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Finding Salvation

 

The difference between Eternal Life in Paradise, with God — and Total Destruction.

 

This article, called ” Finding Salvation” is the third part of a trilogy.

The first part is called “God and Man”.

The second part is called “Understanding Salvation”.

It is highly recommended that they be read in order.

  “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” What a great truism. And very applicable when speaking of Salvation. Throughout the New Testament, Salvation is unquestionably the centerpiece of the New Covenant between God and Man. But the name for it, often differs, depending somewhat on who is describing it. Salvation is also referred to as, Being Saved,– Eternal Life, — Entering the Kingdom of God, — Entering the Kingdom of Heaven, — Becoming Children of God, and by other names. Whatever the name, the result is still a new life after death, in paradise with God.

In “Understanding Salvation”, We Learned What Salvation Really is, Why We Need Salvation, How To Receive it, Why There is Only One Way to Get it, and Why That Way Brings Us Salvation.

In this article we’ll discuss in detail, specifically what the Scriptures say about how to receive Salvation. If you haven’t already read, “Understanding Salvation”, we highly recommend doing so, before reading this article. If you have read it, you may be thinking, “there’s more?”.

Yes, there’s a lot more, in fact. Not about the mechanics of Salvation, but about the things we need to do, to be assured of receiving Salvation. The last thing anyone would want is to Understand what Salvation is all about, and then miss out on it, because of a misunderstanding of the requirements.

Few subjects in the Bible are as convoluted and confusing as this one.

Read through a couple of Scriptures in John’s Gospel, where Jesus seems to be telling us that all you need for Salvation/Eternal Life, is to believe in Him. And you might think “Piece of cake. I believe in Jesus. Now I can get on with my life, and do what I want.”.

But is that all there is to it? Not if you read the rest of the New Testament.

So let’s make sure we have a clear understanding of what the requirements are, in order to receive Salvation/Eternal Life.

Unfortunately, as with so many things in the Scriptures, this is easier said than done. The information we need is scattered throughout the entire New Testament, in no particular order. And it’s interspersed with information on many other topics, making it difficult to ascertain.

In “Understanding Salvation” we learned that God doesn’t want Man to die. God wants a long term relationship with Man. Since Adam, God has been trying to get Man to want a relationship with Him. But Man has been so obstinate, God is still having to work at it.

Although it appears that the New Covenant will be God’s final offer of Salvation to Mankind. To those of us alive today, it almost certainly will be. So for us, it’s take it, or leave it. Since Salvation is actually a reward from God, for completing our obligations under the New Covenant, let’s start there.

Although the New Covenant was discussed in detail, in “Understanding Salvation”, this study would not be complete, without at least a brief review.  

Luke 22: 20 (At the Last Supper, Jesus explained the New Covenant to His Apostles this way. What a difficult moment this must have been. Jesus knowing the agony He was going to have to endure on the cross, to Atone for the sins of all Mankind.)

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

  Hebrews 9: 15 (The Apostle Paul, makes the connection between the New Covenant and Salvation.)

¹⁵ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

  A covenant is an agreement, a contract if you will, whereby both parties agree to perform certain actions, within a certain timeframe. The New Covenant is an agreement between God and Man, whereby God agreed to grant Salvation/Eternal Life, to anyone meeting their obligations under the Covenant. So it’s extremely important that we understand what our obligations are. To summarize, our obligations to receive Salvation, under the New Covenant are:

• Atonement for Sin – Justice.
• Righteousness (the opposite of Sinful Behavior)
• Faith, Faithfulness, Belief

Let’s briefly look at each one:  

An Atonement is a punishment, to satisfy a debt that was created by a wrong doing, crime, or sin. Frequently made in the form of a payment or sacrifice, the Atonement brings about forgiveness or redemption. The result is, Justice.

A full explanation of this requirement is discussed in detail in “Understanding Salvation”. What’s important to understand here, is this. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, knowingly and voluntarily, allowed Himself to be ridiculed, beaten, tortured; and then suffer the agony of death on a cross, as the sacrifice to justify you and I, by Atoning for our sins, and the sins of all the world.

Hebrews 2: 17   (The Apostle Paul explains it this way.)

¹⁷ For this reason Jesus had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

So God Himself, made Atonement for our Sins.  

Righteousness is a quality one possesses or achieves by following the Will of God, and refraining from sinful behavior. The problem is that none of us are completely Righteous.

Romans 3: 23   (The Apostle Paul confirms that we all have sinned.)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

  Romans 3: 10   (No one is Righteous.)

¹⁰ As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;

When God offered the New Covenant to us, He knew how weak and susceptible we are to temptation, and therefore to Sin. So God did the most extraordinary thing. God offered to us, the same mercy that He offered to Abraham, the man with whom God created the Old Covenant.

Romans 4: 18-25   (The Apostle Paul elaborates on Abraham’s Faith.)

¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed, and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

  As part of the New Covenant, God is willing to credit our Faith to us as Righteousness. That’s the second gift of grace, God gave to us toward our obligations under the New Covenant.  

