood of Jesus Christ:

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:14, English Standard Version

One offering for all time. Period. That alone makes us worthy, because we are in Christ.
Furthermore, the ministry of the gospel is a ministry of reconciliation:

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Holman

And of healing and restoration:

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.” – Isaiah 42:3, Holman

Ours is a ministry of salvation, not condemnation:

For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” – John 3:17

Yes, Judgment Day is coming when we will all stand before the throne of God. Those whose names are written in the book of life will be with Christ forever. The destiny of those without Christ will be the same as that of Satan and his angels:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; and death and hades delivered up the dead who were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:11-15, King James 2000

But right now, we are in the time of reconciliation. There is hope for everyone. That should be the purpose and tone of our message. The Apostle James described wisdom from above, which I equate with the voice of God:

But the wisdom from above is indeed first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and of good fruits, impartial, sincere.” – James 3:17, Berean Literal Bible

The voice of our Lord is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful and full of good fruits. That it how we know it is His voice, when it has these wonderful qualities.

Satan’s voice is the opposite – impure, harsh, hostile, fearful, unreasonable, hateful, condemning and full of bad fruits. He is the accuser who cynically tears down the saints:

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night.” – Revelation 12:10

Satan tries to cause us to doubt the truth of God’s word and to take blessings from us:

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You can’t eat from any tree in the garden”?’” – Genesis 3:1-2, Holman

We should not listen to this serpent. We should listen only to voice of our Lord.

Satan’ deceptions are particularly devious and harmful when they are disguised as Christianity. If he can convince ministers and churches to present messages of condemnation or unrighteousness in a religious context, even by misinterpreting Scriptures, then he can corrupt people’s perceptions of God and drive them away from Him. Remember, when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he quoted Scripture. But Jesus replied with other Scriptures that were correctly applied.

One of Satan’s tricks is to rebrand sin as something good: killing the unborn becomes women’s rights; senseless war and bloodshed becomes patriotism and stopping designated bad guys; sexual deviancy becomes love and tolerance; gender confusion becomes courageous self-expression. Up is down and black is white.

A second trick is to shift people away from salvation by faith in Jesus Christ toward a self-righteous, works-oriented approach by focusing on legalistic prescriptions, such as observing Jewish feasts, circumcision, forbidding consumption of alcohol, etc. The Pharisees were famous for legalism. If you are tempted toward legalism, read the book of Galatians in which the Apostle Paul thoroughly dispelled this idea:

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” – Galatians 5:18

A third satanic ploy is to subvert the gospel’s message of hope and reconciliation with condemnation, fear and despair. This can be a highly critical spirit that tears people down but fails to couch the message in love and hope. I have been guilty of this. Remember, the Holy Spirit brings conviction; the devil brings accusation. In the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus ended each one by promising unique and magnificent heavenly blessings to the faithful. Even to the church of Laodicea which He rebuked for being lukewarm, he showed love and a desire for intimate fellowship:

As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent. Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.” – Revelation 3:19-20

Other ways condemnation manifests are dark obsessions with losing one’s salvation, hell and damnation. People can torture themselves and others with this idea of committing the unforgivable sin by “blaspheming the Holy Spirit.” As I explained in the post What Is Blaspheming the Holy Spirit?, blaspheming the Spirit is not recognizing Jesus is the Messiah. Simple as that.

Some also believe that every time they sin, they lose their salvation and are headed to hell until they confess it and get re-saved. Here is what the Apostle John said:

My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.” – 1 John 1:1-2, Holman

Neither I nor John is saying we should sin, but if we do, we have an Advocate in the heavens, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice covers our sins. John also said not all sin leads to death, or separation from God:

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.” – 1 John 5:16, Berean Study Bible

For regular sins we should pray for each other that we overcome it. John said there is a sin that leads to “death,” which I can only guess is the spiritual condition described previously in Hebrews 6 about someone falling away and becoming so hardened toward God that he cannot be restored. Again, I do not know exactly what that means or how a person gets to that place. But I infer from this verse that regular, “normal” sins do NOT lead to death and, therefore, this idea that a person loses his salvation every time he sins is false.

God wants us to repent when we sin. Some deeply ingrained attitudes and behaviors require a lot of wash-and-repeat cycles – repent, fall, repent, fall, repent… But we press on, asking for God’s help, and by faith in His power we will overcome.

