How Are We Saved?

arunangelo said:

God gave life to our soul (Romans 8:13) by gifting it with His Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27). When we rebelled against Him and rejected His Spirit our soul lost its life. This brought eternal damnation upon us. However, because of this infinite mercy, God reinstalled His Spirit in us by sacrificing His own life for our sins. This free gift of God to us is His grace. All we have to do to be saved from eternal death is to accept His Spirit which He expressed by His sacrificial act. To accept it is have enough faith in it to live it (Galatians 5:16). To live His Spirit we must love one another as He has loved us (John 15:12). We must, therefore, put our life on line in the process of helping those who betray us and are unfaithful to us. We must also keep the commandments (Mark 10:17, 18); forgive others without any limit (Matt. 18:35); love our enemies (Luke 6:27-36); keep our marriage covenant permanent (Mark 10:1-12); and be humble (1 Corinthians 13:4), non-judgmental (Luke 6:37), charitable (Matt 25:31-46) and merciful (Mark 9:33-37). Some of these teachings may be hard to follow; but if we hold on to the truth till the end we will be saved (Matt 10:22; 24:13; & Mark 13:13).

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Amen. It's important to note that salvation belongs to the Lord and it begins at the moment of our conversion. Also, our salvation does not come by what we do, for there is nothing we can do in the power of the flesh that can earn us God's grace. If we could, Jesus would not of had to go to the cross. Once we are saved we cannot lose our salvation. If we were truly born again by the Spirit of God then all the promises of the bible apply to us. He will see to it that we bear fruit and fruit that remains and we keep us to the very end through discipline and love. Praise God.

Nicely said James. I agree with that entirely.

Amen

James said:

Amen. It's important to note that salvation belongs to the Lord and it begins at the moment of our conversion. Also, our salvation does not come by what we do, for there is nothing we can do in the power of the flesh that can earn us God's grace. If we could, Jesus would not of had to go to the cross. Once we are saved we cannot lose our salvation. If we were truly born again by the Spirit of God then all the promises of the bible apply to us. He will see to it that we bear fruit and fruit that remains and we keep us to the very end through discipline and love. Praise God.

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Once saved always saved? Do a search on this site on OSAS! You will discover it has been discussed many times and many do not agree, including me.

I heard a term not long ago..........................


"There are some that know Jesus as Lord, and just some that know him only as the savior."

I Don't know what to make of that. For they say, Lord we cast out devils in your name, healed in your name, but the Lord said depart you workers of iniquity, I know you not........

Someone filled with the Holy Spirit, and used God's free Gifts, yet.......... ended up in the Lord telling them He did not even know them???

You don't operate in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and not be born again. (The gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Lord wills and just gifts, not any indication of where you stand yourself with God.)

Now, if you were born again, Somehow got the faith to operate in the Gifts of the Spirit, How could you get to the place Jesus did not even know you. Is you name just going to magically appear in the Lambs book of life if the Lord has never even recognized you???

What about Hebrews Chapters 6 and 10??

I would rethink this once saved always saved, but then again, who would be stupid enough to find out if you can somehow give up your salvation. Who is that stupid to even try?

Jesus Is Lord

jerryjohnson said:

Once saved always saved? Do a search on this site on OSAS! You will discover it has been discussed many times and many do not agree, including me.

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Not for everybody. Those who are truly born again by the Spirit of God will remain in Christ until the very end. Those who turn back were never truly children of God...1John 2:19
There are promises all over the bible saying that God will keep those who truly love Him....all the ones that fall away or turn back never had a firm root in to begin with. Lot's of people think they are saved and think they are going to heaven. But the true disciples of Christ are preserved until that final day. Remember...salavtion belongs to God. Our fruit that we bear comes from Him. Our sanctification comes from Him. He is the bread of life. From Him comes all that we are and in Him there is eternal life. So if we truly are abiding in Him...the God who saved us will keep us forever and ever. To say that we who are truly born again can fall away is to say that God is a derelict Father! That is not what Hebrews says.

Brother Mike said:

I heard a term not long ago..........................


"There are some that know Jesus as Lord, and just some that know him only as the savior."

I Don't know what to make of that. For they say, Lord we cast out devils in your name, healed in your name, but the Lord said depart you workers of iniquity, I know you not........

Someone filled with the Holy Spirit, and used God's free Gifts, yet.......... ended up in the Lord telling them He did not even know them???

You don't operate in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and not be born again. (The gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Lord wills and just gifts, not any indication of where you stand yourself with God.)

