| In my first article on this vital subject I asked: | | | | After we are called we are hit by two realities, |
| What is salvation? For we need to know what it | | | | the first is the reality of the fact that the Father |
| is before we can ascertain whether or not it is | | | | God and Jesus Christ exist; a new Spiritual |
| hard to be saved. First of all we need to know | | | | awareness and second, the reality of our carnal |
| what the essence, core or even the substance of | | | | sinful nature; another new awareness - sin. Before |
| Salvation is; its benefits, attributes or | | | | our calling we are not even aware of God's |
| characteristics. It's not an easy thing to quantify | | | | existence and we're certainly not aware of our |
| or qualify from a physical human perspective | | | | sinful nature, nor are we conscious of the fact |
| alone as it is Spiritual in nature. We need to be | | | | that it is an intrinsic part of us, so repentance of |
| Born of The Holy Spirit in order to have a grasp | | | | our own will and strength is impossible - |
| of it. This is why men of the Christian Religion, | | | | completely and utterly impossible. We can, and |
| theologians and Bible intellectuals have such a | | | | many of us do, frequently feel guilty, sorrowful |
| difficult time trying to teach on this subject | | | | and remorseful for things we have done in the |
| because they do not understand it. In fact, the | | | | past but these sensations are only fleeting human |
| more 'clever' we are, the harder it is to | | | | feelings or human sorrow and we have to bury |
| understand. Salvation is something that is humbly | | | | them in our sub-conscious in order to cope, |
| received and with the high intellect alone comes | | | | survive and in some cases, remain sane. Our guilt |
| vanity, so humility is a rare if not non-existent | | | | over these past events will inevitably, and often |
| commodity. | | | | do, come back to haunt us and will continue to do |
| Ok, from the term 'humbly received' we can | | | | so until we are made aware of Godly forgiveness. |
| easily deduce it is something we are given - a gift | | | | This realisation and the lifting of this burden |
| and it's free - totally free! How rare is that in our | | | | through forgiveness cannot occur until we are |
| materialistic societies? We all know the phrase: | | | | called by The Father to His Son - en route to |
| "There's no such thing as a free lunch" and in this | | | | salvation. |
| world (age or system) it's true, there isn't. From | | | | |
| this truth alone we begin to see just how special | | | | To repent means to "think differently", from the |
| a gift Salvation is. Not only a free gift but a free | | | | Greek word metanoeo, and in order for us to |
| gift from the Creator of all things, no less. The | | | | think differently we must be empowered to do |
| very Godhead that gave us physical life in the | | | | so if salvation or our being saved is to be real and |
| first place is now giving us eternal life too - not | | | | Spiritually enabled. If one microcosm of our effort |
| offering us, giving us. In other words we're not | | | | is involved in this process then we can boast and |
| asked to choose if we want salvation or not, | | | | pat ourselves on the back. Why is it we need to |
| we're given it. | | | | think differently and in what way do we think |
| Now this is all very fine but what's the catch I | | | | differently? A better question would be how do |
| hear you say? Here we can see the 'free lunch' | | | | we think differently? As I have already said, we |
| suspicious mindset working and justifiably so, as | | | | now think differently because we have been |
| that is what we are used to in this age. So if we | | | | given, as a free gift, the Godly desire to think |
| extend this mindset to the free gift of Salvation | | | | differently. We also need to think differently |
| what do we get - people who think there are | | | | because we are now no longer God's enemies |
| strings attached or there are conditions? This | | | | and we are on the way to Baptism and to |
| mindset is suspicious and automatically cannot | | | | becoming a son or a daughter of God and a |
| believe that anything could truly be free, so it | | | | brother or sister of Jesus Christ - literally born |
| wonders what has to be done in return for such | | | | from above and born of God. We could not |
| a wondrous gift - or "what's the catch!!" There is | | | | become a member of God's Family without a |
| no catch other than the 'catch' of faith and/or | | | | significant change in the way we think. God's Law |
| belief. When we're given this gift The Lord Jesus | | | | is now being written on our hearts - internalised, |
| Christ expects belief and faith in Him in return. So | | | | so for the first time in our lives we now have a |
| there is a catch then? No there isn't a catch | | | | God given desire to do God's will instead of |
| because The Lord Jesus Christ gives us the ability | | | | Satan's will. This new desire is the crucial |
| to believe too. He gives us Salvation through | | | | characteristic of our now "thinking differently" - |
| Grace and Faith as well so this is a win, win | | | | the crucial attribute and substance of repentance. |
| situation, we cannot fail because none of it is of | | | | Initially there may not be any outward sign of any |
| us, it's all of God and from God, His Gifts and His | | | | change in us at all, but inwardly the change in |
| Power to enable us to live up to His expectations. | | | | thinking that has and is taking place is miraculous |
| In my first article I also explained how it is not us | | | | and it's earth shattering! |
