ILLUSION OF SALVATION

 

  Most people believe as they have been taught. “The faith of our fathers” is a common expression. That is admirable because we are to honor our fathers, but more fitting is the faith of our Father. Not to disrespect my father, but there is no need to pray in the King James era English. Like my father, however, I have explored many denominations with differing doctrines. Dad was seeking the truth, and like Dad, I too have sought the truth. What did I find? That the truth cannot be found in churches, but only in the Word.

  Denominations all believe they have found the truth, even non-denominational ones, but their “truth” is always biased. Even “non-denominational” churches are “denominational,” and to believe otherwise is folly! Why is that? We all misunderstand the Doctrine of God. We tend to accept it as our forbears did. People invent doctrine, and to be truthful, everyone does that. Doctrine to be truth must offend sinners.

  People are citizens of the world; what is called “cosmopolitan.” We cannot let go of the doctrine of the world. That is the Doctrine of sin. Sin is easy. Righteousness comes with great tribulation.

  Satan’s motive is to make Christianity seem so difficult that it cannot be achieved. He does that by confusion. Many Christians are confused, but we are to know in whom we believe. We must not believe as our fathers, as the preacher or the priest, as the church, or as theologians; we must believe the ultimate truth.  Jesus is the Word (John 1) and He uttered the truth. He likewise inspired those He knew personally to utter the truth. The inspired Word of Jesus is the truth, and hence, only truth is “canon” and all else is doctrine. What anyone else writes is not truth, but their version (perversion) of the truth. Doctrines of churches are their perversions of the truth, coupled with truth.

  I attend a General Baptist. Although I am a member of that denomination, they too are wrong on many points. They are wrong on the qualifications for bishop and deacons, and they are wrong on salvation. Their doctrine is conditional security, yet they say that they are “saved.”

  I cringe when I hear them claim to be “saved.” That is from Calvinism and comes from mainly Calvinistic interpretation from the Greek to the English. I wish “eternal security” was truth because then I would need not worry so much about pleasing God. To be honest, since I still sin, as all others do, I do not deserve eternal security.

  The doctrine of “eternal security” comes from “preservation of the saints” as scripture implies in Jude, “to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:1). That is preservation is half of the doctrine, but who are saints?

  They must be “them that are sanctified by God the Father.” The word “saint” appears one place in the New Testament (hagios; Phil 4:21). In the Old Testament are two occurrences. (qadowsh; Psalm 106:16, Dan 8)). The Hebrew qadowsh means “holy” and the Greek hagios means “most holy thing.” (Strong’s Dictionary). Therefore, to be a “saint” requires “holiness.” That is the doctrine of “sanctification” Written in both Testaments is, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). Therefore, to be “holy” is to be in the image of Jesus, and thusly, a “saint” is someone who walks the Way of Jesus, in His image. Scripture refers to that “Way” as righteousness.

  Indeed, God preserves the righteous, but he does not the unrighteous. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9) but some know the truth yet walk in unrighteousness; “hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18). Therefore, unrighteous living Christians are not preserved.

  God is patient with them, but they are vulnerable to the wiles of Satan. “Preservation of the saints” is biblical doctrine, but many doctrines of men (i.e., Calvin) make it eternal security whether living a sanctified life or not.

  “Sanctification” is set apart from the world, for what reason? For preservation! Walking with the world in sin is walking in temptation. It exposes the believer to temptation which leads to sin and unrighteousness. The doctrine of eternal security leads to serving two masters. Again, since I still sin, my wish is for eternal security, but scripture tells me otherwise.

  Those who are certain in their faith have the “assurance of salvation.” That is admirable because they live as if they are preserved. Hence, those in the reformed doctrine may indeed be preserved because they know by their allegiance who is their God, to wit: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:22). Then the assurance of salvation is based on faith… and that is, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).

  What is your hope? That there is an unseen Paradise, and that you will abide there for eternity. Strong “hope” is believing the evidence that there is such a place. Those with little faith have little hope and those with little hope have little faith. Faith is demonstrated with works — walking the Way of Jesus without the Law to curse. Saints obey, not because they must, but because they trust! (John 3:14).

  Do Christians who live in sin truly trust God, or do they have their doubts. Face it, the more one sins the more doubt they have because they understand that sin disappoints God.

  Now back to the original claim. Are you “saved?” Saved is with no chance of damnation. The Devil and death is of no concern because the Devil can no longer deceive you nor is their any chance for condemnation in Hell.