Now, if you were born again, Somehow got the faith to operate in the Gifts of the Spirit, How could you get to the place Jesus did not even know you. Is you name just going to magically appear in the Lambs book of life if the Lord has never even recognized you???

What about Hebrews Chapters 6 and 10??

I would rethink this once saved always saved, but then again, who would be stupid enough to find out if you can somehow give up your salvation. Who is that stupid to even try?

Jesus Is Lord

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Hey Brother Mike. The people that Jesus was referring to in Matthew 7 were not true disciples of His and they never truly did things in His name. We see this happening all over today. Look at the evangelist Benny Hinn. He claims to have an anointing from the Holy Spirit and that he heals people. But the people are never truly healed and the Holy Spirit doesn't cause people to fall down to the ground and twitch around like they are having seizure or something....

If you ask Benny Hinn if he is prophesying in Christ's name or casting out demons or healing the sick or anointing people with the Holy Spirit....He will say of course! I do this in Jesus name. But he is just fooling himself and on the final day Jesus will say depart from me I never knew you. Not that Jesus never knew he existed but He never had a relationship with him and so therefore all his claims of doing things in His name were false. It's so easy to convince yourself you are of God and you can do things in His name...but Christ warned us that many would come to Him saying that they did all these great signs and wonders in His name...but they never had a relationship with Him so it was all fake and just a deception. Any true christian would not give works as a defense as to why the Lord should let them into heaven...so the whole passage in that chapter is to show not that these false prophets were used by God and then rejected...but rather, they thought they were used by God but never had a relationship with Him and lived as though He never gave them a law to obey.

Hey Brother James!!!!

Well, in Matthew 6 they Claimed to cast out devils, Now I Know without The Spirit of God, no devil will obey. Even the devil contends that Christ did not come in the flesh. (Christ. Greek word, for anointing.)

Could they be lying?

I don't know about Benny Hinn. I have seen people under the anointing so strong the flesh can not stand up. I have felt that awesome power. It is something you have to experience. As for masses of people falling everywhere, I can't say, I was not there. I have been a services where the anointing is very strong all over. You can feel the power of God walking in the building. People claim to have smelled flowers at the same service I was at, yet I did not notice.

As for Hebrews 6 and 10. It was a period that because of persecution, people were turning back to Judaism. Now in a sense you are correct. Paul said it was Impossible to renew them. Meaning as You or I try to get them back. Not them trying to come back on their own. In other words, they have wrote off God, and would never come back. The Holy Spirit would no longer pull on them to come back. We still have a right to go to hell. God is not forcing anyone to make choices.

As I made my statement before, If your born again, why even talk about loosing Salvation. Why would I even consider leaving Jesus?

I think the topic is for those that want to instill fear of not following church rules, and used as a form of control through fear to get members to bend to religious wills.

Be blessed Brother James, you and your family

Jesus Is Lord

Everything has been mentioned except the very formula of how one is saved. How are you saved? You MUST PUBLICLY DECLARE Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you never declare Him publicly ,He will never declare you to the Father.

For more info, read chapter "The Mechanics of Salvation" in this book you can download here:

http://revelations.i8.com

We are saved through repentance and faith and if we have truly been saved it will be apparent through the changes in the persons life and the continuing of those changes. The bible calls it sanctification...a sign that God is working in you through the Spirit.

James said:

Not for everybody. Those who are truly born again by the Spirit of God will remain in Christ until the very end. Those who turn back were never truly children of God...1John 2:19
There are promises all over the bible saying that God will keep those who truly love Him....all the ones that fall away or turn back never had a firm root in to begin with. Lot's of people think they are saved and think they are going to heaven. But the true disciples of Christ are preserved until that final day. Remember...salavtion belongs to God. Our fruit that we bear comes from Him. Our sanctification comes from Him. He is the bread of life. From Him comes all that we are and in Him there is eternal life. So if we truly are abiding in Him...the God who saved us will keep us forever and ever. To say that we who are truly born again can fall away is to say that God is a derelict Father! That is not what Hebrews says.

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Sorry, James, but you are incorrect here. Know one can take us from God but we can make the choice to leave. That is in fact what it means to “fall away” (apostasy). You can not, can NOT, commit apostasy if you were not a Christian first. You can not “fall away” if you were not in the way to begin with. Just like you can not fall away from up a tree if you were not in up the tree to start with.


