SALVATION

WHAT IS SALVATION?

The term SALVATION causes many misunderstandings and arguments based on different verses. All this because of the different contexts from which we can consider it. To save means to save, free. It’s important to understand how to be saved, what God wants you to be freed from and saved from.

The word "salvation" in the Bible is MAINLY used in two contexts:

SALVATION PART 1 – incorporation into the body of the Lord Jesus

SALVATION PART 2 – “entrance to heaven”

Salvation is by ABIDING in Jesus, and in order to last you must first be incorporated into His Body.

	Salvation pt 1	Salvation pt 2
1. What is salvation?	forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:77) deliverance from sin (Romans 6:7) deliverance from carnal nature (Col. 2:11) putting on the Lord Jesus (Galatians 3:27) attachment to the body of the Lord Jesus (Romans 11:17) born again (Col. 2:13)	"getting to heaven" "receiving an unfading crown (1 Peter 5:4) being "a sheep and not a goat" (Matthew 25:31) proving to be "a useful servant" (Matthew 25:30) proving to be a "vise virgin" (Matthew 25:2) appearing "dressed in clean robes/wedding attire" (Matthew 22:11) "reaching the finish line" (Phil. 3:14) "rising from the dead" (Phil. 3:11)
2. How to be saved?	Faith, Repentance, Water Baptism, Holy Spirit Baptism	Salvation part 1 + perseverance to the end in the Lord Jesus
3. Time	Past/Present	Imperfect (hopefully expected), in the future
4. Is it sure?	It is certain for those who have converted. *By sinning willfully, one can fall away.	It is not certain, it requires perseverance in the Lord Jesus. No single deed in the past is a guarantee.
5. When can you tell?	When a man repents, he will be baptized and sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is visible in life, for example, by giving fruits worthy of repentance, signs of the Holy Spirit's guidance, fulfillment of God's Will, fruits of the Holy Spirit and others.	It is impossible to say that someone is saved in the sense of "he will surely go to heaven". You can suspect, you can hope, but you can't say for sure. Only God knows the inside of a person.

SALVATION PART 1

UNDERSTOOD AS:

Forgiveness of sins / deliverance from sin / liberation from carnal nature / putting on the Lord Jesus / attachment to the body of the Lord Jesus / being born again of God

According to the Bible, you can be saved in this life. That is why in the Bible we read in many verses addressed to the disciples of the Lord Jesus: “you are saved”, “you have been saved”. (e.g. 1 Cor. 1:18 / Titus 3:5 / 2 Tim. 1:9 / 2 Cor. 2:15 / Eph. 2:5 )

Salvation is related to being born again in the Lord Jesus, and related to faith in the Gospel, repentance from sins, water baptism, baptism with the Holy Spirit. You have to look at it holistically. A saved person will know that this happened in their life “a year ago”, “5 years ago” “20 years ago”.

Salvation as joining the body of the Lord Jesus is a process. Example: first one believes there is a God. After some time, he comes to the truth about sin in his life and the need to come to his senses and obey God. Later he understands that he must be baptized in water, and later still he realizes that he needs to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Salvation is expressed in conversion, in a change of life. A man who has been saved (repented, born again) will see a clear difference. He will understand that he was a slave to sin, wore shackles, and his life was full of wickedness.

Example: A person who lives and sins as he always does is not saved from sin. The Bible does not use the term “saved but a sinner”.

If you don’t see conversion in your life, it’s very possible that you are not saved and have not been born again.

Example: The testimony of a saved person is filled with repentance and a break with the old, bad life. From such a person we will hear: “I was an alcoholic / liar / manipulator / smartass / thief / blasphemer / cheater, etc. BUT JESUS SET ME FREE, CHANGED MY LIFE AND I DON’T DO THAT ANY MORE“

HOW TO BE SAVED?

(FROM SIN, FROM CORRUPTED NATURE)

BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!

The Lord Jesus wants all people to be saved! He foresaw powerful spiritual tools to make this possible!

Repentance will be answered by forgiveness of sins. He will take away the heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

He will respond to water baptism of faith by being incorporated into his body, freed from sin and corrupted human nature.

The request for the Holy Spirit will be answered with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which refreshes us, strengthens us, guides us.