God took care of our first two obligation under the New Covenant, for us. I suppose it’s not too much to ask that we do something for ourselves. Our remaining obligation under the New Covenant, is Faith.

But what does God mean, by Faith? That’s the crux of the matter.

The Scriptures speak of Faith in terms of Belief, in terms of Faithfulness, and in terms of just plain Faith. All three are related, but are somewhat different.

Perhaps the easiest to understand is Faithfulness. We deal with that regularly in our everyday lives. We all know the difference between being Faithful, and Unfaithful. It’s a matter of allegiance, commitment, and loyalty. So this is the first part of our obligation to God, under the New Covenant, Faithfulness.

The next two parts of our obligation, Faith and Belief, are a good deal trickier to get our arms around. So much so, that it’s going to take the rest of this article to really get the point across.

Sometimes it’s easier to explain what something isn’t, than what it is. Certain Scriptures tell us that Salvation comes through “Belief in Jesus Christ“. That’s true, but it’s not the whole story. There’s more to it than that.

Plus, what does “Belief in Jesus Christ” really mean?

Does it mean a belief that Jesus was a real person, that once existed? Or does it mean a belief that Jesus was the Son of God. Or take it a step further and believe that Jesus did the miracles, was raised from the dead, and ascended to Heaven. Finally you could add to these, the belief that Jesus died as a sacrifice for your sins, and God has forgiven you.

Which is it? Or is it all of the above? Or is still more required for Salvation?

John’s Gospel in particular, stresses “Belief in Jesus Christ“, as the path to Salvation. So let’s explore that.  

Those that have read the 4 Gospels more than once or twice, have probably noticed that John’s Gospel has a different focus than the other three. Of course there’s no way to know why, but we can speculate.

There are 2 things we do know: One, is that John was referred to in the Scriptures, as “the disciple whom Jesus loved“. Again, we don’t know precisely what that meant, but the implication seems to be that Jesus had a closer relationship with John than the other Apostles. That would account for intimate conversations between the two, and John receiving a different perspective on things. Or possibly even revelations that the other Apostles didn’t receive.

Secondly, John’s Gospel has been dated as the last of the 4 to be written. One would assume that John had the opportunity to read the other 3, prior to writing his. John may have thought, “Why repeat the same events? Why not reveal other important information?”. After all, John’s Gospel did end with these words:

John 21: 25

²⁵ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

So clearly John had a wealth of information and events to choose from.

In reading John’s Gospel, it’s evident that he chose to focus on the Love of God, and on God’ s offer of Salvation. That would make a lot of sense, since the main thrust of Jesus mission, was to announce the New Covenant, with Salvation as its centerpiece.

John used the words “Eternal Life” twice as often as all 3 other Gospels combined. And John’s was the only Gospel to reveal Jesus comments about the “New Birth”. Although Peter did mention it in one of his letters.

Perhaps in an effort to cast the widest net possible, John tended to simplify Salvation. He frequently chose the comments Jesus made, that emphasized the first step in receiving Salvation being, “Belief in Jesus”. But then he didn’t elaborate on it very much.

Although afterward, when John wrote his letters, 1John, 2John, and 3John, he did elaborate a good deal more on the requirements for Salvation. The information John gave us in these letters, detailing these requirements, is included throughout the rest of this study, shown in the appropriate chapters.  

There are 3 or 4 Scriptures like the ones below, which give the impression that, believing in Jesus is all that’s required for Salvation.

John 3: 16-18

¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

  John 5: 24

²⁴ Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

  John 6: 35-40

³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

  Reading these Scriptures by themselves, could certainly lead one to believe, that by just saying the words “I believe” — and bingo you’re guaranteed to receive salvation. Or worse yet, that you’ve instantly become immortal, and have already received Eternal Life.

Let me ask this: Do you think that just saying the words “I love you”, once or twice, will guarantee a happy marriage? There’s a lot more to it than that. You have to act on it.

That’s why studying the scriptures is so important. Many scriptures by themselves, tell only part of the story. So let’s take a look at the rest of the story, and find out how you can be sure of your Salvation.

Saying “I Believe”, or anything like it, is merely a profession of Faith. What counts is what you do about it. If you look at a rickety old bridge, and say “I believe it’s strong enough to hold my weight”. That’s a profession of Faith. But until you apply that Faith, and walk across the bridge, your profession is meaningless. Saying you have Faith, and putting it into practice are two entirely different things.

Let’s explore this concept of “Belief in Jesus Christ” further.  

For those of us old enough to remember, when Bill Clinton was trying to avoid prosecution by the Grand Jury. Perhaps his most memorable remark was: “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”

Well, when it comes to Salvation, one could almost make the same statement about the word “Believe”.

The key question is, “what does believe mean?”

As mentioned previously, it could mean any number of beliefs about Jesus. From His very existence, to everything He and others said about Him in the Scriptures. Or something in between.