Acknowledging our sins is part of repentance. How can we repent of a sin if we don't acknowledge it? However, the idea of confessing each sin in order to be forgiven of it sounds like offering a mini-sacrifice to earn God's mercy, which contradicts the Bible's teaching about Jesus' once-for-all-time sacrifice. This view of confession probably comes from a misinterpretation of 1 John 1:

If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:8-9, Holman

This passage about being saved, as in believing in Jesus Christ. A person can only be saved if he first admits to being a sinner and needing forgiveness. If we say we have no sin, we can’t be saved. However, this is not a passage about a believer's sanctification. The subsequent verses about Jesus as our advocate and propitiation pertain to believers:

"My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." - 1 John 2:1-2a, Holman

The idea of losing our salvation every time we sin is a doctrine of condemnation and fear. It encourages a morbid introspection and spiritual paralysis, causing people to continually gaze inward, wondering, “Have I sinned?” and afraid to step out and act for fear of failing and SINNING. But God wants us to step out, act and grow in our faith -- that's the point! We still live in fleshly bodies and are not yet perfected, not until Jesus returns. Listen to what Paul said:

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:3-5

Paul does not examine himself or engage in morbid introspection. His eyes are on Jesus Christ and he presses on in the faith, as should we all, without fear and without condemnation: 

There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear.” – 1 John 4:18a, Holman

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1, NIV

This person’s testimony is a great example of overcoming condemnation and fear: Condemned to Hell? A Testimony of Hope about the Unforgivable Sin 

The spirit of condemnation also manifests as a dark obsession with hell and damnation. Yes, there is a hell, a holding place until Judgment Day for departed souls who were not reconciled with God. Jesus mentioned hell in six separate passages in the gospels. The Apostles did not mention it, except James when he used it as a metaphor about the tongue, though the Apostles consistently spoke about the judgment of God both in this life and in eternity. My point is that hell is about punishment and condemnation, but our ministry is of hope and reconciliation. Accordingly, our emphasis should be on Christ’s death and resurrection.

Conclusion

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

What Is Salvation? (Part 1)


Recently the Lord moved me to read through the New Testament epistles with this question in mind: What is salvation?  I read Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Hebrews, 1 John and the first three chapters of Revelation (specifically the letters to the seven churches). It was an amazing experience. It clarified and refined my beliefs on matters related to salvation and what it means to live as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

Let's face it - most of us have been exposed to churches, denominations and Christian groups and were taught their doctrines, some of which are true, some partially true and some not true. So it is important to let the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit speak for themselves on the question of salvation. The epistles are letters written by the Apostles to churches under their care, and the letters in Revelation are written by Jesus to seven churches. You are going to hear the heart and mind of Jesus Christ and his Apostles on matters related to salvation and Christian life. I highly recommend this exercise.

Salvation is fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we to you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we to you, that your joy may be full." - 1 John 1:1-4, King James 2000

Salvation is fellowship with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. This is eternal life - to be in fellowship with God, never again estranged from the One who created us, and experiencing the fullest joy.

What is fellowship? Fellowship is being known by God. It is hearing his voice, speaking to him in prayer and following his commands (which are not burdensome). Jesus put it this way:

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand." - John 10:27-28, Holman

Note that fellowship with God is not the same as participating in religious activities, whether attending churches or Bible studies or being taught by ministers or seminaries. These things are secondary, and can often be substitutions for true fellowship with God. I’ve seen in my own life and others a tendency to think, “I went to church, so things are good with me and God.” Well, how can you know that unless you are hearing from Him personally? We must go to the Source, learn to hear his voice and respond to it. Then we will have true fellowship with God and bear much fruit:

I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” – John 15:5 

How do we hear his voice? Firstly by the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth:

"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth." - John 16:13a, Holman

And by the Scriptures, which are the word of God:

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Holman 

It is the Holy Spirit who helps us understand, interpret and apply the Scriptures. If we stick to these fundamentals, God will keep us on the right path. Error comes when we listen to the voices of men and deceptions of the world and fail to confirm it with the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures. 

Salvation is by faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.” - Romans 5:8-9, Holman

All humans were born into a state of sin and rebellion, inherited from Adam and Eve when they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, which God had forbidden them to do. All the sin in mankind and in our own hearts stems from this original sin. The resulting curse caused death to enter the human race – not only the physical death of our bodies, but the death of our spirits that were disconnected from fellowship with our Creator. We became objects of God’s wrath, subject to eternal judgment for our sin, because God is holy and just. As it states in the Scriptures:

He will repay each one according to his works.” – Romans 2:6, Holman

But to our eternal benefit, God is also merciful and loved us enough to provide a way out of our fallen state, for those willing to receive it.

