Saved from what? Why the need to be saved. Why we must do it God's way and not our own.
Salvation is probably the hardest issue in the Bible for people to accept. The specific reason being our inherent sin nature. The idea of having no ability to save oneself in any way, contribution, or manner from eternal condemnation just does not sit well with human pride.
So what does Biblical salvation mean, anyway?
SALVATION “Strong's Number: 4991 swthria Original Word Word Origin swthria feminine of a derivative of (4990) as (properly, abstract) noun Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling Soteria so-tay-ree'-ah Parts of Speech TDNT Noun Feminine 7:965,1132 Definition:
deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation:
deliverance from the molestation of enemies
in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the souls safety or salvation
of Messianic salvation
salvation as the present possession of all true Christians
future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.
Fourfold salvation: saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin. A.W. Pink”
To make it simple it means we are saved from the penalty of sin. Which means eternal separation from God, condemnation, and punishment.
Most people are deeply offended at the hint they have a problem they cannot fix. Or that they are not good enough for Heaven as they are. And even worse so dismissing of the idea they laugh at it when hearing it and do not even think about it the rest of the time.
Others recognize there is a sin issue and it needs fixed. But they do not want to accept the depth of the problem as the Bible defines it to be. So, they turn to other religions, Christian Cults, and feel good churches to feel and act like they are dealing with the subject while attempting to minimize the effort or recognition of truth. Like following assembly directions on a recent purchase.
Some would rather have a leader or belief system tell them how to think, act, and perform on the issue in a neatly laid out 1, 2, 3 list of works, recitations, meditations, or such. And easy to follow and swallow plans. Anything other than struggling with themselves to change or even recognizing the need for that level of change.
And others believe that by personally suffering, abstaining, and other such deliberate works they can prove their dedication and earn their way to Heaven. Again the refusal to understand they cannot contribute to their salvation.
Still others attempt to blend add their contributions to salvation by doing little things, such as water baptism. It may not seem like much but it is a work and if required by the believer that means they contributed to their salvation and it could not have happened without this effort on their part.
Others contribute by believing they cannot do a thing to gain salvation but they must do works to keep salvation. Or they have the power of self-determination to be able to depart from salvation if they desire. Again, these are issues where they give themselves a key, although small, role in their salvation.
So what does the Bible have to say about gaining salvation? Do we play a role? Do we have in power or say in our salvation?
Ephesians 2: (NIV) 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9not by works, so that no one can boast.
GRACE Strong's Number: 5485 xari Original Word Word Origin xari from (5463) Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling Charis khar'-ece Parts of Speech TDNT Noun Feminine 9:372,1298 Definition
grace
that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
good will, loving-kindness, favour
of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
what is due to grace
the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
FAITH Strong's Number: 4102 pisti Original Word Word Origin pisti from (3982) Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling Pistis pis'-tis Parts of Speech TDNT Noun Feminine 6:174,849 Definition:
conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
relating to God
the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
relating to Christ
a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
the religious beliefs of Christians
belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
fidelity, faithfulness
the character of one who can be relied on
Strong's Number: 4102 pisti Original Word Word Origin pisti from (3982) Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling Pistis pis'-tis Parts of Speech TDNT Noun Feminine 6:174,849 Definition:
GIFT Strong's Number: 1435 dwron Original Word Word Origin dwron a present Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling Doron do'-ron Parts of Speech TDNT Noun Neuter 2:166,166 Definition:
a gift, present
gifts offered in expression of honour
of sacrifices and other gifts offered to God
of money cast into the treasury for the purposes of the temple and for the support of the poor
the offering of a gift or of gifts
Strong's Number: 1435 dwron Original Word Word Origin dwron a present Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling Doron do'-ron Parts of Speech TDNT Noun Neuter 2:166,166 Definition:
Others can cite all the verses in the Bible they believe show even the slightest contribution to salvation by the believer but none can get around the crystal clear statement of this verse. Salvation is by the gift of grace. A gift is not earned. If so it is not a gift. It is a reward or a salary. Grace is not earned. It is bestowed without demanding work.
The only requirement God makes of us is that we request God to bestow his salvation upon us through faith. We trust God and Christ to give salvation to use because we trust God to keep his word. We must want it. And that is not work.
A reward or salary is never a gift. If someone gives you something and there is a condition or performance required it is not a gift. It is a delivery with an invoice attached.
There is no way to add any requirement to these verses without rendering them lies.
But some try to do that. They attempt to circumvent the meaning by saying God gives us the gift through grace to do the works that save. Being able to work for our salvation is a gift.
These two verses put a lie to that. It says salvation itself is the gift. Not the ability to earn it. And no one but no one can boast about their efforts to earn or keep their salvation because their works. If works were involved in any way one could.
Others attempt to say the Bible clearly shows examples of those who were saved losing their salvation. But that is also false. They take scenarios and add to the meaning of the verses to create a saved person losing their salvation. Never will you see the person in these situations supposedly losing their salvation ever being called brother, saint, saved, or any other term carrying the meaning of being saved.
You see them as sharing in the gifts of the Spirit by being in association with saints. So they share due to the gifts bestowed upon the saint, not them. Or having knowledge of Christ and salvation. Since when did simply knowing something make it real in peoples lives? And the same holds true with other comparable situations where such claims are made.
Eternal Security is clearly taught in the Bible. In example, the Bible makes it clear the Law of God is what condemns but the saved are not under the Law. They are dead to the Law. If one is dead to that which can condemn them how can they then be condemned by that which they are dead to?
Romans 7: (NIV) 1Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature,[1] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
We are actually free to sin: Galatians 5: (NIV) 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! 13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[1] ; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[2]
But we are born again with new natures, hearts, souls, and desires not to do these things. But many do not understand this is speaking of our spirits. Not our flesh since our flesh is not glorified until we are Raptured or resurrected.
Those who hold to being able to lose their salvation either do not understand these issues or are determined to believe they have a part in either gaining their salvation or keeping it.
The only role we have for ourselves in salvation is the ability to cry out to God for forgiveness. And even there while God honors our freewill he must and does play a role in bringing all to the place they will cry out for that forgiveness. Our crying out in freewill faith is the only part we have in salvation.
Romans 8 makes it clear God foreknew whom would love him. But after that it is all predestination all the way to glorification. So those who preach total predestination are wrong. As are those who preach total freewill. The Bible refers over and over to our freewill and our looking for God but being unable to find him on our own.
Romans 8: (NIV) 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[10] who[11] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Notice there is no conditional statements after God says he foreknows who would love him? All absolute will happen references.
Yet, there is still freewill in action. Here fully demonstrates that:
1 Corinthians 3: (NIV) 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Clearly says one can have not a single reward but be saved. And rewards are works where salvation is not. And that brings up the interesting challenge to those who believe in works of any kind as part of salvation. If all works can be burned up but the person is still saved how can that be if certain works, even if only water baptism are required as part of gaining or keeping salvation?
So clearly salvation is by grace alone through faith. No works of any kind to gain or keep salvation. And once saved we are Eternally Secure because our salvation belongs to God and no one can take it from him, not even us. But with new minds and spirits why would any one ever want to go back to being lost to sin and under the Law, even if it were possible?
Romans 8: (NIV) 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[13] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