Let’s say we believe everything the Scriptures tell us about Jesus. Does that fulfill our obligations under the New Covenant? Does that get us Salvation?

Matthew 4: 8-9   (The Devil certainly believes those things about Jesus. Do you think he’s in line for Salvation?)

⁸ Again, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

  Matthew 8: 28-29   (The Demons believe in Jesus. Do you think they’ll spend Eternity with God?)

²⁸ When Jesus arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

Half the mafia, probably believes in Jesus. You think many of them will get to Heaven, after their behavior.

Many of the most wicked kings, dictators, aristocrats, and business tycoons, believed in Jesus. How about them?

If all these people go to Heaven, send me someplace else.

Clearly the notion that belief in Jesus, is all you need for Salvation, doesn’t add up.

To presume that there’s no connection between receiving Salvation and how one leads one’s life, flies in the face of too many other Scriptures.  

“We are saved by Faith and not by following the Law”, some would say. That statement is true, but misleading. We are saved by Faith. But that doesn’t mean God’s Law doesn’t apply anymore, and can be ignored.

Matthew 5: 17-20  (Jesus Himself said the following about the law, Sin, and Eternal Life.)

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

This very interesting Scripture, reveals a number of important points. First of all, it tells us that the terms of the New Covenant, have not eliminated the involvement of God’s Law in our lives. The second point is good news. It reveals that Sin does not necessarily exclude us, from receiving Salvation. Although it will negatively affect your position in the Age To Come. But thirdly, it reveals that there are limits to sinful behavior, which can ultimately exclude you from Salvation.

  Saved by Faith? In actuality, we are saved by being Righteous. But God loves us, and so wants a relationship with us, that as with Abraham, God is willing to accept our Faith and credit it to us as Righteousness.

Once we make that profession of faith, it’s our job to express that Faith, not just at that one moment, but throughout and to the end of our life on Earth. How do we express that Faith? Not simply by saying “I believe in Jesus”. But by making a sincere effort to follow God’s will, instead of our will, throughout our life. What is God’s will? Part of it is that we follow His Law.

If we ignore our relationship with God, by ignoring Him and His Law, and go our own way, living our life, following our own will, we are no longer applying our Faith. No Faith, No Salvation.

Let’s apply a little common sense. Do you really think God is going to hand out tickets to Heaven, to anyone who simply says they believe in Jesus Christ, and then spends the rest of their life behaving however they wish, and ignoring God’s Law?

When Jesus said “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life“, Jesus didn’t stop there. Jesus had a whole lot more to say about who can be saved, and what they need to do, to receive it.  

Jesus spoke a great deal about Salvation. But believe it or not, He only used the word Salvation, twice. Once in Luke’s Gospel, and once in John’s Gospel. Instead of the word Salvation, Jesus referred to it, as being part of the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. The way Jesus described it, Salvation is achieved by entering the Kingdom of God. Jesus explained in different ways, how to enter the Kingdom, and perhaps more importantly, how to maintain your place within the Kingdom.

People frequently asked Jesus about the Kingdom, and Jesus answered them with a good deal of information.

Matthew 13: 52   (Here Jesus explains the connection between Salvation and the Law.)

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

  Matthew 13: 47-50   (Using this parable, Jesus explains the connection between Salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven.)

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  So let’s look further into what Jesus told us we need to do, in order to receive Salvation, and enter the Kingdom of God. Remember the confusion about what “Believe in Jesus” means? Part of believing in someone, is believing what they say, and believing what they say to do, and then doing it.

Believing in someone, means following their instructions. Jesus told us many things that we need to do. Among them, is to follow Him. To Follow Jesus.  

John 10: 27-30  (Here Jesus makes the connection between Following Him and Eternal Life.)

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

People sometimes interpret the above Scripture to mean that once a commitment to Jesus is made, Eternal Life is guaranteed, and nothing can change it. But read carefully, who is guaranteed Eternal Life? Jesus’ Sheep. And who are Jesus’ Sheep? Those that Follow Him.

  Luke 9: 23-25  (Once again, Jesus confirms the connection between Salvation and Following Him.)

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

In this profound Scripture, Jesus tell us “whoever loses their life for me will save it“, in other words, receive Salvation. He then explains what losing one’s life for Him, means. It means they “must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me“. To receive Salvation you must Take up your cross, daily, and follow Jesus.

The alternative is “whoever wants to save their life will lose it“. In other words, if you follow your own Will, and live your life to satisfy your own desires, you will lose Eternal Life.

  Galatians 5: 24  (Here the Apostle Paul explains what Jesus means by His statement “Take up your cross”.)

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

  Matthew 10: 38   (And finally Jesus clearly indicates that Taking up your cross, and following Jesus, is not optional.)

³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

 

Romans 10: 8-10  (Here the Apostle Paul elaborates on the meaning of “Believe in Jesus”.)

