Must Be and Shall Be

     "Born again" and "saved" are not the same experience. The former can occur anytime during it, but the latter only after life.    
     Must be is the present, and shall be is in the future. Musts are the cause and shalls the effects. When the must is fulfilled, the outcomes are the shalls. It stands to reason, since God is a God of grace, that there would be few musts for the people but many shalls.  The musts are obedience and the shalls are rewards! Doing something in the present results in a future outcome. In this commentary, I focus on all the musts and examine only the positive outcomes to make my point.
     Why? All the negative outcomes of "shall be" are in the future, just as for the positives, but negative outcomes are after death. For instance, perishing doesn't happen in this life but after death. Adam and Eve failed to understand that the penalty for sin is death, but because they did not die immediately, Adam thought that God lied! (Gen 3). They failed to understand that ultimate death was sometime in the future, specifically after this life.

     I contend that since negative outcomes are after this life, that positive outcomes are as well since negatives are the lack of positives. The focus on grace is in the following promise: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Obviously this life is limited to one-hundred and twenty years or so. Hence, the positive outcome is in the afterlife just as the negative outcome.

     There are just a few "must be's" in the New Testament as pertains to individual choices. Examine them:

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)

The Son of man must be lifted up? (John 12:34)

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

     To be honest, the "must be" in the latter pertains to Jesus's Name. By no other Name can one be saved. It "must be" by Jesus Name. (Acts 4:12). That makes the three "must be's": (1) Ye must be born again, (2) the Son of Man must be lifted up, and (3) the Name lifted up must be Jesus. If John 3 is consulted, lifting up Jesus's Name is the way to be born again!  Thus, all the "must be's" are focused on regeneration (the second birth which Jesus called "born again.")
     I hear preachers of all faiths say, "You must have a salvation experience," or "You must be saved." That's not what scripture says; it does say, "you must be born again!" People are required to do the musts. Therefore if, "You must be saved," implies that it is you who does the saving. We know that is wrong because we must lift up the Son of Man, not ourselves. It is not our name by which we are saved but Jesus's Name. Since, we are not gods, we cannot do the saving. Hence, you must be saved is heresy for only God can save!
     In effect, there is one must: You must be born again. Lifting up Jesus's Name is the Way to being born again. That obedience by faith results in safety. If you remember the story of the Hebrews and the snakes: lifting up "Jesus" on the pole (the cross), resulted in safety for those who trusted the purpose of Jesus. They showed great faith. There is no evidence that the Hebrews were rewarded on anything further than immediate safety.
    What they were to do the rest of their lives would determine their fate. After the snake den, they were safe until the next hurdle. They had to continue on with the same faith. The New Testament calls that "the path". It's not a short path but one which must be walked for the duration of life. The next den of snakes had to be handled in the same manner!
     The outcome of lifting up Jesus was safety from the bites of poisonous vipers. If they were to walk through them again, they would still need to trust Jesus's Name. Thus salvation comes at the same time as punishment. We know from "shall be" that salvation is a future event; we just have yet to discover how far in the future. Let's examine just a few "shall be's" in the New Testament for there are many:

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (Mat 10:22)

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mat 24:13) 

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved... (John 10:9)

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)

And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead... (Acts 24:15)

Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Rom 5:9)

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom 10:13)

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Cor 15:52) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Cor 15:54)     

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thes 4:17)

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Rev 21:7)

   Matthew 10:22 pinpoints salvation; it is at the end, and is for those who endure. What is it that must be endured? The barbs of the wicked (Ephes 6:16).  Those "fiery darts" are a continuation of the poison of vipers. Christians throughout life continue to walk through the vipers. Not just once, but time and time again, those safe in Christ must continue to look up at him on his "pole" and honor his Name. The first time a sinner does that instills a trust in Jesus. That trust (faith) is a lifelong event. God never leaves the Christian but the sinner can cease to lift Jesus up.
     Death is when the soul is saved. It doesn't end there! The flesh shall be saved afterward: We shall be changed from corruptible (perishable) flesh to incorruptible (non-perishable). That is the fulfillment of John 3:16 in that those who endure until death shall not perish. They fulfilled the must be and now the reward - shall be saved - is accomplished!
     Suppose that Satan could still defeat God, but of course he can't. Certainty of salvation comes when the Devil is destroyed.  Satan is no longer a threat, and death will be defated! All former things have passed away, and those who endure to the end reach the ultimate safety. None of the heirs of salvation can ever perish!
     Thus, regeneration (born again) is when the old person becomes new, not trusting in themselves but God. Their trust or faith keeps them safe from death just as with Job (Job 1), but Satan can keep firing his darts. Steadfast faith kept Job safe. It is also our safety (Col 2:5). Because of the Christian's faith they see the prize as if it is theirs! Their trust is so profound that they claim the prize before the race is finished. Looking at the prize from a distance - the prize of salvation - is called "the hope of salvation" (1 Thes 5:8). Satan's fiery darts are to diminish that hope until it's gone. Faith keeps the fire burning.
    Those who endure the tribulations of Satan until the end - death - are saved. Death results in two possibilities: Paradise that day, or obviously Hell. The Christian has chosen which at regeneration, and it remains only to not be unpersuaded by the world and its prince.
     Now for my burden: Particular or Calvinist Baptists rob General Baptists of the Doctrine of Christ. They profess another gospel - one in which people do not participate. They are entitled to their belief but in stealth it is always lurking in General Baptist churches. In the south, General Baptists were the majority of Baptists until Particulars came from the north and deceived them. They nearly died out because of Calvinistic Doctrine. That continues today!
     When General Baptist preachers fail to teach, you must be born again, and announce you must be saved, that is Calvinism. General Baptist doctrine includes apostasy - that a Christian can deny Christ and perish for eternity. That is blasphemy against Jesus's Holy Ghost - his Name. How can a sinner be saved, and become unsaved? That is impossible since they are saved from perishing.
     When General Baptists believe in apostasy but accept a believer as saved (past tense), they contradict their own doctrine, considering that those saved from perishing cannot possibly be unsaved from perishing! They contradict themselves!
     Paul spoke of the hope of salvation, but Jesus spoke of salvation as if it already happened. Paul didn't know the outcome but Jesus does! Of course, "salvation" is shorthand for those who are assured of their salvation. They are so trusting that they speak of the reward as if it is already theirs. They are assured, and that's fine, but those who are not so steadfast should realize that they live on a Visa in the Kingdom of God, and they must maintain good citizenship to become "heirs to salvation" (Heb 1:14).
     My wish is that preachers again preach on what people must be, and not take the shall be's as gospel. People know that the reward is on the other side of life, but don't know what they must be to obtain the reward. They won't receive the reward because they were not what they must be!
    My second wish is that General Baptists return to their doctrine. That drifting away from the Doctrine of Christ is done slowly and persistently by Calvinists in the media and mega-churches. We must not believe as they do but as the Word spoke!