A poster challenged a statement I made in another thread about the Bible teaching either two types of salvation, or one salvation with two aspects .
These are eternal, and temporal.
The OP rightly suggested that another thread be started. So here it is.
The basic problem with today's mainstream salvation doctrine is that it fails to place such issues as faith, repentance, obedience, gospel, and the like in proper perspective.
These things are not pre-requisites to soul or eternal salvation, the type or aspect of salvation that Christ achieved for sinners at the cross, and the type or aspect of salvation whereby He, as the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, covered and washed away the sins of His people who were born before the cross.
Soul salvation, or eternal salvation, is all OF God. Salvation is Of THE LORD, cried out the psalmist. Paul said "not by works of righteousnesses which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us", to Titus.
It is an all-encompassing salvation, in that the blood of Jesus Christ redeemed every sinner for whom He authored eternal redemption who were scattered all over the earth, and existed before and during His time.
Eternal salvation depended on the will of God, the obedience of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit. There is NOTHING required from the recipient.
When He finished His work at the cross, here in time, the work of redemption of His people was complete. Nothing else had to be added. The redeemed sinner, wherever he was on this earth at that time and heneforth had access to heaven.
That is what the cross accomplished for sinners.
And that is the gospel that Jesus Christ wanted spread throughout all nations.
That God had condescended to live among sinners, and had in fact secured their salvation.
This is what the apostles, and through them, those who were in the ministry, were to teach.
Again, let us remember that at that particular date in time, when the Redeemer and His apostles were on top of that mountain, before His ascencion, there was no nation on earth that believed in the One true God except Israel (and they crucified His Son), and there was no nation on earth that had people who handled the Word of Life (that is, saw Him in the flesh) except Israel.
Once we begin to see that eternal redemption was finished and accomplished by its Author at the cross, and the fullness and grace of this eternal redemption/salvation, we will also begin to understand where faith, repentance, and the rest fall in.
The Father chose, the Son redeemed the chosen, and now the Holy Spirit takes the place of the Son here on earth. Remember that these three are One Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God.
The Holy Spirit being God is able to be everywhere, knows everything (therefore knows who the redeemed are), and is able to regenerate by His own power.
The apostles do not know who the redeemed are, where they were, and what their circumstances are. They will not be able to reach all who are benefactors of Christ's eternal redemption, but the Holy Spirit can.
Therefore they are simply to go and teach, and whoever believes and is baptized, shall be saved.
The modern soteriologists say this word "saved" means eternal salvation, or soul salvation, and their students swallow their teaching without taking a look closely at the food being shoved down their throats.
If this word "saved" means eternal salvation, then what did Christ accomplish at the cross ?
Again, we need to remember, the redeemed of God were scattered all over the earth before the cross, during the cross, after the cross, and even now in our time.
Many of these redeemed are caught up in a religion, creed, or system they were born and raised in, and many, in Paul's words, have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
The critic in the other thread quoted a verse from Romans 10, and I do not think he quoted it because he studied that book from beginning to end and in proper context. Many times I have quoted that verse myself remembering what my pastor or teacher said, and studying that verse from the point of view of my church's doctrine.
Paul in that chapter was referring to the zealousness of certain Israelites trying to establish their own righteousness, because they were ignorant of God's righteousness which is in Christ. He wanted to reach these people because Paul believed these were among the redeemed, and need to be taught, or discipled.
When a person is taught and discipled and claims to believe that Christ indeed is his Savior, therein is faith, and with that confession comes salvation from error , and that faith is justified by his subsequent actions: submission to baptism, joining his church, turning away from idols to the living God, a dedicated life, an awareness of sin and a revulsion of it, a love of the brethren and of the written word, and so on.
Many on this board have witnessed to Roman Catholics, and rejoiced when one converted , which is really the proper word. Christ saved him before he heard the gospel, the Holy Spirit quickened him before you ever got to him and prepared his heart for the gospel, his conversion occured at the point when you confirmed to him from the Bible what the Spirit has already revealed to him.
Yet we have been made to believe that because of our witnessing, he got "saved" in the eternal sense.
Therein is the difference between eternal salvation, and timely salvation, and there are perhaps many more.
Eternal salvation is purely of God, none of the recipient. This salvation was planned, authored, and executed by the Triune God.
Gospel, or time, salvation, requires input from the professing one: faith, repentance, obedience. This type or aspect of salvation will not benefit all of God's people, because this depends on those in the ministry, who are not omnipresent.
