Salvation Diagrams

This could help!

http://www.momof9splace.com/childsalvation.html

Look at the website first, and then read the commentary - God Bless!

Friends and Family,

Believe it or not, what is said about children, is also the process for adults.

HOW God brings people to conviction (convinced by THE EVIDENCE) of sin and "sinnerdom" or being a sinner, and puts the Gospel in their life, to cause repentance (change of mind) and faith (trust/belief) is as varied as there are created individuals.

BUT, there are GENERAL PRINCIPLES to be kept in mind on how a genuine salvation actually occurs.

In the general principle mindset I make the following statements:

No one is ever truly born again without trusting Christ as their Saviour that trust being based upon the FACT that He shed His Blood and died for their sin.

However, no one ever truly trusts Christ in this manner, until they are shown BY GOD (however He brings it about) that they are in fact, LOST, SINNERS, and ON THE WAY TO HELL due to their condition.

This (Conviction and Repentance) is called an "awakening" by the "old-schoolers", and whether it is for 30 seconds, or 30 years, it always precedes salvation.

We adults also, must be "awakened" convicted/convinced (cause to see - convinced by the evidence) our sins and sinfulness by the Holy Ghost. This will cause us to acknowledge that God is JUST to send us to Hell, for our rebellion.

Only strong preaching against sin, OR using the 10 Commandments to show sinners their sins, OR/AND the Holy Ghost of God can cause conviction.

The Holy Ghost is the Author of Biblical Conviction, and He uses the Conscience OR the Law, or His Own Power to convict.

Only these can "convince one as to the evidence against their hopes of Heaven" Any singular one or ALL of these can do it.

Holy Ghost Conviction (sin, righteousness and judgment in a real salvation experience) causes us to REPENT (change our mind), about our sins as ok, and our sinfulness as excusable. This will generate a TRUE desire to be free from sin (aka lifestyle) and receive Christ.

I AM NOT SAYING WE ARE SAVED OR PROVE OUR SALVATION BY WORKS. What this is all (Conviction of the Holy Ghost and Repentance) is referring to is the HEART-ATTITUDE, of the individual towards God, Sin, and Self.

Implied in this however is that we would also stop TRUSTING anything else (including a past profession of "faith" or false supernatural "experience" from Satan AND THOSE ABOUND IN THE LAST DAYS) and turn from our own way.

Salvation is not received by "asking Jesus into your heart", or merely "praying a sinners prayer" when one is not convicted of being a sinner. When you are convicted, you desire to repent.

There is nothing in Scripture about "asking Jesus in your heart", or any of those other pithy sayings that come to mind, when dealing with cruddy and wicked "mass evangelism" tactics. That is not to say the Holy Spirit does not indwell the heart of the believer (REGENERATION), and bring assurance, but He is not allowed to come in this way. The way of the cross leads home!

Once one is convicted and desires to repent, then they must TRUST the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, based on The Gospel that He has DONE for all sinners.

The Gospel: Christ shed His Blood for all sinners, to wash their sins away/blot them out, Died for all sinners-taking their Hell and punishment upon Himself, was buried, and Rose again (as the Perfect God-Man who never sinned) for all sinners, to give out eternal life, to those who repent from their sin (as convicted by the Holy Ghost) and trust Christ as their Saviour. They then receive eternal life, justification, righteousness, and assurance, by this simple act of faith. (YOU NEED TO LOOK UP THESE BIG WORDS!)

That, in turn leads us to truly trust Christ as Our LORD and SAVIOUR. This does not mean the Christian in now sinless, but He/She does "sin-less" than before CONVICTION AND REPENTANCE, and desires (though is not perfect in completing) to do God's Will, not the self's. Desires (heart-attitudes) change!

This ACTUAL AND ORIGINAL LEGITIMATE SALVATION EXPERIENCE is evidenced to the heart of an individual by I John...Read the Book of 1st John to see the portrait of a believer.

Some of the subjective experiences, mixed in with Biblical truth could be experienced as follows:

The indwelling Holy Ghost in the heart, the "lifted load" of sins, heart-belief that Jesus Christ is God, the awareness of the nearness of God, the desire to know God from His Word, the desire to pray, the Scripture opened and understandable, the desire to hear preaching, the desire to be around other saved people, the desire to see others saved, the hunger and thirst for righteousness, sin becomes painful and "icky" and once done, causes unalleviable grief until dealt with biblically, God using the person to reach others as he/she was reached, and he/she slowly changed (or changing) personality traits, where as things that were once acceptable, are no longer are.

Also, the heart of the person will no longer be "empty", and there won't be a "void" in the heart/life like "something’s missing", because the Holy Spirit will have taken up residence in that persons body, soul, and spirit. Sin will no longer satisfy, ONLY JESUS CHRIST!
There is such a "thing" as a carnal Christian. Conviction and Repentance, Faith and Salvation, continue in the life from point of origin (salvation), until death. Also the Christian will be absolutely miserable in acts of sin, and will have "stuff happen" in their life, even maybe death, to cause them to "get right". A real Christian, when walking in the flesh, for days or weeks or any indeterminate period of time will be the most miserable person on Earth.

Regardless of how deep (not as in a period of time, but actions/attitudes) into sin a real believer may go, they have always been convicted and repented in the beginning, and will always come back to the Lord Jesus Christ in humility and contrition, desiring to make it right, and have His pardon. They don't "leave and never come back". In the South they say "Well, if he is really saved, he'll be back." In the South too, it's said a lot, "You gotta get lost before you can get saved!"

