ARTICLES FROM THE PERSUADER
VOLUME 8 (2012-2015)
Bible Salvation
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:6
Salvation is of the Lord for He is the “author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:2) The word salvation means deliverance. Usually when we refer to salvation in a spiritual sense, we are speaking about justification--saved from the penalty of sin.
Man is born with a sin nature and has a dead spirit. (“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Eph. 2:1) The reason for this is due to Adam’s sin in the garden when he disobeyed God and ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God had said the day you eat of that tree, you will die and Adam, who was made in the image of God, died spiritually and was separated from God. Even though he was saved, he still passed on a dead spirit to all of his offspring, including us. Thus, we are not born in the image of God but in the image of Adam. (“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12)
We are safe until we reach a knowledge of accountability (not a certain age of accountability but knowledge) and then we are subject to the wrath of God and need to be saved--justified--delivered from the penalty of sin. James 1:18 states, “begat he us with the word of truth.” Therefore, we must be under the preaching of truth to be saved--justified. (“The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” Psa. 145:18)
To be justified takes a completed work of Holy Ghost conviction which involves “reproval” (“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” John 16:8-11) and “godly sorrow,” (“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” II Cor. 7:10) When the work of reproval is complete in all three areas--sin, righteousness, and judgment, then and only then can a person obey the gospel by repenting and believing, thus being saved--justified--saved from the penalty of sin.
But the Lord is not through with us for Phil 1:6 says: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” I know this is written to the saints of God but He began a work in you long before you were justified even when you did not realize it. He gives light to the sinner and awakens him to his condition and his need of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if that person will continue in His Word, basically what He has quickened to you, he will be saved--justified. (“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32; “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD.” Hosea 6:3a)
When justified He continues to work in Bible Salvation. Paul referring to sanctification said in Gal. 4:19, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” Sanctification is not perfection as some say but the walk of progression toward perfection that will be gained at the first resurrection. Sanctification is the soul being saved from the power of sin day by day. James 1:21 says, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” “Wherefore” means in view of verse 18 where it says we are begotten by “the Word of truth.” Since one is justified we are commanded to lay aside all that overflow of wickedness and receive the engrafted Word which is able to save (present tense) our souls. The Word is engrafted when one is justified--spirit saved from the penalty of sin. He that began a good work (Phil. 1:6) will sanctify--his soul will be saved from the power of sin day by day. Ezk. 36:27 (“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”) makes it plain that one who is justified (has the Lord’s Spirit within) will be sanctified (be caused to walk in His statutes and keep his judgments and do them). Titus 2:11-12 states that the grace of God will teach the justified (us) to deny some things and how to live in this world--sanctification of the soul--saved from the power of sin day by day. (“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:11-12)
If what you profess does not clean you up on the outside, then you have not the Spirit of Christ living inside. (“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Rom. 8:9) I Timothy 2:9 states, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.” This verse deals with both women and men, in context (“in like manner” refers back to men in verse 8) and forbids wearing tight clothing that exposes the curves of one’s body or exposing flesh that should not be exposed in public. Blue jeans on women are not modest. You may say I have liberty and it is true that you do, if justified. (“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Gal. 5:1) But liberty is not a license to sin. (“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Gal. 5:13) You may say I have no condemnation because I am saved and quote Rom. 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” It is true there is no condemnation to hell if you are “in Christ” because you are justified--saved from the penalty of sin. Rom. 8:1 also refers to sanctification by the phrase “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” If you walk after the flesh and not after the Spirit, there will be condemnation (chastisement) come your way, if you are truly saved.
I Peter 1:16 quoting Lev. 11:44 says “Be ye holy for I am holy.” Heb. 12:14 says, “without holiness no man shall see God.” Holiness is the outcome of the setting apart work of the Holy Spirit in justification and a sanctified walk in one’s life.
I John 3:2-3 states that if one has a hope of seeing the Lord when he comes back, he will purify himself. (“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”) If you knew the judge was at the door, there would be some straightening up in your living. (“Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” James 5:9)
As Phil. 1:6 states, He justifies and sanctifies but He is not through yet--He will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This is referring to the rapture, not a Bible word but a Bible principle. We have a promise that He will conform us to His image--glorification. (“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Rom. 8:29) Therefore, He works all things together for good. (“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28) When Jesus ascended in Acts 1:11 the angels said that this same Jesus is coming back as you saw Him go. I Thess. 4:16-17 says the Lord Himself is coming, not another Jesus. (“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”)
The same grace that teaches us how to live a sanctified life in Titus 2:12 will teach us to look with expectation for Him to come again. (“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13) And when He comes I Cor. 15:51-57 tells us what will happen. (“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”) Then, we will be in His image and our bodies will be saved from the presence of sin--glorification. And the conditions of Psa. 24:3-4 will be fulfilled. (“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”)
Paul said in I Thess. 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thus, all three will be preserved, if you have Bible Salvation for Phil 1:6 is true. Our spirit will be justified--save from the penalty of sin, our soul will be sanctified--saved from the power of sin, and our body will be glorified--saved from the presence of sin.
Rom. 8:30 (“Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”) makes it clear that all He justifies He glorifies. All because He began a good work in you. That is Bible salvation!
This is only a skeletal outline of this subject. We have several series of CD’s without charge for material or freight--just for the asking. I care. I will be your friend and be glad to discuss your condition in confidence if you so desire. I want to be true to your soul concerning Bible Salvation which is why I try to tell you the truth.
THE PERSUADER - July-Dec., 2013