VARIOUS PARTS FROM THE BIBLE ABOUT SALVATION

The prison guard in the following excerpt asked a very important question – “how to be saved?”. He heard him believe and the Word of the Lord, which must have implied that the baptism was so important that the guard accepted it without delay.

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
[Acts 16:30-34 ESV]

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit
[Titus 3:5 ESV]

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
[Mark 16:16 ESV]

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
[Ephesians 2:5-6 ESV]

In spiritual reality, when we join the body of the Lord Jesus, we are already joining the Kingdom of God. Therefore, salvation begins with rebirth, but requires abiding in the Lord Jesus to de facto obtain salvation, which will take place on the day of the coming of the Lord Jesus, phew…

SALVATION PART 2

UNDERSTOOD AS:

“getting to heaven”, receiving the “unfading crown”, being “a sheep and not a goat”, to be a “useful servant” proving to be “a wise virgin”, appearing “dressed in clean robes/wedding attire”, “reaching the finish line”. “rising from the dead”

Most passages in the New Testament about salvation speak of it in the future tense (imperfective) “will be saved” “we will be saved” “wait for salvation” etc. e.g.: Mt 24/13 / 1 Pt 4:18 / Lk 13:23 / Acts 15:11 / Heb 9:28 / 1 Cor 5:5 / 2 Tim 3:15 / Heb 1:14

The apostle Paul, who almost like anyone else should be “sure of salvation”, does not make such a thesis. Instead, it teaches fear and humility in abiding in the Lord Jesus.

that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
[Philippians 3:11-14 ESV]

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
[1 Cor. 9:24-27 ESV]

The Lord God in His Word sets requirements for people to obtain salvation. It is, firstly, conversion and inclusion in His Body, and secondly, persistence in faith (obedience). Despite the beliefs of many people, God’s Word clearly uses conditional words: “IF”, “WHEN”.

ATTENTION! The Word of God is not contradictory. For example, in one place we read that salvation is not by works (Ephesians 2:9), and in another it says that it is by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24). We must understand that “religious works”, “works of the law” are one thing, and works related to obedience to the Lord Jesus are different. It is wrong when we want to make up for true repentance and obedience to God with religious works and think that from this we will be saved.

Examples of works of obedience to the Lord Jesus: being baptized, seeking God’s Will, abandoning conscious sin, making disciples, forgiving, obeying the Holy Spirit and others.

Examples of religious works, works of law (will not guarantee salvation): long prayers, participation in religious events, going to church, going to bible groups, transfers to the church, working for the church, keeping the law of Moses, keeping traditions religious.

HOW TO GET SAVED?

Different requirements for salvation according to the Bible:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
[James 2:14 ESV]

Faith and water baptism: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
Salvation only in the Lord Jesus, by abiding in Him, Thanks to Him, By His grace, By His power: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Birth of Water and Spirit: “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)
Doing God’s Will: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
Repentance: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-10) AND “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ” (Galatians 5:19-21)
Enduring to the end: “But whoever endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

BUT IS SALVATION FOR FREE?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
[Romans 3:23-24 ESV]

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
[Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV]

All the time the context is about deeds of the law, deeds of religion. Works of obedience to Jesus Christ (doing His Will) are something else entirely.

Imagine if the Lord Jesus preached today “repent! repent!” (Matthew 4:17) and we will say “no repentance, just works, just faith”. THIS IS NONSENSE.

“Freely” means in this context “without payment” “undeservedly”. This means that everyone can “afford” salvation, because everyone in the world “can afford” conversion.

Free in the context of the Bible as a whole doesn’t mean you don’t have to do anything to be saved! Remember, these letters were written to believing/converted Christians.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
[Romans 10:8-10 ESV]

FAITH THAT SAVES

We must understand that believing in the Lord Jesus that saves is not just recognizing that he exists, that he has walked the world, that he is risen. It is also not just acknowledgment that the Bible is authentic or that the Lord Jesus is God. Faith that saves is keeping the teachings of the Lord Jesus, keeping His commandments, doing what He commanded. The way of thinking of the Jews in the time of the Lord Jesus did not predict that you can believe one thing and do another. What you did meant what or who you believed in.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
[John 3:36 ESV]