God gave us the Law through Moses on Mount Sinai to show what His righteousness looks like. The Law contains God’s perfect standard. Anyone who follows the law perfectly can be declared righteous. The problem is no one has been able to do it:

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” – Romans 3:20, NIV

Instead, the Law became a yardstick to show every one of us that we don’t measure up. The Law brought condemnation instead of righteousness – in hope that we might perceive our need for forgiveness and righteousness and find it in his Son Jesus Christ:

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” – Galatians 3:24, NASB

Jesus kept the Law perfectly (the only one who ever did) and submitted to death on a cross to pay the price for everyone sins. This was the only way humanity could be reconciled to God, because the Law demands a blood sacrifice to atone for sins:

According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” – Hebrews 9:22

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus overcame both sin and death. Forgiveness and eternal life are now available to all who receive it by faith:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9, Holman

How do we receive eternal life? First, we repent:

From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!’” – Matthew 4:17

Repent means to turn back from sins – to acknowledge we are sinners and want to stop doing evil.

Second, we believe:

If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 

The purpose of salvation is to present us holy and blameless before God

For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.” – Ephesians 1:4

Salvation is God’s work of removing sin and worldliness from us and making us holy and blameless before Him. Salvation means both reconciliation with God and an ongoing cleansing from unrighteousness, a process the Bible calls sanctification, which will eventually perfect us.

Let’s fast-forward to the end of the age. The following prophecy from the book of Revelation portrays the moment before Jesus Christ returns on a white horse, leading the armies of heaven to retake the earth from the forces of Satan:

Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, has begun to reign! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.” – Revelation 19:6-8

The saints are the wife and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is the Bridegroom. It says the wife has prepared herself. How? By putting on fine, bright, pure linen, which represents righteous acts. This is the culmination of the sanctification process, when the saints have prepared themselves to be a fitting wife for the Bridegroom and to share in His glory. They have learned to walk in righteousness of God. This righteousness is by faith, as the Apostle Paul said while quoting the prophet Habakkuk:

The righteous will live by faith.” – Galatians 3:11

This is not a righteousness we muster up ourselves by trying really hard to follow the rules. This righteousness flows from our unification (i.e. baptism) with Christ – both His death on the cross and resurrection:

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin… Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 6:4-6,11, NASB
 
In other words, righteousness comes from appropriating Christ’s righteousness by faith. His death and resurrection brought not only forgiveness of sin, but freedom from sin and the ability to walk in God’s way.

The Apostle Paul described putting on God’s righteousness another way when he wrote about walking by the Spirit (God’s presence within us) instead of the flesh (old self):

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:16-18,22, Holman  

By the way, there is a big movement in the modern American church to downplay or ignore sanctification, the process of being made holy. This week on the radio I heard a preacher say Jesus came to bring us forgiveness, a place in heaven and purpose in our lives. What was missing in that statement? Sanctification. A "purpose-driven life" is not sanctification. This is a false gospel, because there is no salvation without sanctification.

Our salvation will be complete when Jesus Christ returns in glory


If our salvation begins when we believe in Jesus Christ and continues until our perfection, when do we actually cross the finish line?

Let’s search the Scriptures for clues:

You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” – 1 Peter 1: 3-5

The Apostle Peter said our salvation will be revealed “in the last time.” The Greek word for “last” (eschatos) is superlative and means farthest or final. In other words, the very end.

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:13

Peter further clarified that we will receive this grace at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What event marks the very end of this age, according to Bible prophecy? It is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Our salvation will be complete when Jesus Christ returns!

When Jesus came the first time, He was the suffering messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. When He returns, He will come in glory with a rod of iron and a sword to crush the forces of Satan and rule the earth righteously from Jerusalem. The saints of this age who endure to the end will share in His rulership of the earth:

But hold on to what you have until I come. The victor and the one who keeps My works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations – ‘and He will shepherd them with an iron scepter; He will shatter them like pottery’ – just as I have received this from My Father.” – Revelation 2:25-27 

We will also share in His glory:

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” – Colossians 3:4, NASB 

The Apostle John affirmed that we will be transformed when Jesus appears – and will be like Him:

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” – 1 John 3:2-3

According to the Apostle Paul, as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, so we will be raised at His coming:

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

This resurrection is when Christians will receive immortal bodies, trading in our fleshly, mortal bodies of sin for incorruptible bodies that will live forever:

Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory.” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

To sum it up, our salvation will be complete when Jesus Christ returns. We will be perfected, receive immortal, incorruptible bodies and share in Christ’s glory.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. It is our hope! It is what we long for! In fact, all of creation longs for this day:

For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” – Romans 8:19-25

For the second half of this article, see What Is Salvation (Part 2).