Salvation

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Salvation” is the English word derived from the Greek word “Soterion” (pronounced so-tay’-ree-on). The definition is three fold:
1. Salvation, bringing salvation.
“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NLT
This salvation is available to mankind.
2. He whom embodies this salvation, or through whom God is about to achieve it.
“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
No one else can impart salvation. Only Jesus!!!
“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬
3. The hope of (future) salvation.
“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NASB‬‬
Those who have been truly saved can be confidently sure that the hope we have in Christ isn’t a “maybe so” salvation. The salvation He gives is “anticipation with expectation”! We are waiting for the translation from this dying body to the incorruptible one in eternity! (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-58). That is the hope of Christ!!
The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, said it this way in the same chapter, a few verses earlier:
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:17-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Are you saved? That is a question that each of us MUST answer. Some, even in many churches, don’t understand that salvation is not a matter of association with a church, it is a matter of relationship with God through His Only Son Jesus! Simple intellectual understanding of His historical life and accomplishments are not enough to save. Salvation is imparted to the repentant person.
“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
I am concerned that many pulpits of our land do not clearly teach these things. Salvation is accomplished in Jesus Christ’s full, redeeming atonement. He alone can impart salvation. The most important issue of life is this truth! I am so thankful that I Know Him, I know where I came from, I know why I’m here, and I know where I am going! I am saved and I am His workmanship! The salvation He has provided calls me to live my life to His honor. May He use my life to honor and glorify His name!
Are you saved and walking in the assurance of that salvation or are you an associate of religion? You can know you are saved!
“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Let me encourage you to consider these scriptures:
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NLT
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬
I pray that the Holy Spirit will now move upon you and call you to Christ. I pray that you now know that you are a sinner and that you take this moment to repent of your sins. Ask Jesus to become the Lord of your life!
“In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:8-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Are you saved?