WARNING! Sometimes 'Salvation' is as Clear as Mud on FACEBOOK
THE WILL OF GOD:
I'd first like to say, I'm not 'calling out' anyone. You likely don't know the person and I don't even reference his or her name. So let's get going!
The question might be asked, "Why would you pick apart the following post or any other for that matter?"
The answer is that I want the will of God to be clear, and not for my glory, but for His.
The clarity of the 'gospel of salvation' is the issue and it seems that most people water it down, muddy it up, and dilute it.
It is of paramount importance that the gospel of your salvation be clear without mixture; because man’s eternal life with Christ depends on it. And if one doesn’t rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), their message is generally confused or possibly corrupted.
So what's the 'will' of God?
1 Timothy 2:4
“Who (God) WILL have ALL men to be SAVED, and to come unto the
knowledge of the TRUTH.”
This is the ‘will’ of God.
FACEBOOK - THE MUDDY SALVATION MESSAGE:
There is a Facebook post that reads:
“According to the Bible, there is only one way to get to heaven: Repenting of your sins, and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.”
Before reading further, re-read the post again; but carefully, and try to pick out what the actual gospel is that 'SAVES' or that gets you to heaven. Can you find it? Is it clear?
GETTING TO HEAVEN:
The post says there is ONLY ONE WAY to get to heaven. I agree. This is very true. I can expound on this and give much scriptural support; therefore, I hope you and I can also agree there’s only one way. So, I'll assume that is the case.
However let me clarify that in order to get to heaven, one must FIRST be 'saved'.
What is 'saved' or in other words, salvation? Salvation is freedom from something. And the Bible demonstrates many types of salvation.
But the salvation we speak of here is freedom from the bondage of sin and its wages and the judgment of God due to sin; even the everlasting separation from God in hell and eventually the lake of fire, where you can pay for your own sins to satisfy the justice of God for eternity if one is not saved.
Basically, salvation is attaining freedom from all things keeping you from heaven. This must be done at some point before you die. The sooner the better. And the only way to have this freedom—this salvation—is through Jesus Christ our Lord—the sinless Son of God.
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death
(separation from God); but the (free) GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE (in heaven) through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
REPENTANCE ACCORDING TO MOST:
The post says the first part of getting to heaven is REPENTING of your sins.
If, and I say 'IF' the post’s definition of repenting is turning away from your sins (like much of Christianity thinks it is)—that is, to stop sinning—I’d argue, that definition is incorrect.
Think about this, if turning from your sins was part of the requirement or even the first step to make heaven when you die, by that definition, no one would or could make heaven.
There is nobody on earth that can fully stop sinning. It is impossible! You and I live in a fleshly, corrupt, and fallen body. Your daddy is Adam and so is mine. You inherited his sin nature and so did I. Because of this, you were born into sin and have a propensity to commit sin.
For example, have you ever lusted? If you have, then of course you have sinned. And anything that offends God or breaks His laws is a sin.
The sixth commandment given to Moses by the Lord is “Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). A lot of adultery goes on today—it’s flaunted on television and in real life. Apparently, it was an issue thousands of years ago too, thus the commandment given to Israel.
In fact, according to Leviticus chapter 20, in the law given to the Israelites, a man and woman who commit adultery shall surely be put to death. Yikes! That’s a very strong reason not to do it.
Let’s also see what Jesus told his disciples during his earthly ministry about adultery. I think He raised the bar:
Matthew 5:28
“But I (Jesus) say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Wow! Christ said if you haven’t physically committed adultery with a woman, you’re not out of the woods yet. If you so much as even look on her with lust (use your imagination here), then it’s just as bad and offensive to God as in the physical sense. In both cases--imagination or reality--you’ve committed adultery, thus committed a sin; therefore, no heaven for you.
Maybe you said, “No, I’ve never done either.” Well, this is what the Bible says about sin in general. EVERYBODY has sinned, aside from being born into sin.
Romans 3:23 states, “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 5:12
“Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that ALL have sinned:
The point is, if repenting is turning away from your sins, according to the above scripture verses, you will NEVER satisfy the first half of the Facebook post's requirement to make heaven.
'REPENTANCE' ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE:
What is repenting or repentance?
Let the bible define it for us; because after all, 'the Lord repented too.' Yep—that’s what I said, the Lord God actually repented (Genesis 6:6, 6:7, Exodus 32:14, etc.)
Genesis 6:5-7
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
If we study the context of Genesis 6:5-7, God was actually SORRY He made man on the earth and it GRIEVED Him AT HIS HEART, because man became so continually wicked.
God felt pain, sorrow, and regret because he had made man and this is how they ended up according to their own sinful will.
Now, God didn’t turn from His sins, because he can’t sin. But he did have a change of mind in what he had done due to man’s ways and decided to do something about it.
So I would say REPENTANCE with regard to salvation, is for man to finally come to the place where he feels sorry for his sins and decides to do something about it—that is, seek salvation from the Lord, understanding he cannot save himself.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…”.