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart“. That doesn’t mean just say those words. By declaring Jesus Lord, you are declaring that He is Your Lord. And if Jesus is your Lord, You must act accordingly. That means You are making Jesus, Lord of your life. What does that entail? Submitting to His Will, obedience, denying your own will with all of its tendencies, following His lead, refraining from sinful behavior, and Faith. That’s a tall order.

The second part of this Scripture says you must “believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead“. Again, just saying those words, doesn’t get it. “Believe in you heart“, means a sincere, deep, genuine belief.

The Scripture says that for this combination of effort on your part, God will grant you Salvation. That’s the New Covenant. But remember, nowhere in the Scriptures does God say that this needs to be a one-day, one-hour, one-moment event. Even if you don’t fully believe all these things about God, that doesn’t disqualify you from getting started.

Your relationship with God is a lifelong event. It’s a work-in-progress. Virtually no one comes to God fully equipped. You have to grow into it. All you need to get started is the desire. The desire to get to Know God.

Remember, God wants you. He want to love you, and care for you, and teach you. He wants to be your real Father, in the best sense of the word. So, if you come to Him with a true desire to Know God, He will reveal Himself to you, in ways you couldn’t imagine.

Some religious leaders would have you believe that you just need to say the magic words, and bingo you win. The more you learn about the history behind the relationship between God and Man, the more you realize how improbable that is. Everything God has ever wanted from Man, has needed to be genuine and sincere. Only in politics can just saying the words, get you the prize.

Romans 14: 7-12   (Here Paul elaborates further, on the meaning of “Jesus is Lord”.)

⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

  Matthew 10: 37  (Here Jesus explains His expectations for us.)

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

  Making Jesus the “Lord of Your Life”, means putting Him First Place, in front of everyone and everything else.  

What is the Will of God? That’s easy. Jesus spent 3 full chapters 5, 6, and 7, in Matthews Gospel, giving His Sermon on the Mount, explaining the Will of God. Then He elaborated on that teaching, in parables and answering questions throughout the rest of the 4 Gospels. Beyond that, the Apostles, Jesus’ intimate companions, revealed additional information, throughout the entire New Testament, on the Will of God.

But for those who have never read the New Testament, Jesus gave us this short version:

Matthew 22: 37-40

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

That, is the Will of God.

God dearly wants a relationship with Man, as is evidenced by the entire Old Testament. But not at any cost. God is not willing to accept that relationship on Man’s terms. If Man set the terms, of the relationship, Man would follow his own will. The Scriptures are quite clear that a relationship with God requires following His will, which includes His Law.

We understand that God cannot or will not coexist with sin, and therefore sinful Man. Why then should one consider that God would accept an eternal relationship with a sinful man, who ignores God’s Will, just because that man believes that Jesus Christ is God, as do the Devil and the Demons?

  Matthew 7: 21-23  (Jesus makes it quite clear that following the Will of God is not optional, for those in pursuit of Salvation.)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

  1 Peter 4: 1-2   (Here the Apostle Peter confirms that we must follow the Will of God.)

¹ Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. ² As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

Earlier, in the chapter on John’s Gospel, we ended by saying that after John wrote his Gospel, he wrote 3 letters, in which he elaborated more on the requirements for Salvation. Perhaps he felt that certain phrasing in his Gospel had oversimplified the path to Salvation, and he wanted to clarify it.

Here are two examples:

1 John 3: 14  (Speaking about the Will of God, in which “Love your neighbor as yourself” is a key element, John clearly connects the Will of God to Salvation.)

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

  1 John 2: 15-17   (Here John emphatically connects following the Will of God, to Eternal Life.)

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

  Matthew 10: 39   (In this Scripture, Jesus conflates “finding your life” with “following your own will”. And “losing your life” with following the Will of God.)

³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

  Galatians 5: 16-18  (In this final Scripture regarding the Will of God, Paul makes it quite clear who’s Will we are to follow, saying “you are not to do whatever you want“.)

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

  Another way to describe following the Will of God, is adjusting one’s Conduct in line with the God’s Will.  

Romans 2: 6-8 (Here Paul makes the connection between Salvation and one’s Conduct.)

⁶ God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” ⁷ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

  Galatians 5: 19-21  (Again Paul links one’s Conduct to Salvation)

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

John 8: 51  (In this very simple Scripture, Jesus links Obedience to Salvation.)

⁵¹ Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

  John 14: 23-24  (Again, Jesus explains that Obedience is an integral part of a relationship with God.)

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

  1 John 2: 3-6  (The Apostle John in his first letter, links Obedience to Knowing God.)

³ We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. ⁴ Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. ⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

  2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9  (Subsequently Paul links Knowing God and Obedience, with Salvation.)

⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

  Matthew 19: 16-19  (Here Jesus is asked how to receive Salvation. Notice, He didn’t say “Believe in Me, and then go do whatever you want”. Jesus clearly tied Salvation to Obedience.)

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” ¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

  Ephesians 5: 5-7  (The Apostle Paul makes it pretty clear that Obedience is a requirement for Salvation.)

