What is Salvation

The first thing that likely comes to the mind of most Christians is: salvation is about eternal life, making heaven our home, rather than going to a place of torment called hell, where we would be eternally separated from God.

That is the end result, but the path that leads to eternal life includes many opportunities to exercise our faith. God’s plan of salvation includes many trials and tests that will make us ready to spend eternity with Him.

Salvation can be viewed as both a finished work of Christ and an ongoing process that we walk out during our entire lives here on this earth. The two are interconnected, in that, we must respond to what Jesus Christ completed through His death on the cross before we will benefit from it. God is not willing that any should perish or be banished from His presence. (See John 3:16 & 2 Peter 3:9). God’s part in our salvation has been completed long ago; now His church must spread the message and those who hear must respond to be saved. Though God is not willing that any should perish, He will not override the individual will of man. Salvation is available to whoever is willing to believe and receive. (See Acts 16:31 & Revelation 22:17)

Salvation is truly a work of God: there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it, yet we must respond in obedience to His will. In this age of grace, our salvation is a matter of entering into Christ, as partakers of the New Covenant. We must respond to His warning of judgment and promise of blessing. God made a covenant with Noah and he responded in obedience, built an ark and became a preacher of righteousness, warning the people of the judgment that was to come. Entering into the ark was a type of entering into salvation in Christ.

Because of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, Lot and his family were declared righteous and escaped the judgment that came upon the wicked city of Sodom.

2 Peter 2:4-7 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked NKJV

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. NKJV

Salvation, for the Israelite slaves in Egypt, was also a matter of responding with obedience. They were saved from the judgment that God released upon the first born of the land, including their livestock. Israel was instructed to kill a lamb and put its blood above and on the sides of the doorway to each of their houses. They were to stay in their houses, eating roast lamb. When the Lord saw the blood, He passed over their homes and did not smite them with the plague that came on all Egypt. Salvation, for them, was remaining in their houses under the covering of the blood, partaking of roast lamb. As they prepared to head out of Egypt, the scripture says that there was not one feeble person among them: their bodies were also healed.

Our salvation, today, parallels their experience of coming out of Egypt. We must remain in Christ, trusting His blood to cleanse us and keep us from the judgment that will come on the wicked. Our salvation includes saving the soul, deliverance from slavery to sin, judgment on our enemies, and the healing of our bodies.

As God led Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt, they came upon the Red Sea and noticed that Pharaoh had sent his armies in pursuit of them. They had no apparent way of escape so they began to cry out in fear and complained to Moses. God was not taken by surprise, as if He had to quickly come up with a plan, but He led them that way to show His might on their behalf.

Ex 14:13-14 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." NKJV

God told Moses to stretch forth his rod over the sea and the waters parted before them. After the Israelites had passed through the sea on dry ground, the armies of Pharaoh continued, following them into the parted water. Then the Lord commanded Moses to, again, stretch forth his rod and the water returned to normal, covering over every last one of them. (See Exodus 14) In this we see that salvation includes deliverance from our enemies and all those who desire to enslave God’s people. He has buried our sins in the deepest sea. (See Micah 7:19)

Ex 14:30-31 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses. NKJV

The people then responded to their salvation with joy and singing. Exodus 15 records the song of Moses and the song of Miriam.

Water baptism is an important element in our salvation. The children of Israel were, in a sense, baptized in the sea and left behind those who had kept them in slavery. Baptism for us is, figuratively, burying, or we could say drowning, the part of us that yields to the slavery of sin. Without that experience, our flesh is more likely to be hounded by the appeal of sin. Water baptism is typical of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. If we truly want to be raised with Him, and walk in the newness of life, we must first be buried with Him. Though water baptism does not literally save us, doing so is an important response to His command. It is a testimony and a declaration to all, including our enemies.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. NKJV

Our salvation in Christ is to be experienced now in this life and forever.

Acts 17:28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' NKJV

Romans 12:5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV

Salvation is a continuing work and requires that we remain yielded to the leadership of Christ. Our salvation is best preserved through joy and a thankful heart.

Rom 1:21-22
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.NKJV

Heb 3:14-15 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:" Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." NKJV

This rebellion spoken of refers to the unbelief and continual complaining against God and Moses concerning the conditions they had to face in the wilderness. They so quickly forgot about their mighty deliverance from slavery in Egypt and continually focused on their present conditions, disregarding all the promises of God. After watching Pharaoh’s army drown in the sea, they began to sing for joy, but no sooner than they ran into another challenge, they began to moan and complain. God was leading them to a land that flowed with milk and honey, to a place where they would have rest from slavery and all their enemies. Because of their complaints and unbelief, God became angry with that generation.

Heb 3:7-11 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.' 11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" NKJV

These scriptures apply to us today in a spiritual sense. Our promised land of rest and peace is in Christ and His Kingdom. Everything God has promised us is realized in His Son. We are partakers of His Spirit and we are joint-heirs with Him. (See Romans 8)

1 John 5:10-12 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. NKJV

We are admonished in the scripture, not to loose heart and complain when we come into challenging circumstances but to remain thankful for what God has brought us through: to stand fast and see the salvation of the Lord.

What is Sin

To understand what sin is, let us go back to Genesis 3, where sin first entered the earth. The serpent, who was called the devil, through deception and lies, introduced sin into the world. Adam and his wife, Eve, were given charge over all earthly creation but lost that position of authority by yielding to the enticing words of the serpent. Their disobedience to the command of God, coupled with their obedience to the serpent, opened the door to sin and death. Man became a servant, or slave, to sin and the devil because he obeyed him. We are servants to the one we obey. The devil and his hordes are now called the prince of this world, the prince and power of the air, and the powers of darkness because Adam surrendered his authority by obeying the devil.