This is the kind of repentance needed. A change of heart, a change of mind to understand you cannot save yourself; thus you need a Savior.
JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR:
The Facebook post says the second part of getting to heaven is placing your faith in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior. But is this really true…by itself? Or is there missing information? Yes—it’s missing something. It’s too vague for a direct salvation message to an unbeliever, by itself.
What does it mean to place your faith in Jesus Christ? Is it faith in who He is specifically? What He had done? What He will do? Is it something else? We need clarity.
For us Jews and Gentiles today, in this dispensation of the grace of God, this is how a man is 'saved' in order to make heaven: he needs to receive the gospel of your salvation by faith.
Paul lays out the general steps in the book of Ephesians quite well. I break them into four divisions with a little commentary and a few reference verses. Let’s look together:
Ephesians 1:13
“In whom ye also trusted, after that
ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also
after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,”
1) Someone presents the gospel of salvation to the recipient (1 Corinthians 1:21; Romans 10:14).
2) The recipient hears that word of truth presented—the gospel of your salvation— meaning they also understand it by implication.
3) The
recipient believes it to be true regarding Christ’s work on
4) As a result, in that very split second of the recipient's understanding turning to faith, God seals the believer with the Holy Spirit, securing them such that they can never lose their salvation once they have believed and trusted (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14).
Notice the steps involved? There is no repenting of sins in the form of turning away from them.
Next, in 1st Corinthians, the apostle Paul lays out the details of the gospel of your salvation—the Word of Truth—which he calls it in the letter to the Ephesians. Notice the specific details in this gospel—this is what the recipient is to hear, understand, and believe to be sealed. The details are very important. I will provide a little commentary as well as some reference bible verses to emphasize points:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;”
Notice how Paul addresses the Corinthians as “brethren.” This term generally implies that the ones addressed are believers in the gospel message committed to Paul from the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ, which he is about to detail. In other words—they are 'saved' individuals.
Paul further declares that they received this message and stand on it (wherein ye stand)—meaning they are resting in faith. They are rooted and grounded in the truth of what Christ had done. And the apostle Paul reminds them (us) that he was the one that preached this message unto them at some point prior, judging by the verses’ tense.
“By which also ye are SAVED, IF ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, UNLESS ye have believed in vain. “
Paul further notes that this gospel message in which you stand firm—putting your trust in the specifics—is not only good news but also how you are saved.
Then he said UNLESS (notice the condition) all of you believed in vain. In other words, unless those folks just heard the message as empty and worthless words and/or just didn’t put their trust in the finished work of Christ which was graciously and lovingly completed on their behalf.
But again, the implication is that they are already believers, based on Paul saying they are brethren and they are standing firm in the belief of Christ’s shed blood.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, HOW THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES;
Paul said, here’s the message in which I eluded to in the prior verses; the message you stand rooted in faith on, in which I was personally given by the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ—not from anyone else—not the apostles—no other flesh and blood (Galatians 1:11-12, 16).
In fact, not only was I given it, but I received it, believed it, put my faith in it, and am dedicating my life to dispense it (1 Corinthians 9:16-17):
Then Paul follows up with the specifics of the gospel of salvation: The sinless son of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), the Messiah of Israel, not only died for the Jewish people but also the Gentile people as was later revealed to Paul—he died for OUR sins (Romans 5:8).
(Just to be clear: it was not a mystery that God was to save the Gentile people through Israel. This is prophesied. But what was a mystery is that God would save them together, the same way, apart from Israel in this dispensation of Grace by the cross.)
Christ’s soul suffered our death on the cross (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Philippians 2:5-8).
He paid our sin debt, on our behalf, in our stead, in our place (1 John 2:2).
HE SHED HIS BLOOD as payment for our sins, satisfying the justice of God, because there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood, the bible says in Hebrews 9:22 (Ephesians 1:7, 2:13; Colossians 1:14 & 20; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Matthew 26:28; Romans 3:25; 5:9-12).
This was ALL according to the prophetic scriptures—the written Word of God.
AND THAT HE WAS BURIED, AND THAT HE ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES:”
Not only did Jesus physically die on the cross of
And ROSE AGAIN by the power of the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:8; Matthew 26:61; Mark 8:31; John 2:19-20; Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:30-32) just as prophesied according to the scriptures.
PRESENTING THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION TO OTHERS:
The bible says there is simplicity in the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:2-4). It is Christ crucified + nothing. It is Jesus Christ who died, shedding His blood as payment for our sins, and was buried and rose again on the 3rd day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). If we trust in this, we are saved!
It is up to us to communicate that clearly to the unbeliever as ambassadors of Christ (2 Timothy 4:1-2; Romans 1:16). We do our part and God will do His part!
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
“For Christ sent me not to
baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be MADE OF
NONE EFFECT.
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