Dear RITA,

There has been so much confusion posted on RITA the last few days as to the meaning of certain words and what the Bible really says about Salvation, I thought it would be of value to give a short outlined class on the subject.

Salvation--without it nothing else in life matters.


Terms and their definitions

JUSTIFICATION Romans chpt 1-4

A big word that just means to be found not guilty in Gods court of law. Because God the Father has accepted your confession of faith in His son for your salvation, he has deemed you Just. That does not mean you are sinless, just that God covers your sins with the blood of His son. That means that He values you so much He was willing for His Only Son to SUFFER and DIE in your place. If the Judge of the Universe has deemed you righteous, then in His book, you are.

Remember, Christ died for and paid the price for all your sins long before you had committed any sin. That is why your sins have been paid for in full after your "born again" event as well as before. When the court of justice deems you Not Guilty, its forever. There is no double jeopardy.

SALVATION and its two phases

Phase 1 Book of John especially chpt 3.

BEING BORN AGAIN. In John chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. Nicky immediately understood that to be physically born again was an impossibility so he asked Jesus to explain how that could be. Jesus said in effect that he was using an earthly picture of a spiritual event and that if Nicky didn't understand the earthly function of being born then he wouldn't understand the spiritual application.

So, Jesus was saying that just like one has to be physically born into the physical world to be physically alive, one must also be born into the spiritual world to be spiritually alive. Once one is born into either realm, they can not be "unborn" out of that realm. It is an impossibility.

This means that the first phase of salvation is the the new birth, a spiritual event that is a one time happening when confession of sins and acknowledgment of the need for a savior in the person of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is made. This is a matter of the heart and not just words. The father deems you justified and seals you with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of your destination.(eph 1:13,14) This finishes the transaction of ownership by Christ Jesus and into the kingdom of Heaven and eternal family of almighty God.

Phase 2

SALVATION FROM HABIT OF SIN
also called SANCTIFICATION.

This is sometimes called the second salvation and is a process that does not end until the believer receives their glorified body at the rapture of the Church. (the time the trib. believers get their new body is not clear and except for the 144,000 that are called virgins that follow the lamb of God there is no mention of sanctification process during the 7 year trib.)

This sanctification process is different for each believer. It can be fast or slow depending on the individuals learning to let go of doing life their own way and let The Savior be in charge. For most of us that takes a long time to learn and we mostly live a life of a series of failures due to our insistence to be in charge of our own lives.

But God is faithful and very patient with us and His mercy endures forever to all that belong to Him.

This second phase of salvation and all the scripture verses that pertain to it are the reason for most if not all the misunderstandings of believers who keep trying to add something else to the gift of Salvation from the penalty and guilt of sin.

Once you understand the two phases of salvation, you can rest in the assurance of your destination and be free to fail when you mess up and disobey. For me, and I am absolutely convinced that it will be the same for everyone, once I understood that I had freedom to fail without condemnation, it made me want to always obey Gods commandants and hate it each time I don't. The person that is free from the penalty of death that they surely deserve will never view that freedom as a license to sin and disobey the one who paid for that freedom.

The freedom we read about in the 8th chapter of Romans will lead to the Sanctification process that we read about in the 12th chapter of Romans. Yes, freedom brings service (good works) and a transformation of the mind. That is the order of salvation and since the sanctification process is the longer, most all of the New Testament deals with the means of that process. Read about it in Galatians, (freedom) Ephesians,(new life and how to get along with other believers) Philippians (growing up and maturing)

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST JESUS

If my memory doesn't fail me, I believe the term "in Christ" and "Christ in me" is used in the NT over 100 times. The Bride of Christ is in the process of being BONDED to their future husband where the two will become one.

This is a relationship that has all the aspects of any true loving relationship here on Earth. There are issues of Love, acceptance, trust, fear, shame, faithfulness etc. There are also times of "disagreements or arguments" where we close the spirit of the other because of pride, selfishness or anger. When this happens, we need to ask the other for forgiveness so we can open back up the lines of communication.

Of course, the Lord never sins against us, but we do Him and so we need to apologize and ask His forgiveness, not for salvation from the penalty of sin, that has already been paid for in full, but instead to open back up the fellowship of our relationship with Him. When we willfully sin it brings us shame and closes the door of our fellowship with Him. That is why the apostle Paul says that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness."