⁵  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

 

This is a very difficult subject for most Christians. Clearly God does not want us to Sin. The problem is: we all do. So the questions remain: what do we do about it, and what will God do about it?

Jesus takes sin very seriously. So seriously, that left unchecked, it will affect our very Salvation.

  Matthew 18: 8-9  (Listen to the way Jesus puts it, in Matthew’s Gospel. He couldn’t have put it in stronger terms.)

⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

To use as His illustration, something as abhorrent as self mutilation, as a means of avoiding Sin, indicates just how dangerous Sin is to our Salvation.

  Matthew 13: 40-43  (Again, Jesus reiterates that people who do not check their sinful behavior, will not receive Salvation.)

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

  1 John 3: 7-10  (Even the Apostle John, who in his Gospel, stressed that Salvation comes from belief in Jesus, reinforces the connection between Sin and Salvation with very strong words, in his letter.)

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

  2 Timothy 2: 19  (In his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul reiterates that believers, must turn away from Sinful behavior.)

¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

  Romans 6: 22-23   (Here Paul clearly states that Sin leads to death. One cannot arbitrarily continue to engage in sinful behavior, and still expect to receive Salvation.)

Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  1 John 5: 16-17  (With these words, the Apostle John gives us hope. Letting us know that Sin does not always lead to death.)

¹⁶ If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. ¹⁷ All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

  How then do we avoid death when we Sin? The answer is part of God’s path to Salvation.  

The path that God gave us, to deal with Sin, is called Repentance.

Repentance is the act of coming to grips with one’s sin, to the point of sincerely regretting that sin, and asking God for forgiveness through Confession. Combine that, with making an earnest commitment to avoid future Sin, and to follow God’s Will.

Confession is the admission and recital, to God or another person, of one’s guilt, sin, or misdeeds.

    Mark 1: 4  (Before Jesus began His ministry, John the Baptist prepared the way through a water Baptism, which symbolized the washing away of one’s sins, for those who came and Repented.)

 ⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

  Matthew 21: 31-32  (Later, Jesus criticized the Chief Priests for their refusal to Repent.)

³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

  1 John 2: 1-6   (Here the Apostle John, explains that Jesus will be an advocate for us.)

¹ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

  1 John 1: 8-10   (Once again, the Apostle John explains that through Repentance and Confession, God will forgive our Sins and purify us.)

⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

 

Beyond Sin.

Every organization has a goal, whether it’s a corporation, the military, or any nation on the planet. And for an organization to be successful, two things must occur:

The leader or leaders, must be honorable, fair, just, and consistent.

But also, the people being led, must be cooperative, have integrity, allegiance, and be devoted to the leader and the organization.

To most of us, Heaven has always seemed like a fantasy land kind of place. Not from the standpoint of being unreal, just kind of a utopia, where everything runs smooth and perfectly. Let’s think of it, in a more pragmatic way, for the moment.

Put yourself in God’s place for a minute. Who would you invite into this utopia, Heaven? Troublemakers, liars, dishonest people, people that don’t get along well with others? Not likely. Or maybe you would rather have the impatient, intolerant, selfish, and people with no self-discipline.

Can you image how these qualities would foul the gears of Heaven?

Once we accept Jesus as our Lord, our first goal is to rid ourselves of Sin, as much as possible. But after that, our next goal is to make ourselves as suitable as possible for the environment in which we hope to spend Eternity. That means ridding ourselves of negative qualities, and developing positive qualities.

That process is called Maturing.

  Ephesians 4: 1   (Beyond Sin, we need to prepare ourselves to be good citizens of Heaven.)

¹ I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

  Ephesians 4: 15   (We are expected to grow in the Faith.)

¹⁵ speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

  Ephesians 4: 21-24  (The Apostle Paul explains it this way.)

²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

  Ephesians 4: 11-13   (We are to “Become Mature”, according to the Scriptures.)

¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

  Hebrews 5: 13-14  (God tells us that we are to train ourselves, to prepare for Eternity.)

¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

  Hebrews 6: 1  (Getting back to our earlier discussions, once we accept Jesus as Lord, we are expected to move on, in our Christian walk, not simply continue with our old lifestyle.)

¹ Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God

  1 Peter 2: 1-2  (Finally, God tells us to “grow up in our salvation”.)

¹ Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

 

The internet is rampant with articles about Salvation. Many of them advocate a, “Once Saved, Always Saved” interpretation of the Scriptures. You can’t lose your salvation no matter what you do, or don’t do, they say. Once you say you believe in Jesus, your Salvation is guarranteed.

It’s a gift from God, and God wouldn’t take back a gift”. Maybe not, but have you ever gotten a gift from anyone? They may not take it back. But that doesn’t prevent you from losing it, if you don’t protect it properly.

Besides, Salvation is not a gift. A gift is when something is offered, accepted, and received, with no strings attached. If Salvation were a gift, God would just randomly give it out to whomever He wishes, and that would be that.