HOWEVER, 75%-90% of people who think they fall into this category, or define themselves as that (and are for months and years), have never gone through these general salvation principles and Holy Ghost led experiences in their own life, and have merely a false "faith" or a simple head-knowledge about salvation. THEY NEVER FORWARD-SLID TO BACKSLIDE! They have never been convicted, repented, and trusted Christ. John 3:17-21 states that. Read it!

Only God knows (and that individual) if a "carnal" Christian is really saved or not.

Search the scripture about the purpose-work of the Law and Conscience in Paul's Epistles (Romans 2:14 - 8:30; The Book of Galatians) and read the Law (10 Commandments) in Exodus 20

Read up about the Holy Spirit and his work in John (14-17) regarding the lost and sinners, and read up on repentance and faith in Luke and Acts (Various verses).

Also, when reading about people being saved by faith in Christ, in the Scripture (The Gospels and Acts), notice their attitude (not work - I am not a hyper-Calvinist, faith and repentance are heart attitudes, not works) of Repentance when they come to Christ.

Remember, once a person is genuinely saved, they are no longer slaves to sin, or the Law. That's why we don't use the 10 commandments on true Christians, or anything else out of the Decalogue.

Try out what has been said here in dealing with yourself, your adult friends and family, and your children. Salvation is too serious to play games with, or get wrong. Eternity depends on it. Salvation is not complicated, but it does require some understanding of these things, IN THE HEART!

Too many people have grown up in Bible-Preaching churches, or been "evangelized" and are worse for it, because of the various reasons listed here and in the article submitted.

God Bless you all, and Jesus Saves sinners (like me/us!)

The Tomlin Family

 

I don't discount it as anti-Cist propaganda, I am discounting it because you haven't given any Scripture to support this distinction and equation.

Why is this distinction not supportable? For one reason, James indicates that faith itself fits the description you give for 'belief'. Faith itself has to be 'tested' to be of any value - faith without accompanying works is dead. So, everything you claim about belief applies equally to faith in Scripture.

 

Can you give examples of this in the NT?

 

What?! He is disagreeing with you - he saying almost the exact same thing I said.

So evidentally his explanation didn't sink in.

Only Scripture never says any such thing.

Faith can also be in vain - faith without works is dead.

 

Proofs

Search the scripture about the purpose-work of the Law and Conscience in Paul's Epistles (Romans 2:14 - 8:30; The Book of Galatians, 1 Timothy) and read the Law (10 Commandments) in Exodus 20.

Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians from ccel.org is really good treatment of this subject.

Read up about the Holy Spirit and his work in John (14-17) regarding the lost and sinners, and read up on repentance and faith in Luke and Acts (Various verses).

Reading the Old Puritan writers can give a lot more insight to this part.

Also, when reading about people being saved by faith in Christ, in the Scripture (The Gospels and Acts), notice their attitude (not work - I am not a hyper-Calvinist, faith and repentance are heart attitudes, not works) of Repentance when they come to Christ.

Reading about the various Biblical revivals that took place (Jonothan Goforth, Hudson Taylor, New Hebrides) could make this more concrete.

 

I wonder which of these diagrams Jesus drew out for Nicodemus, and Mary and Martha, or which one Peter drew out at Pentecost (Man, that must have been one big screen he was using!) or which one Paul drew out for the Philliapin Jailer?

Ed

 

skypair.

You will get nowhere by repeating the same thing. Belief and faith is the same thing.

Is it? As far as I'm aware everyone starts out as Pelagian until the truth hits home but then I don't know everyone.

What decision? A new nature will impress itself as the old nature did. As I remember reading, Luther made no decision but salvation by grace came upon him one day and he realised why all his works never could shift his conscience into quiet. But again I don't know much about him.

No one is left in the same position as he was after receiving new knowledge. Those who hear and are not saved suffer greater punishment don't they?

RO 2:12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.

Those who never heard of God are judged, not to condemnation as that was established by Adam, according to their conscience and those who have heard are judged accordingly. Judgment is on what one knows not what one does not know.

To believe is to trust in the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.

john.

 

skypair.

Who's the 'we'? To 'realise' a truth of scripture takes a new earhole and a new heart and a new nature. If you want to call that education I don't mind, I'll continue to call it regeneration.

Those who hear that God purposely creates people for Hell is understood but the acceptance of it normally isn't.
Hearing isn't to do with the ear but a brain connected to a heart of stone but even with regeneration it is still God who decides what one believes and what one does not. PR 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

How does one believe what one reads before one decides it's true or not?

Did Paul make a decision or was he knocked off his horse?

Even when man makes a decision God is in there directing our steps, calling His sheep and renewing their hearts and minds. You would have it that He needs our permission to enter His Temple.

john.

 

My salvation diagram:

elect -> saved

 

Brief but comprehensive.

skypair.

I suppose you gleaned that from my statement that one second one is a pagan and the next a Son of God?

I don't remember it as well as you do. My eldest daughter was 14 hours my second was 7 hours and my son was cut out.

Is it?

I've no idea what you mean. I've no idea what the RCC teaching on sanctification is but I was set aside in eternity for the goodies while others were set aside in eternity for the rough stuff.

Ye? I think you might be having a problem with the word 'stature'. You might raise to it but I could not possibly think I could.

I have changed my mind on occasion as has everone I suspect.

All things belong to God. He needs no permissions. I have been loved from eternity past to eternity future. When God moves in it is clean. Does my body become the Temple after God moves in or am I in a state of a ruined Temple when He moves in? Whichever it is He still needs no permission to move in.

I am? What decision?

john.