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. NKJV.

Sin is a lie and the devil is the father of lies. (see John 8:44) Sin is deceitful in that it promises fulfillment but leaves us empty and broken. The lie suggests that we were not created whole, but lacking. Sin claims to be the solution and able to complete what is lacking in us. Ironically, sin is the cause of lack and has left man searching for something to fill that gap ever since. Like most addictive substances, sin provides momentary relief and pleasure but, in turn, creates a greater emptiness within, and requires an even larger dose to fill the gap.

Sin also promises to be a shortcut route to the things God has already given us or has set in motion to be in our future. In the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus saying:
Matt 4:8-9 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." NKJV

Jesus’ destiny was, and still is, to be ruler over all the nations but He had to first go to the cross. He had to defeat the devil, and remove him from his position as the prince of this world, or mankind would be forever a servant to the devil.

God made man in His own image and likeness, yet the serpent suggested that God only forbid Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge because its fruit contained power to make them like God. Sin promised to make them something they already were. The serpent suggested they were defective or deficient and that God was holding back a god-likeness from them, as if they would become a threat to His position as “The Almighty.” The devil’s recruiting method was to project his belief about God into Eve’s consciousness, in hopes she would agree. Lucifer had recruited many of the angels in heaven to rise up in rebellion against God, for which they were cast down to the earth. (see Isaiah 14:12-15, 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6). It appears that, after they were cast out, he continued his practice and recruited mankind to join in the great rebellion.

Sin destroys the innocence that allows intimacy. Adam and Eve were clothed in God’s glory prior to sin entering in, but shame caused them to take cover and hide. Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil made them suspicious of God. Their new found knowledge left them feeling naked and vulnerable. They no longer trusted the motives of their creator. Their innocence was gone. The knowledge they found in the fruit made them god-like in a perverted sense. They became the judge of what was good or evil and what was best for them, something they had not previously had to consider.

Innocence allows for complete trust. We will not expose ourselves to, or become transparent with, someone we do not trust. Fear of rejection or punishment will cause us to remain hidden. We have been declared innocent through the blood of Christ, yet, today, the devil will look for every excuse to condemn us, or to remind us of past failures, in hopes that we will agree with him and go back into hiding from God.

>Rom 5:17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) NKJV

Adam’s transgression gave way to the rule and reign of sin over this world, but the gift of righteousness reigns in greater power over sin in this life, through Jesus Christ. We that have entered into Christ have been given a greater authority: that sin is no longer our master.

Sin has been defined as missing the mark. In terms of hitting a target, if our arrow misses, it would be considered sin. It is more likely that our arrow doesn’t just miss the bull’s eye, it falls way short of the target. People who could care less about obeying God don’t even shoot an arrow, but none the less have fallen short of His glory. Anyone who strives for righteousness through human effort may shoot their arrow in the right direction, but lack the power needed to reach the target. Sin always causes us to lack; it never brings strength or fulfillment.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; KJV

No one has enough power required to reach that glorious target without the empowering grace of God. Adam and Eve were clothed in the glory before sin entered. It is now God’s plan that we be clothed with the glory that is revealed in Christ. Those who have entered into Christ are clothed with Him. In Him we are declared innocent and righteous. Now we can have intimate fellowship with the Father as Adam did in the Garden.

The good news is that sin has been defeated. The plans and strategy of our enemy have been exposed and we no longer need to be hoodwinked by the devil. It is evident that, at least for now, until the devil is cast into the bottomless pit, he still rules over all who have not entered into Christ. Our victory over sin and the devil is a matter of maintaining our position and standing in Christ. The devil still rules over those who obey him. Though we have made a choice to follow Christ, the serpent is still at work to deceive and convince us that God is not all we need, that He is holding back something good that only sin can fulfill.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. NKJV

Self righteousness is sin. Probably the most deceptive form of sin is self righteous religion. It appears to be in submission and obedience to God, but only outwardly. The devil uses religion as a disguise to appear good and righteous. If he can not drag us back into gross, outward sin he offers an appearance of holiness, while appealing to our fleshly desires for power, position or wealth, just to name a few. He does not like loosing his servants to God’s Kingdom so he will pose as a servant of God himself to try to hoodwink God’s people, to lure them away from the faith. He appears as an angel of light and as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He offers God’s people counterfeit religious practices to sidetrack and shipwreck them if possible.

The antichrist is called the man of sin, a man that will come onto the world’s scene in the last days, but his spirit is alive and active even now. (see 1 John 2:18) He is not only the counterfeit messiah that will come, but he is now operating in the church world through false teachers, and false converts, claiming to be children of God. According to the book of Jude, the angels who have fallen are at work to promote and integrate evil practices and ungodly lusts into the true worship of God’s people. They follow the example of Cain, who killed his own brother because he was righteous. They greedily follow the way of Balaam, the prophet, using their gifts for financial gain. They boldly show up to feast at the table God has spread for His children. Sin has robbed them of life. They are like clouds with no water, a mirage in the desert. Thirsty souls race to them for a drink, yet are left even more dry and thirsty.

The book of Jude describes those who are recruited into false religion, even those who are found mixed among the true. Many have taken cover behind a religious garment of good works in an attempt to cover their own sin. They follow the example of Cain, who trusted in the fruit of his own toil and sweat as a payment for sin. As a result, they are alienated from the intimate presence of God and their end is destruction. We are not of those who abandon the faith to follow after vanity: we continue in the faith that is empowered by grace and God’s love.