There is a lot of nonsense out there concerning salvation. Most of what the church teaches is simply not scriptural. So, what is salvation, and how do we get it?
Here are several verses you might want to ponder.
Habakkuk 2:4
The just shall live by his faith.
Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith.
John 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:9
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Galatians 2:16
A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
All people have salvation at birth (John 1:4, 9). This is salvation past. Salvation is the right to enter the Kingdom in a place of blessing. The question is not how to achieve salvation, but how to retain the salvation we already have. Our names were written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world, but they can be blotted out (see Book of Life post). Retaining our salvation (salvation present, or experiential salvation) requires yielding ourselves to God so that holy spirit will guide us. As we yield to the guidance of holy spirit, God works through (salvation present) us to produce righteous works which will enable us to enter the Kingdom (salvation future).
We cannot do anything to make ourselves righteous, only God can do that. Striving to make ourselves acceptable to God is futile, and brings about separation from God. The key is to accept what God has already done, stop striving, and turn ourselves over to him. As we do so, holy spirit will develop within us, and we will be able to do all that God requires of us.
So simple, and yet so difficult.
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4 comments:
What makes it a little easier is to understand God did not make a mistake when he made us. He made us as he wanted us. So quit trying to fix whatever you believe is wrong with you. Just follow God as you are, and he will do the rest.
We are seperated from God by sin, but when we are born, we have no sin, and are then not seperated from him.
That is where my pondering of this took me to.
Sin is in our DNA...we have not sinned yet when we are born but we are in sin. Only Jesus was born without sin.This is why we must be born again...
So what about the tares and the wheat?
and the goats and the sheep?
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