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What Is Salvation?

In the beginning, in God's perfect creation, in the Garden of Eden, all was positive, all nature was in perfect harmony with God's will. And as long as our first parents (Adam and Eve) lived in perfect harmony with God and with His Will for their lives, they had no need of Salvation. In fact, while living in the Garden, in God's perfect environment they had no knowledge of what would later be known as "God's Plan Of Salvation". But, the peace, rest and joy of that perfect world was shattered when "ONE" Word of God was broken (disobeyed).

The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:31, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, (it was) very good." Then in Genesis 2:9 we find that God "planted" a special Garden, called Eden, and man would live in this garden - it was a utopia and would have remained thus as long as the man and his wife "chose" to "obey" God. When God "formed" man out of the dust of the earth He made him a "free moral agent" with the "power to choose" what to do and not to do - obey or disobey. But up to this point in God's creation man had only the knowledge of God - there was nothing to choose between; therefore, he just worshipped and obeyed God. But God would "test" the "power of choice" he had given His son and daughter.

In verse 9 of Genesis chapter two we're told, "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." The first Tree is clearly identified - the Tree of LIFE (Jesus Christ); the second tree is referred to as containing the "knowledge of good AND evil" (The Devil). When man was placed in the garden the Lord specifically warned him about this tree, saying, "...Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die". In no uncertain terms man was told that partaking of what the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil offered would surely end in death.

In Deuteronomy 30:19 God warned Israel, saying, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" It applied to Adam and Eve; it applied to Israel and it applies to all of us. Everyday we're confronted with the choice to partake of the Tree of Life (by obedience to God's Word) or partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (by disobedience).

In the Garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve only "one command" to choose to keep; and in Genesis 3 we find that Eve was deceived into partaking of the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" (the Serpent). She allowed the Devil to "change only ONE word" of what God had said. God said, "thou shalt surely die". The Serpent said,"Ye shall NOT surely die". Eve stopped long enough to allow the Devil to get her to "reason" on the Word of God.

Referring back to this the Apostle Paul in 2nd. Corinthians11:13 warned the early church with these words, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

But the deed was done - "Eve chose" to believe the Devil's lies and reasoning. Sharing her new found carnal knowledge with Adam, he chose to partake with her, to identify with her sin, trusting that God would, in redeeming and giving Salvation to him, would also redeem and give Salvation to his wife. By the GRACE of God, this is what our Lord Jesus did - He (through Grace) put Himself in the likeness of sinful flesh with us, died [shedding innocent Blood to atone for our sins] and rose again, to redeem and give Salvation to Adam's fallen sons and daughters and bring us BACK to Himself again.

Let's just drop this thought in right here: God "permitted" sin to raise it's ugly head. He never caused it, but by His "permissive" will, He "permitted" Adam and Eve to do what they did. Satan's interference would be God's opportunity to reveal all of His Divine attributes to His children. NOW, His children would see HIS glorious attributes in full manifestation - Agapo Love, Saviour, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Healer, Judge, Eternal Life, Resurrection, etc.; and seeing these attributes we would love him for Himself.

Our first parents chose to disobey God's plain command "not to partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil". Their choice plunged the whole world in sin and death. Now began the great battle of the ages - between God and Satan - the battle for the minds of men and women. NOW, Man [all the human race] was in dire need of salvation - deliverance from and victory over the influence of Satan and sin in his/her life. Man and woman by their own choosing became subject to sin and death. Today, by our own choosing we can obtain Salvation and deliverance from sin and death, and one day enter into a new heaven and a new earth where sin and death will be forever conquered.

But, in the beginning, because of a wrong choice man was driven out of the Paradise of God. Physically, he was now under the curse - "dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return". But man was given hope in the promise of Genesis 3:15 which spoke of the coming of a Redeemer to pay the price for man's sin and give him Salvation and Victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil.

Every messenger of God would now point to that promise of Salvation. Before the Crucifixion drama all Divine Revelation from God pointed forward to that day when Messiah would come and redeem man; but for the last 2000 years every messenger and Divine Revelation from God has been pointing back to Calvary. Salvation, not for the Devil's children, but for all God's children, would be according to their faith in What Christ would accomplish for them in His death, burial and resurrection. Every Messenger is charged with the responsibility of leading the true sons and daughters of God in the way of true Salvation, as opposed to Satan, through his messengers leading millions down the path of false religion and the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12).