These are eternal, and temporal.
The OP rightly suggested that another thread be started. So here it is.
The basic problem with today's mainstream salvation doctrine is that it fails to place such issues as faith, repentance, obedience, gospel, and the like in proper perspective.
These things are not pre-requisites to soul or eternal salvation, the type or aspect of salvation that Christ achieved for sinners at the cross, and the type or aspect of salvation whereby He, as the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, covered and washed away the sins of His people who were born before the cross.
Soul salvation, or eternal salvation, is all OF God. Salvation is Of THE LORD, cried out the psalmist. Paul said "not by works of righteousnesses which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us", to Titus.
It is an all-encompassing salvation, in that the blood of Jesus Christ redeemed every sinner for whom He authored eternal redemption who were scattered all over the earth, and existed before and during His time.
Eternal salvation depended on the will of God, the obedience of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit. There is NOTHING required from the recipient.
When He finished His work at the cross, here in time, the work of redemption of His people was complete. Nothing else had to be added. The redeemed sinner, wherever he was on this earth at that time and heneforth had access to heaven.
That is what the cross accomplished for sinners.
And that is the gospel that Jesus Christ wanted spread throughout all nations.
That God had condescended to live among sinners, and had in fact secured their salvation.
This is what the apostles, and through them, those who were in the ministry, were to teach.
Again, let us remember that at that particular date in time, when the Redeemer and His apostles were on top of that mountain, before His ascencion, there was no nation on earth that believed in the One true God except Israel (and they crucified His Son), and there was no nation on earth that had people who handled the Word of Life (that is, saw Him in the flesh) except Israel.
Once we begin to see that eternal redemption was finished and accomplished by its Author at the cross, and the fullness and grace of this eternal redemption/salvation, we will also begin to understand where faith, repentance, and the rest fall in.
The Father chose, the Son redeemed the chosen, and now the Holy Spirit takes the place of the Son here on earth. Remember that these three are One Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God.
The Holy Spirit being God is able to be everywhere, knows everything (therefore knows who the redeemed are), and is able to regenerate by His own power.
The apostles do not know who the redeemed are, where they were, and what their circumstances are. They will not be able to reach all who are benefactors of Christ's eternal redemption, but the Holy Spirit can.
Therefore they are simply to go and teach, and whoever believes and is baptized, shall be saved.
The modern soteriologists say this word "saved" means eternal salvation, or soul salvation, and their students swallow their teaching without taking a look closely at the food being shoved down their throats.
If this word "saved" means eternal salvation, then what did Christ accomplish at the cross ?
Again, we need to remember, the redeemed of God were scattered all over the earth before the cross, during the cross, after the cross, and even now in our time.
Many of these redeemed are caught up in a religion, creed, or system they were born and raised in, and many, in Paul's words, have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
The critic in the other thread quoted a verse from Romans 10, and I do not think he quoted it because he studied that book from beginning to end and in proper context. Many times I have quoted that verse myself remembering what my pastor or teacher said, and studying that verse from the point of view of my church's doctrine.
Paul in that chapter was referring to the zealousness of certain Israelites trying to establish their own righteousness, because they were ignorant of God's righteousness which is in Christ. He wanted to reach these people because Paul believed these were among the redeemed, and need to be taught, or discipled.
When a person is taught and discipled and claims to believe that Christ indeed is his Savior, therein is faith, and with that confession comes salvation from error , and that faith is justified by his subsequent actions: submission to baptism, joining his church, turning away from idols to the living God, a dedicated life, an awareness of sin and a revulsion of it, a love of the brethren and of the written word, and so on.
Many on this board have witnessed to Roman Catholics, and rejoiced when one converted , which is really the proper word. Christ saved him before he heard the gospel, the Holy Spirit quickened him before you ever got to him and prepared his heart for the gospel, his conversion occured at the point when you confirmed to him from the Bible what the Spirit has already revealed to him.
Yet we have been made to believe that because of our witnessing, he got "saved" in the eternal sense.
Therein is the difference between eternal salvation, and timely salvation, and there are perhaps many more.
Eternal salvation is purely of God, none of the recipient. This salvation was planned, authored, and executed by the Triune God.
Gospel, or time, salvation, requires input from the professing one: faith, repentance, obedience. This type or aspect of salvation will not benefit all of God's people, because this depends on those in the ministry, who are not omnipresent.
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