The believer confesses their sins to restore fellowship with their Bridegroom, not to be born again. I have said before, but it bears saying again, most of the scriptures in the NT after the 4 Gospels, is devoted to the Sanctification process and must be interpreted as such. If any scripture seems to be saying that we need to be Justified again, it isn't. It is talking about the process of being saved from the habit of sin that "grows up" the believer into a mature member of the Body of Christ.


We can surely judge each others position in the sanctification process through observing the fruit of the Spirit or lack thereof, but we can in no way judge the position of the heart. That is Gods providence alone.

Hope that helps clear up some confusion

All my love

Tom

Amen Tom, once we truly understand that we are free in Christ and that we CAN'T lose our salvation, it makes us want to obey him more and more out of our thankfulness of eternal life. I guess it's easy for some christians to judge others as to where they are in their relationship. Even the disciples agued as to who would be the highest in heaven among them.

Thank you Jesus for garunteeing my salvation by what you did on the cross. Thank you for the assurance that I can never lose the free gift that you gave me. Please open the eyes of those who put works in to keep thier salvation.

Just believe...that's it!

Tom, I really enjoyed reading this study about salvation and sanctification.

God loves us and is trying to reach us with His love. He has proven this and accomplished this with Jesus' atoning death on the cross.

Thank you for this wonderful explanation. God bless you Tom!

Tom, thank you, thank you, thank you for so gently, clearly, and succinctly explaining something so critical to understanding our proper relationship to Christ!

Many state we shouldn't quarrel (and that is very true!)over OSAS and as it is something that can't be agreed upon, that is should be left alone. But the flip side of that (and why this issue must be handled carefully yet NOT ignored as the white elephant in the room) is because a proper understanding of what Christ has done for us, and what our true responsibility is once we call ourselves "Christian" will free us up to mature more quickly in Christ.(And possibly remove a lot of unnecessary fear, self-condemnation and/or despair as well?)

I do so appreciate your ability to focus on the truth and convey it to those of us who think we understand, yet manage to wander off on side trails of forgetfulness or doubt...

Thank you Tom, always enjoy everything you have to say

Email: cidp@aol.com

"side trails of forgetfulness or doubt..."

Could it be there is a little bit of Thomas in all of us? I know there is in me. That's why I so appreciate you Tom, for articulating this for us once again. I believe God has kept it simple even for the simplest one. I'm not a fan of presenting the gospel in a series of steps. I think the bible makes it clear: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." One step enough for all eternity. Of course, this belief includes recognition that He is the only begotten Son of God, and that He rose again.

The belief is realizing you are a sinner and there is nothing you could do to ever save yourself. It's relying wholly on the Perfect Sacrifice of the Lamb who has died in our stead: our Substitute. It is rejoicing in the words: "It is finished."

Excellent post on salvation and sanctification to reassure the church!!

Melissa, thank you so much for bumping this. I had missed it the first time. Tom, excellent post and such a beautiful and clear way to explain it all.

Amen, amen, amen!

Come, Lord Jesus!

MaybeToday, You are so welcome! I could read this often as a reminder! It is a wonderful description and very accurate I believe!

I missed it too the first time around Melissa & Maybe Today... so glad you brought it to my attention! This is such a simple and excellent explanation... good for us to read and grasp but especially for those lurkers who are pondering what it all means... there must be many. Thank you Tom for helping us all understand how simple it really is.

AMEN, Tom! Very succinct and easy to understand. I think the fact that God's plan is so simple is the reason so many want to try to make it more difficult~ they just can't accept the beauty of the simplicity of Salvation.

Thank you for writing this. I will print it out to remind myself and others to REJOICE in our SALVATION and not focus too much attention on our continued state of sin until we die or are raptured.

Nice Thread...Thanks Brother Tom

Beautiful Gift...Thank You JESUS!

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

No wonder the Pharisees stumbled over the Truth, so simple a child gets it . . .

Yes, remembering the fullness of Grace, thank you Tom.

Jesus never intended our faith in Him should be complicated, thankfully Holy Spirit indwells the believer, and He is what the Father sees through Jesus Christ . . .

Jesus didn't come to condemn, but to save . . Who knew better than God Himself what it took to save. He had to give His Life to redeem us, to make us born-again in the Son, He alone was the full Atonement to set us free in Him, forever . . Glory to God, the veil is torn, our reconciliation complete!!!

Thinking on these things. . .

" "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" . . Phil 4:8