In working out (by Grace) our own Salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) before God we must remember that the "tree of knowledge of good AND evil" is still in the garden of God, tempting us to "add to" or "take away" from the whole Word of the Lord. As we continue in our study of the subject of Salvation, keep in mind that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Zacharias, the father of John The Baptist, prophesied of his son's future ministry saying.....

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. Luke 1:76

John the Baptist was sent to point the people in the right direction - to give knowledge of Salvation... NOT according to a church creed or a human conception of things, but according to the Word of God. In Jeremiah 3:15 God said, "I will give you pastors according mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." Unfortunately, this is not the case with MOST modern pulpits today. After YEARS of church-going MOST church-goers never mature in their knowledge of God; nor do they "grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (2nd. Peter 3:18).

The religious people of the world are more content with a "form of godliness" - some dry and starchy, some emotional and sensational; but they don't want the "whole" Word. Modern intellectual preaching has made the Word of non-effect to the people. They are led to believe that what the Bible calls sin isn't sin anymore.

Make no wonder, in Revelation 3:14-22 Jesus described this last day church in these words: "thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked - and don't know it!" Very few ministries are "calling out against sin". They are condemned by the words of Isaiah 5:20: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;" They're eating of the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" and don't know it.

Failing to check everything with the whole Word of God, millions [like Eve] have allowed the Devil to deceive them into thinking that they're Christians when they're not. They're "willfully blind" to the fact that "Christian" means "Christ-like". And all TRUE professing Christians are "pressing toward the mark of "Christ-likeness" (Philippians 3:14) in their daily lives.

If through weakness or temptation they stumble and fall, they do not seek to justify their failure; but rather they keep looking to the prize of the high-calling of God in Christ and get up and keep pressing into the Kingdom of God. In their hearts they have a burning desire to be more like Christ. They're pressing into a "Full" Salvation, a more full and complete victory over the world, the things of the world and the Devil. 1st. John 2:15 says, "Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

In Hebrews 10:39 it is written: "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." The Christian NEVER stands still in his relationship with God. He/she is moving forward or backward - gaining ground or losing ground. But with perseverance, the true believer "adds to his faith", maturing as a son and daughter of God.

The Apostle said in 2nd Peter 1:4-5, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;"

Unfortunately, most are falling short of the knowledge of "Full Salvation" because most preaching today leads people to the conclusion that Salvation is nothing more than a 'one-time' decision to believe in Jesus and 'intellectually accept' Him as their Saviour - that's it - Bingo! You're saved! This is FAR from the Truth. Jesus' own Words in John 8:31-32 prove the error of this idea: "then said Jesus unto 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." Then, and only then, will you know what Salvation is all about.

Becoming a "new creation" in Christ, the Believers "desires" are sanctified to conform to the Word and will of God - the Believer is free from the "dominion" of sin. The "nature" of the flesh is still carnal, ever warring against the "new nature" of your Soul and spirit. In 1st. Corinthians 9:27 Paul said, "But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

We are further exhorted that, "the winner, is not he who starts the race BUT he that finishes" - goes unto perfection of Faith by the Word of God (Hebrews 6:1-6). In the Gospels Jesus plainly declared, "And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 10:22). How many so-called professing Christians are "ENDURING REPROACH" for the Gospel's sake? They live like the rest of the world; they act/react like the rest of the world; they talk like the rest of the world; they dress like the rest of the world; they fall for everything and take little or no stand for the things of God - for a church maybe, but NOT for God.

Yes, Salvation is a free gift, offered by Grace ( the unmerited favor of God) to those who WANT it. But with it comes responsibilities. In Luke 14:27-29 Jesus warns us to "count the cost" of receiving His FREE gift of Salvation. As with any free gift there are responsibilities - the responsibility of expressing and showing appreciation; honoring the giver and the gift; giving preeminence in your life to the "GRACE" of the Giver, because you didn't do anything to deserve it. And you give the gift a preeminent place in your heart and life.

In his warning Jesus said:

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?" Salvation is indeed FREE, but discipleship comes with the great responsibility to live your life according to the Word and (by example) to teach others.

One of the greatest responsibilities of Christian discipleship is to "continue in the Word of the Lord...only then are we His disciples indeed" (John 8:31). It is by Grace that God calls us to be His disciples and it is by Grace that He enables us to continue in His Word, doing those things that please our Heavenly Father - this is Salvation, living and manifesting itself, in life, through our mortal bodies, with the promise of receiving a "new" body like unto the glorified body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21.
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