Salvation however, is a reward for those who fulfill their obligations, under the New Covenant.

  John 5: 24-25   (Once Saved / Always Saved)

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

This is one of the Scriptures that seems to be indicating that a simple profession of Faith, is all that’s required for Salvation. When Jesus spoke these words, He was not teaching about how to receive Salvation. This statement was made during one of those arguments Jesus was having with the Jewish leaders. So perhaps Jesus was just trying to make a point with them, rather than deliver a thorough explanation of the requirements for Salvation.

In His next breath, Jesus made this remark, reiterating the connection between Salvation and behavior:

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

  Remember the path to Salvation is through Faith (belief), for which God will credit us the Righteousness we need for Salvation. Let’s dig a little deeper, to better understand what Faith — Saving Faith, is.  

John 1: 9-13  (The same Apostle John that wrote the Scripture above, made this statement about Jesus, Salvation, and Faith.)

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

As with the parable of the Olive Tree, this Scripture reiterates the message that Jesus initially came as a final effort to save the Israelites “His own“. But most of them did not accept Him. So God offered Salvation to the rest of us “to those who believed in his name“.   But notice, God didn’t say that those who believe will become Children of God. He said they would have the right to become children of God. “Belief in His Name” is the first step, not the one and only requirement. It’s what you do with that initial belief, that matters.

When a new believer first utters the words “I believe”, that is merely a profession of Faith, not actual Faith. Granted God sends the Holy Spirit to help that person. But our free will, allows us to resist the Holy Spirit, just as we can resist the Devil.

Faith, the Faith that will bring Salvation, is not just a statement. It’s not just a mindset, or a change of opinion, that one now believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Saving Faith, is an action word. You have to apply your Faith to everyday life. And for the rest of your life.

  Romans 3: 28 & 31

²⁸ For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

  James 2: 14-26  (The Apostle James, the brother of Jesus, explains it better than we ever could.)

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

  1 Timothy 6: 11-12  (Listen to what the Apostle Paul said about it.)

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Notice, Paul explains that you have to “ Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession“. Eternal Life wasn’t given to you, when you made your initial profession of Faith. You have to take hold of it, by Following Jesus.

  Hebrews 11   (The Apostle Paul explains the meaning of Life Saving Faith. Faith must be used, it must be exercised, it must be applied throughout life on Earth. All these people put their Faith into action.)

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did.

⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

³⁷ They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance (the New Covenant), admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.

  1 Peter 1: 6-7  (Faith must be tested to be genuine.)

⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith

    Faith is all we have to give to God.  We aren’t Righteous.  We didn’t even Atone for our own sins.  Could God be more generous to us?


Matthew 11: 28-30   (Jesus said:)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Another argument in favor of the “Once Saved, Always Saved” interpretation, is in the way Jesus phrased these words, “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life“.

The interpretation is that once God has given Eternal Life, God would not go back on His word and take it away. This interpretation assumes that Eternal Life is given at the time the profession of Faith is made. When you say that you believe in Jesus Christ, at that moment God gives you Eternal Life, and nothing can change that or take it away.

The concept is right, but the timing is wrong. Once God gives you Eternal Life, nothing can change that or take it away. But God doesn’t give you Eternal Life at the time of your profession of Faith.

First of all, a covenant is not a transaction. It’s a promise of a transaction at a future time, after the terms of the agreement have been met.

Look back at the Old Covenant for a moment, between God and the Israelites. God offered the Israelites many different blessings, in return for their Faithfulness and Righteousness. The Israelites made their profession of Faith many times, but each time they failed to meet their commitment.

God didn’t give them the blessings when they made their profession, God waited for the Israelites to live up to their commitment.   The Israelites failed to do so, and they missed out on God’s blessings.

A commitment of Faith is not the same as the execution of that Faith. Far too many commitments are left unfulfilled.

So when do you actually receive Salvation? If you read the Scriptures carefully, you’ll find that the answer is “not in this lifetime”.

  Hebrews 9: 26-28   (We will not actually receive our Salvation/Eternal Life, until after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.)

But Jesus has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

For detailed information on this topic, please read our article on “Death”

    Jude 1: 20-21  (Here the Apostle Jude, confirms that Eternal Life is not given at a profession of Faith.)

²⁰ But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

  Hebrews 9: 15  (Notice, the Apostle Paul, calls it a promised inheritance.)

¹⁵ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

  Titus 3: 5-7   (Again, the Apostle Paul refers to Eternal Life in the future tense, as a hope.)

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

 

Matthew 19: 28-30  (Jesus explains that Eternal Life is to be inherited after death.)

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

  Hebrews 1: 14  (Here the Apostle Paul confirms that Salvation/Eternal Life is an Inheritance.)

¹⁴ Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

  James 2: 5  (The Apostle James explains that not only is Salvation/the Kingdom, a promised inheritance to “those who are rich in Faith”. But one of the requirements is to Love God.)

