I write this blog post out of a sincere desire for the Body of Christ to understand the Salvation process. That's right ... it is a process and not just the one-time event, where you declare your faith in Jesus Christ, and the Father imputes Jesus's righteousness to you, as a believer. It's an important step, and the first step in the Salvation process, called justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). We are reconciled with God and freed from the penalty of our sin. But there's so much more to Salvation! If we don't rightly understand this truth, then we can be in serious jeopardy of missing out on our inheritance in Heaven because we did not achieve the fullness of our salvation process and experience.
The Bible has lots to say on the subject of salvation ... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31); and Romans 10:9 tells us one of the requirements of receiving our salvation: you must confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Mark 16:16 tells us, Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. We read in Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus is the ONLY way to this salvation experience.
I think all Christians raised in the Church know the basic doctrine of Salvation. But how many can perceive the fullness of all that Salvation incorporates, embodies, and encourages? How many understand that our Salvation is a journey that lasts our entire life and is not fully realized until we are received into the Father's Kingdom and His offer of eternal life? And who understands that our Inheritance in the Kingdom is closely associated with how we walk out our Salvation experience while here on earth? This may be a new understanding of our faith for some of you in the Body of Christ, so let me try to clarify some of my statements and answer the questions you may have.
Let's start here ... There is a lot that needs to happen between that time we profess our faith in Jesus as our Savior, and when we die and go to Heaven. So, let's take it a step at a time. Yes, we are pronounced "saved" when we confess our faith [through grace] in Jesus as the divine Son of God, who through His death on the Cross, paid for our reconciliation with our Creator and Father in Heaven. As stated, that is our justification. But can you discern that Salvation is not a "one and done"? Salvation is a journey and, at the same time, a destination. As I have stated above, it is a process that is meant to yield a fullness in our salvation experience. It begins with answering the call on your life, and professing with your mouth that Jesus is your Savior. That's the first step in your salvation process. Then we receive the Holy Spirit and the part of the process called sanctification begins. We are now to look different from the world; and that involves us setting ourselves apart by learning what God desires of us in order to see His will done in our lives, and on the earth for His Kingdom.
That means discerning His Truth -- not the world's; and not our own. To do that we must earnestly study HIM, and that comes from studying His Word. We must all begin our own individual walk of growing into the image of God in order to correctly discern what He desires of us. Remember, His ways are infinite and we cannot know His mind or all that He has planned. [NOTE: At this point, I want to make a personal comment ... Too many times, I see Christians interpret the Bible and God's Word according to their own religious philosophies and become judgmental of others whom God is using in different ways to accomplish another level of His will for a different purpose. We should not limit God and His purpose for the world; nor put Him in a box that we have constructed according to our own limited understanding. I am the first to say that I do not know His mind or all His ways, but He is teaching me more every day as I walk through my salvation journey, and it may be different than what He is teaching you. We must allow each other the grace to be used by God as He sees fit.]
Remember, the Israelites spent 40 years on their walk in the desert, trying to discern and be what God wanted them to be. For me, I believe the process of my sanctified walk will continue until I am face-to-face with Jesus. Again, I want to stress that each of our walks will look different as Jesus and Holy Spirit guide us. Some of us will back-slide like the Israelites, but regain their path. Others will grasp God's Truth and see His plan for their lives quicker and with more clarity than I do. But as long as we stay committed and obedient to doing God's will, and seek His heart, we will cross the finish line at our appointed time.
We should all endeavor to be like the Wise Virgins in the well-known parable ... keeping filled with the Holy Spirit and being prepared for Jesus's return at any moment. It was the Wise Virgins who got to experience the fullness of their sanctification-to-salvation journey and enter the Wedding Feast. It's not that the Foolish Virgins weren't saved. They were part of the wedding party, invited to enjoy all of the festivities, but they missed out on the full experience of partying with the Bridegroom and His Bride because they did not stay filled with the Holy Spirit [oil] ... They were at the wedding [as Saved Guests], but there was more to experience, and they did not receive the fullness of entering into the Feast that their salvation journey afforded them.
So, what is required of us to receive this "fullness" that I keep emphasizing? It is really simple for me. In the Bible, Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of Truth" (John 14:15-16). Every commandment written in the Bible is meant for us to obey. If we choose to obey only the ones that are easy, or the ones that suit our personality, or the ones our Church tells us are "the really important ones", then Jesus won't ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Truth of those commandments we chose to ignore. That's what happened to the Foolish Virgins. They missed out on more of the valuable Truth they could have received, and their walk suffered.
As I see it, even though we may falter in our walk, we are still "born again" and "Saved", but it will be more difficult to look like Jesus, who obeyed every commandment of His Father. We will still be part of God's Family and enter the Kingdom at Jesus's return. But our walk of sanctification will determine our standing in the Kingdom, as we move from sanctification to the next step in our salvation process ... glorification.
Every Christian should be aware that when Jesus returns, He is bringing rewards with Him. Revelation 22:12 makes that exceedingly clear ... Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. Notice that He doesn't say He will hand out rewards that depend on us declaring we are Saved. Instead, our chances of receiving rewards depends on our walk during the sanctification process. Did we grow and mature into the image of Christ? Were we willing to die unto self in order to live in Him? Were we willing to give up everything in this world [including earthly possessions and relationships] in order to gain everything in the next world? Did we heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers [physically and spiritually unclean], raise the dead, and spread the gospel of the Kingdom? Those are sobering questions!
Here's something else to consider. You know those verses about "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"? They don't always indicate "hell". Through many conversations with Jesus, and through the counsel of the Holy Spirit, I have come to believe these prophetic words show us the state of those who stand before Jesus and realize they lost rewards in the Millennial Kingdom because they could have done more in their sanctification walk. They could have done more for His Kingdom on earth. There will be disappointment that others are given roles of authority to rule and reign with Christ. Who won't want to be part of the saints who are closest to the Lord?
However, it's not just our inheritance that depends on our walk of sanctification. As we near the end of our salvation journey, we enter into the full magnitude of our salvation experience; our glorification as we are resurrected into a new immortal body. Our glorification, in turn, glorifies Elohim! How much we reflect the righteousness of Christ in our physical lives will be in direct proportion to the level of glory and inheritance we receive in the Kingdom -- and it is all the result of our sanctification process as we reach towards the fullness of our salvation experience. That is our hope of eternal glory, and a goal that every Christian should be working towards.
Yes, I said "working towards". And yes, I know that Salvation is not earned, but our faith in the justification, sanctification, and glorification precepts of Salvation [which result in inheritance, rewards, and greater measures of glory] depend on the work we do for the Kingdom while in this life. It is at that point that we will truly realize the fullness of all that our Salvation provides us. It is almost more than I can imagine or hope for! What opportunities are afforded to us as children of God!
So, in summary, while Salvation is a present reality, it is important that we understand it as a process that entails the entire spiritual journey of a believer -- from the first step of justification, through a lifelong experience of sanctification, until you reach the ultimate hope of glorification. It is a journey that is not complete until your life on this earth has ended and you stand before your Savior. Are you up for this journey that will take a lifetime? Are the rewards worth it to you? Do you have a heart to understand the fullness of your Salvation? I pray that each of you will come in the fullness of God to understand His plan of redemption for all mankind. It all begins with knowing and understanding the process of how we are to live our lives once we "get saved". Don't waste another minute!
Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also, when you heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.