2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

All ten women were virgins here in Matthew. The five foolish VIRGINS were not almost virgins. The ran short of oil or TRUTH. Maybe they thought they had enough, but what ever the reason they ran out. They went to buy so more and returned to the wedding supper late. The text says, “Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins,” the text does not say they had lost their virginity, it just says “the other virgins.”

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.


Both, ones that “fell away,” and the five virgins didn’t make it. As long as you have “free will” you make your own decisions. That is not God being a derelict Father, that is being a derelict Christian, building your house on the sand.

Sure, a believer can be deceived. I see this not only in the bible but in every day life. However, the elect will not be deceived. If God saves a person He keeps that person all the way until the end. He doesn't give up on us. We transgress the law...God upholds it.
Also, if a person has truly been saved and has a firm root, God will discipline that person when they begin to walk in the broad way and force that person to return back onto the narrow way which leads to life. Read through the parable of the four soils and ask yourself why the other "Christians" fell away or turned back?
A lot of people think they are truly in Christ and that is why you see professing Christians turning away from the faith...they never had life in them to begin with. They thought they did and it even appeared as if their profession of faith was real...but they couldn't lay a hold of eternal life or fight the fight of faith because they never truly were born again. 1 John 2:19 makes this clear.

Oh, and this is a bit off topic but it is something that amazes me. People claim to know Christ but their lifestyle isn't radically changed. People will say that it is about faith and not works. Salvation is by grace through faith and not by works....but notice in the parable of the four soils....Jesus says that the believer who has a firm root in the soil will bear 30 fold fruit at the LEAST!!! I don't know about others but when I read things like that it paints a clear picture in my mind of the sign of a true believer. It's a person who is radically changed from the core of there being...not by a decision they made but through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. This change enables them to do the will of God. Those are the ones who endure to the end and lay hold on eternal life...not because of what they did but because God enabled them to do so.

James said:

Sure, a believer can be deceived. I see this not only in the bible but in every day life. However, the elect will not be deceived. If God saves a person He keeps that person all the way until the end. He doesn't give up on us. We transgress the law...God upholds it.
Also, if a person has truly been saved and has a firm root, God will discipline that person when they begin to walk in the broad way and force that person to return back onto the narrow way which leads to life. Read through the parable of the four soils and ask yourself why the other "Christians" fell away or turned back?
A lot of people think they are truly in Christ and that is why you see professing Christians turning away from the faith...they never had life in them to begin with. They thought they did and it even appeared as if their profession of faith was real...but they couldn't lay a hold of eternal life or fight the fight of faith because they never truly were born again. 1 John 2:19 makes this clear.

Oh, and this is a bit off topic but it is something that amazes me. People claim to know Christ but their lifestyle isn't radically changed. People will say that it is about faith and not works. Salvation is by grace through faith and not by works....but notice in the parable of the four soils....Jesus says that the believer who has a firm root in the soil will bear 30 fold fruit at the LEAST!!! I don't know about others but when I read things like that it paints a clear picture in my mind of the sign of a true believer. It's a person who is radically changed from the core of there being...not by a decision they made but through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. This change enables them to do the will of God. Those are the ones who endure to the end and lay hold on eternal life...not because of what they did but because God enabled them to do so.

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I give your post 2 thumbs up. I've been the type of Christian that you were talking about. I'm ashamed to admit that, but its who I certainly was and I'm still a work in progress. But I praise the Lord each day for pulling me by the ear and saying, "Hey Robster...let's get you cleaned up buddy." I think many Christians don't want to admit that we have a serious problem within the body of Christ today. And I think the church as whole today fits the description of the Laodicean church. Quite frankly we have very few Christians that are like the Bereans.

The Robster said:

I give your post 2 thumbs up. I've been the type of Christian that you were talking about. I'm ashamed to admit that, but its who I certainly was and I'm still a work in progress. But I praise the Lord each day for pulling me by the ear and saying, "Hey Robster...let's get you cleaned up buddy." I think many Christians don't want to admit that we have a serious problem within the body of Christ today. And I think the church as whole today fits the description of the Laodicean church. Quite frankly we have very few Christians that are like the Bereans.

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The churchs you want to be a part of are Smyrna or Philadelphia. Does your church teach what they taught?

jerryjohnson said:

The churchs you want to be a part of are Smyrna or Philadelphia. Does your church teach what they taught?

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I'm not bold enough to say that my church is the embodiment of the churches of Smyrna or Philadelphia. But I believe my church believes things that other churches find controversial. I think the Christian church of planet earth today collectively, fits the description of the Laodicean church. But that's not to say that there aren't churches out there that fit the description of Smyrna and Philadelphia.