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

  1 Peter 1: 3-7  (The Apostle Peter, spells it all out pretty clearly.)

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

Romans 11: 17-24  (In this parable, the Apostle Paul uses the olive tree to illustrate one aspect of Salvation. In the parable, the “natural branches” are the Israelites, and the “grafted-in branches” represent Christians, and the vine/root/tree, represents God’s Salvation.)

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

²² Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. ²³ And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

What Paul is explaining is that the road to Salvation is dynamic or fluid. It’s not a one-time event. Although the Kingdom of God was originally offered to the Israelites, they ultimately failed to keep their Faith in God. And so they forfeited their place in the Kingdom. Paul goes on to explain that the same fate awaits a Christian who fails to keep their Faith in God.

  Hebrews 10: 36-39   (Paul adds this comment, confirming that Salvation will be given only to those who continue to persist in the Faith. Others will be lost.)

³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” ³⁸ And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

  (In the parable of the Olive Tree, above, Paul explains:)

²³ And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

  Hebrews 6: 4-6  (However, here Paul explains the danger that there are limits. A believer can go too far into unbelief, to recover, and ultimately forfeit Salvation)

⁴ It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance.

  John 15: 5-6  (Here Jesus uses a similar analogy, to Paul’s Olive Tree. Again, Jesus explains that if you do not continue in the Faith, you will be lost.)

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

  Matthew 3: 10  (John the Baptist uses a similar analogy with good fruit.)

¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

  2 John 1: 9  (The Apostle John, also confirms that one must continue in the Faith or be lost.)

⁹ Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

  1 John 2: 24-25  (Again John ties Salvation to continuing in the Faith.)

²⁴ As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

 

Of all the parables Jesus used, to bring us the word of God, perhaps the most important is the Parable of the Sower. This message explains how Salvation can be lost. Throughout the scriptures Jesus reiterates that Salvation will be given to those who hold onto it, and put God’s word into practice, throughout their lives, till the end. In this parable Jesus warns us of specific ways we can lose the Salvation He offers us.

The parable compares a farmer planting seed, to a person delivering God’s message of Salvation. And it goes on to say, some of the seed the farmer sows, falls “Along the path”; “On rocky places”; “Among the thorns”; and “On good soil”.

In Matthew, Jesus says the seed that falls “Along the path” refers to those people who hear God’s message and don’t understand it.   Luke goes on to say “so that they cannot believe and be saved”. The lesson here, is that these people didn’t take the time, or make the effort, to learn more about it. So Satan distracts them with other things, snatches the word away, and they lose their opportunity for Salvation.

In Luke, Jesus says the seed that falls “On rocky ground” refers to those who “receive the word with joy”,    “believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away”. The lesson here is that “believing”, or “faith” is a delicate thing. It works somewhat like a muscle. If you exercise it, it grows and becomes stronger. But if you don’t use it, it withers away. We are all tested, as even Jesus was. When that moment comes, if you haven’t built up your faith, by spending time with God, reading His Word, you won’t have enough faith to pass the test. And so you will turn to other forms of help, and what little faith you had, will wither away. As Paul said in Hebrews 11 “without faith it is impossible to please God”, and therefore without faith, it is impossible to be saved.

In Mark, Jesus says the seed that falls “Among the thorns” refers to those who “hear the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things, come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful”. Luke uses the words “choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, so they do not mature”. The lesson here, is that there are so many things in life that demand your attention. Important things. There are things you want to achieve. There are measures of success, that the world says you should meet, or you’re a failure in life. There are things that lure you seductively into believing that happiness lies there. Many of these things are not, in and of themselves bad. But they eat up your time. And if you let your relationship with God and your faith decay, by not spending time with Him, reading His word, you will not “mature”, and you will not find salvation. Satan will distract you with all sorts of things, you need to do first. Remember, Jesus said “Seek first, the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.

Finally, In Luke, Jesus says the seed that falls “On good soil” refers to “those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering, produce a crop”. Those people will be saved.

The Parable of the Sower is recorded by Matthew in chapter 13, by Mark in chapter 4, and by Luke in chapter 8. All three Gospels record this important message.

Matthew 13: 19-23  (Here is the Parable of the Sower, from Matthew’s Gospel.)

³ Then Jesus told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

 
Some might say, “the 3 Gospels are inconsistent, in their description of what Jesus said.”

But that assumes that Jesus told this parable only once, and that the writers didn’t remember His words accurately. This was an elaborate and very important teaching. It seems far more likely that Jesus told the parable multiple times to many different people. Since it wasn’t written down, Jesus no doubt used slight variations in the message, on each occasion.

The Book of Life, is God’s record of those people who God has deemed worthy of Salvation. One would assume that most of these people, qualified for Salvation by meeting their obligations under the New Covenant. Although there are many people who lived under the Old Covenant, whom God embraced as well. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Daniel, to name a few.

  Revelation 20: 11-13 & 15   (Listen to the vision God showed to the Apostle John, concerning how the Book of Life will be used on Judgment Day.)

