TRUE SALVATION

The act of accepting Christ is taught many different ways throughout the World. Many questions remain in controversy even after 2000 years. What is salvation? How do you get saved? What happens to us once we are saved? What do you do after you are saved? Can you lose your salvation? These questions have answers, which can be found through revelation given by the Holy Spirit and backed up by the Bible. I hope that the information I provide for you here will help you to better understand what these scriptures truly mean.

WHAT IS SALVATION?

The first sin recorded in the Bible was when Adam disobeyed God by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, in direct defiance of God's instructions (Genesis 2:17 and 3:6). Through Adam's disobedience sin came into the world upon all humans (Romans 5:12). It was at this moment that the law of sin and death took over in the World. It was at this point that man's soul was placed into slavery to sin, creating in him a nature of evil (Sometimes referred to as the sin nature). (Matthew 19:17 and Romans 7:18). When I speak of evil I am referring to sin. A part of salvation is the removal of this nature from your soul (John 8:36, Romans 6:18,8:2, and Galatians 5:1). There are many aspects of salvation and some that you will not receive until you die, as long as you continue to walk and live in God (I John 2:1 and 3:6,9). The truth we will discuss here is the very beginning of salvation. Salvation is the saving of a person from their own wicked self, a self that is bent to do evil (Romans 7:5). Salvation is also the reunification of man's soul with the Spirit of the Living God. And, now we will discuss the different aspects of the beginnings of salvation.

HOW DO WE GET SAVED?

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." The bible is very clear on how we accept Christ. Salvation, now that the savior, Jesus Christ, has come, can only come from believing on Him. John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The Bible is also very clear on what happens if someone does not believe in Jesus. 1 John 2:23 "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father" . . . Salvation can only come from believing on Jesus. Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Oh and just for everyone who has been taught this idea, that if you say a prayer, asking Jesus to come into your heart, you will be saved. Well guess what, THAT'S NOT IN THE BIBLE, ANYWHERE. The only way we can be saved is by confessing AND BELIEVING in your heart through faith that JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR US, ROSE FROM THE GRAVE, AND IS GOD.

WHAT HAPPENS TO US
WHEN WE ARE SAVED?

2 Corinthians 5:17 "So that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!" The simple fact is that after we are saved, we should be different. We shouldn't live the same way we had. IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN JESUS AND WHAT HE DID, YOUR LIFE WOULD CHANGE. If you really believed that Jesus was beaten until he was not recognizable as a man, His skin ripped from His body, a crown of thorns put into His head that had thorns so sharp and long they actually hit His skull, he was hung for hours, not able to breathe without lifting himself up with His ravaged body, He was abandoned by even His closest friends, the people He was here to save spitting on Him and laughing at Him. HE WENT TO HELL FOR THREE DAYS FOR YOU. IF YOU REALLY BELIEVED THAT HE WENT THROUGH ALL OF THIS YOUR LIFE WOULD CHANGE. I hear to much now a days about how we are to fight sin, that we will always be tempted to sin, and that our flesh is always fighting with our spirit, that we still have the carnal man in us. Why do people say this? Because Paul said in romans, "are you not carnal." I'm sorry friends but this was a letter not a one liner. To know what was meant by this read the entire book. If your a woman and think a scripture doesn't need to be used in context, then never speak in church again, 1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women be silent in the assemblies, for it is not allowed to them to speak, but to be in subjection, as also the Law says." For you guys guess what, no more marriage for you. 1 Corinthians 7:20 "Each one in the calling in which he was called, in this remain." Paul goes on to teach that we are loosed from the law because we have taken on the death of Jesus. We have died to the flesh, God has renewed us. Do you think that God would dwell (1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?") in something that is not perfect. Go read the perfection scriptures. He has perfected and sanctified you. John 17:19 LITV "and I sanctify Myself for them, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."

WHAT DO WE DO AFTER WE ARE SAVED?

Jeremiah 17:9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN HEART. So how do we know if we're truly saved or just deceiving ourselves? Matthew 7:16-21 KJVR "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." James 2:17 KJVR "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." You must understand that he was not contradicting Paul here. He was telling everyone that unless works follow someone that says they are a believer, then they are not a believer. You will evidence God after you are truly saved, and any one who does not well here's the scripture for that, Galatians 5:19 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Now here's the scariest part of the scripture, if someone is of God he will not sin, but if you commit sin you are of the Devil. Now this may come off as harsh but hey God wrote the rules. The thing you must realize is that all Satan needs is to get you to screw up and you walk out of your sonship. After we are saved we live our lives for God, we should sacrifice everything for Him. Romans 12:1 KJVR "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." We are to be like Jesus, imitators of Him. John 6:37-39 KJVR "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."