| that decides whether or not we are to be called | | | | This new way of thinking immediately gives us |
| and saved, but the Father God's decision, His will | | | | other desires as well: the need and desire for |
| and His timing alone. We just respond to His call | | | | forgiveness is heightened, a desire to confess our |
| and then begin to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. | | | | sins to God for the first and only time (please see |
| We are now His disciples and we learn from Him | | | | my article: "Is Repetitive Confession of Sins |
| through His Word - The Holy Scriptures. We | | | | Biblical?); a desire to get baptised, receive the Holy |
| should also be taught by a Spirit gifted teacher if | | | | Spirit and be Born Again. Once we are Born Again |
| we can find one. 1 Corinthians 12:28 "And God | | | | we are saved - period. From then on the new |
| hath set some in the church, first apostles, | | | | man or new woman will be aware of a fight, an |
| secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that | | | | internal war within our minds and with the internal |
| miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, | | | | lusts of our bodies of sin. This war will continue |
| governments (a bad translation - overseers or | | | | for the rest of our physical lives and it will be with |
| guides, not governments), diversities of tongues." | | | | us until we die. What about the mainstream |
| (Brackets mine) | | | | 'Christian' mantras of 'struggling with sin' and |
| OK, that's all very fine I hear you say, but what | | | | 'overcoming sin' I hear you say? Ah yes, a very |
| else do we do? Nothing is the answer to that, and | | | | good question and I will deal with that next time, |
| from here on in we don't do anything, we only do | | | | so don't go away. |
| what The Lord enables us to do and leads us to | | | | Now, as new disciples who have progressed to |
| do. If we're doing it, if we're the ones initiating and | | | | becoming Spiritual babes after we're baptised, (no |
| doing the doing, then we have no need of Jesus | | | | longer disciples) what I will introduce here is a |
| Christ and we can rightly boast in ourselves. All | | | | most important feature of salvation, and a |
| this initiating and doing would be of us and of our | | | | feature that many Christians overlook and/or do |
| own strength. As unsaved people, before our | | | | not understand. I will now remind you of Samuel's |
| calling, we always did things under our own | | | | remark when he answered The Lord's call: "Here |
| strength, and we literally believed in ourselves. | | | | am I". This remark is as remarkable for what it |
| How often do we hear sportsmen or women | | | | doesn't say as for what it does say. What it |
| refer to their self belief in order to drive | | | | doesn't say openly and yet does say is this: "Here |
| themselves on to better performances and | | | | am I Lord just as I am with all my faults, sins, |
| greater success? If we continue living in the same | | | | weaknesses, wretchedness and evil rebellious |
| manner, with the same mindset, drive and | | | | nature!!" Samuel was just another human being like |
| ambition, but now as saved people, what's the | | | | you and me and The Lord called him as he was, |
| difference between us and those worldly sports | | | | with all his human frailties, sins and weaknesses. It |
| people, what has changed - nothing!? In our new | | | | was the same for Jeremiah. The Lord knew all |
| lives as new people our walk with God is now | | | | about Samuel's sins, faults and weaknesses just |
| totally enabled by Jesus Christ and we can't do | | | | as He knows all about ours and yet He still called |
| anything of our own mental and physical strength. | | | | Samuel to be His prophet and likewise He calls us |
| If we do, it will come to nothing - it will fail - | | | | too to be His sons and daughters with all our sins, |
| period. Everything we do now, and anything we | | | | faults, character flaws and weaknesses. |
| achieve now is down to the Lord's enabling, His | | | | What does all this mean? Quite simply it means |
| strength, His blessings and with the end results | | | | He accepts us as we are; 'warts and all', as the |
| being to His glory and His glory alone - not ours. | | | | expression goes. Why does He accept us 'warts |
| Right, what's next? After our calling, repentance is | | | | and all,' quite plainly, because He loves us and we |
| next. Now enter: The beginnings of a new | | | | need to get this basic awesome Truth through |
| creation, a new man or new woman; the new | | | | our heads!? The issue here is this, are the 'warts |
| reality of Spiritual awareness and primarily a | | | | and all' a permanent feature, do they remain with |
| Spiritual awareness of our called condition. We are | | | | us for the rest of our lives, now we are new |
| now on the way to becoming a new person | | | | men and women? No, is the resounding answer |
| residing in an old body of death, a body that is | | | | to this question because 'warts and all' are all |
| literally dying, and will die, never to be seen again. | | | | features of our bodies of death and sin which will |
| In the first Resurrection we will receive new | | | | eventually lessen as we grow in grace and |
| Spiritual bodies; read 1 Corinthians 15 and I will deal | | | | ultimately completely when we die. We are now |
| with the Truth of the two resurrections, exposing | | | | new Spiritual beings. We are new people living in |
| the 'rapture' lie in the process, in a future article, | | | | our decaying dying bodies with all its 'warts and all'. |
| so watch this space. | | | | |