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

  1 John 5: 2-4 (Everyone who loves God and keeps His commands, overcomes the world and is Victorious.)

² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³ In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.

⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

  Revelation 3: 5  (Here Jesus draws the connection between being Victorious and the Book of Life.)

⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

The original 1978 NIV translation puts it this way:

“I will never erase his name from the book of life“.

So God has a pen, but He also has an eraser. And the person who is not “Victorious”, God can “blot out the name of that person from the book of life“.  

Victory is achieved at the end, at the finish line, of an endeavor. No one is Victorious in during a race, or in the middle of a quest. The same holds true in our quest for Salvation. The message here is that the path to Salvation begins with that profession of Faith in Jesus Christ. But it doesn’t end until our life on Earth ends.

We must keep that Faith and act on it, by following God’s Will, right up until the end of our life on earth, the finish.  

Matthew 10: 22   (Jesus spoke these words to His Apostles.)

²² You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

  2 Timothy 4: 7-8  (The Apostle Paul wrote these words to his friend Timothy, near the end of his life.)

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

  Revelation 2: 10   (And finally, Jesus spoke these words to the Apostle John.)

¹⁰ … Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

 

This has been an exhaustive study, with a lot to think about.

Certain Scriptures read in isolation, appear to make Salvation seem as simple as 1 2 3. But as you dig deeper into the Scriptures, you find that’s not quite the case.

A good 10 point path to Salvation includes:

• Understanding the New Covenant
• Make that profession of Faith in Jesus Christ
• Following Jesus’ instructions
• Making Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives
• Adjusting our Conduct and being Obedient to conform to the Will of God
• When we Sin, Repent and Confess our Sin to receive Absolution
• Make a sincere effort to Mature throughout our lives
• At all cost, continue to develop our Faith in God
• Finish the race. Hold onto all of the above, ’til we depart from the Earth

Alright it’s only nine points. Just wanted to see if you’re paying attention.

By all means, these points need to be supplemented with prayer and reading the Word of God, the Bible.

  One might ask, “If God will credit my Faith as Righteousness, why do I still have to do all these things to receive Salvation?”.

Remember, even after doing all those things, we are still not Righteous. We still all Sin. God is making Salvation possible, on His terms. He is the creator. We are His creation to do with, as He wishes. God has no obligation to grant Eternal Life to anyone. No less to people that would make things more difficult in Heaven. God is already coping with the problems created by Satan. God doesn’t need additional problems from us in Heaven.

Adam lost his opportunity for Eternal Life after just one incident of disobedience to God’s Law. Why would God give Eternal Life to someone that has been even more disobedient, without asking for something in return, our Faith? But God needs real Faith from us. Faith supported by our actions. Not just lip service.

If receiving Salvation was as easy as making a simple profession of Faith, the Book of Life would be overflowing with names. But listen to what Jesus said about who will be saved.  

Matthew 7: 13-14  (If all that is required to receive Salvation, is to say “I Believe”, Jesus would not have said this.)

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Here Jesus not only dispels the notion that receiving Salvation is as simple as making a profession of Faith, but He lets us know that “only a few find it.” That’s not very good odds. I want to be one of those few. Don’t you?

  1 Peter 4: 17-18  (Here the Apostle Peter, confirms Jesus message, that the path to Salvation is not a simple one.)

¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

  Matthew 19: 23-24   (For those with aspirations of wealth, you may want to think twice.)

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

  Why? Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Job, and others were all very wealthy, and God made them wealthy. God doesn’t despise wealth. But He understands that wealth can be corrupting. Some people can handle wealth, and some can’t. Just as some can drink wine, and others become alcoholics.

Wealth brings with it, great temptations. Plus many wealthy people achieve their wealth, in unscrupulous ways. Wealth can be achieved and used for good, or achieved by evil means and used for sinful pleasures, ultimately leading to one’s destruction.

So wealth needs to be combined with Godly teachings. Wealth with God. These are the reasons Jesus said “it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven”.  

One last point. Jesus tells us that God wants us to develop many of the qualities of little children. He wants us to be meek and humble, unpretentious and forgiving. To look up to, and put our faith in God, the way a little child does with its parent. Jesus explains that this attitude is so important to God, that our very salvation hinges on it. He goes on to explain that even after receiving salvation, and being with Him in heaven, this attitude is so highly prized by God, that God considers people who have developed this trait, to be the greatest in His Kingdom.

  Matthew 18: 1-5   (Imagine, Jesus gave this warning, even to His Apostles.)

¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

  Jesus shocks His disciples by His reply to this apparently benign question of position in the Kingdom, by telling His own Apostles “unless you change, … you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”.

  Revelation 2: 7   (The Scriptures take us full circle. The same “Tree of Life” that could have given Eternal Life to Adam and Eve in the Garden, will give Eternal Life to those who are granted Salvation by God. But not until the End of the Age.)

⁷ … To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

 

To better understand God’s plan for all of this, read our article called “Death”.

 

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