  Do you really know that you know that you know? I submit that since you are not God, you must believe and trust God on those points. You hope your faith is that strong, but you do not have the faith of God,  Who knows that He knows that He knows!

  Abraham had “great faith” which was accounted to him as righteousness (Rom 4:5). Is your faith that great? Would you willingly sacrifice your only remaining son to please God? Only Abraham and God did that. God had perfect faith and Abraham only great faith, yet you claim to have the perfect faith of God! I submit that doubt lingers hidden away in your heart and Satan knows that.

  That addresses the “assurance of salvation” and that makes living easier, but it is NOT “salvation!”

KEY VERSES: ²⁷ And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: ²⁸ So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Heb 9:27-28)

  You may have just read the key verses as I hoped you would. When is “salvation?” Reread those passages. Paul first spoke of death in his letter. That is physical death. You can only die one time with few exceptions: Lazarus and Jairus’s daughter among two of those. Paul also wrote, “To live is Christ; to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). Living is being in Christ, walking the Way that He walked. If that is the case, then “to die is gain.” What is to be gained by death? The salvation of the soul! It is preserved in life by living in the image of Christ, not in the image of Satan!

  After death comes judgment. There are two judgments. At death, God winnows out who shall go where. Christians — the true saints — will have their souls taken to a heavenly Paradise, and the unrighteous taken prisoner for the second Great White Throne Judgment where they will see why they are prisoners before they are punished. Death is judgment, and those who have truly lived as Christ lived will move from a state of preservation to a condition of salvation.

  The first appearance of Christ was when he redeemed the damned. He offered reprieve but those destined to Hell must want the pardon, accept it, and believe it will occur. If those conditions are met, then they are preserved until they die unless Satan tampers with the “jar” of preserves.

  That was when Christ appeared the first time, and Christians are redeemed in remembrance of Him. Every time someone sins, they are to remember that Jesus died to save them. Those who say so, but do not, “take His Name of vain” (The Third Saying of the Word). That is blasphemy of the Holy Ghost and if the Ghost of Jesus is not saved, neither will yours!

  “Salvation” comes with death. Before that, a Christians soul is preserved unless contamination enters into the “cup” (soul). Jesus seals it well, and is the only person can loosen the seal. Solomon said, “Or ever the silver cord be loose,” which silver cord is likely the seal between God and man. It can be loosened for sin to corrupt.

  Now consider an analogy: A sealed jar preserves the fruit inside. It stays preserved unless some unsuspecting culprit comes into the storage house and loosens the lid and contamination enters in. Before it is saved for the thanksgiving dinner, it becomes spoiled and is thrown into the garbage. The person who sealed the jar made a good seal, but somehow the seal was loosened. Apparently, Solomon used a silver cord to preserve His “jar” for the final day, but his seal was loosened, and likely Solomon, who knew that all along perished!

  In conclusion, the one “must be” in the New Testament is, “Marvel not; ye must be born again” (John 3:7). It does not say, “Marvel not; ye must be saved.” Salvation is the outcome of rebirth. It is the culmination of a new genesis. At death, the soul is saved and at the resurrection, the body is finally saved. “Regeneration” is at rebirth in theology (the philosophy of men) but in scripture, it is when the mind, body, and soul are in perfect harmony with God, just as Adam was in the genesis of man. Regeneration is the return to Genesis, not a return to infancy.

  David said that he was “shapen in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). At birth, he was a sinner. Rebirth is not of the flesh, a return to sin, but a beginning of being recreated in the image of God, ala Adam (Gen 1:27).

  I have a simple question: If you are “saved” are you living in the image of God? I think not, because if you are, you hide it well! Adam was in the image of God, and that was not “very good” but entirely good like God. “Very good” is not enough. You can be very good here, but only entirely good in Paradise.

  According to Strong’s, the rendering in Genesis 1:31 is also “entirely good.” That is not reformed thought, so apparently translators rendered it to fit their doctrine, as they did sozo and soteria.

  If you are a Christian, then you are “safe” (sozo) and when you die that is your “salvation” (soteria). Rather than “saved,” say you are “reborn” a new person. Personally, I shall be saved, because that is my hope based on the evidence of Jesus, and with that faith, I am assured of my salvation.

We all are biased based on what we first believed. Subsequent to that, we must test what we believe to scripture. It is hard to let go of what we have been taught, but at least consider your doctrine if it meets the test.

(picture credit: Food Network)

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 hope based on the evidence of Jesus, and with that faith, I am assured of my salvation.