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Back to:  Jesus:  The Only Way to God & His Will & Plan

The Meaning of Your
Salvation in Jesus

September 16, 2000

Re: The meaning of your salvation in Jesus

Hi Sally:

Welcome to the family of God. Sally, I want to reinforce some things to you that we talked about last night in the chat room. I want to explain first what it means to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. To receive Jesus as Savior means you turn from yourself and your own works for salvation and put your faith in Jesus' work of salvation for you through His death and shed blood alone on the cross. Paul the apostle wrote about his own salvation:

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ, more than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith." (Philippians 3:7-9)

In this passage Paul tells us whatever things he was trusting in for salvation (see earlier part of Philippians Chapter 3) he put aside and counted as garbage to instead put his faith only in Jesus' work of salvation for him on the cross. Jesus had the following conversation with his disciples in Matthew 19:25-26)

"And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, 'Then who can be saved?' And looking upon them Jesus said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (Matt 19:25-26)

Jesus had just gotten through talking about how hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The apostles realizing they put their shoes on the same way they did said in astonishment, "Then who can be saved." Jesus stated plainly that we cannot save ourselves, that with us salvation is impossible. Why? When we save ourselves, we pick and choose what to save and leave the rest of the garbage, it is never really salvation, but convincing ourselves we are okay because we go to church on Sunday or we read the bible or we give to charities. But we really don't save ourselves because we leave the sins that we want, we simply medicate ourselves, put on a bigger bandage, but we don't deal with the real problem which we can't which is our dead spirit. For this reason God tells us in Isaiah 64:6 "All our righteous deeds are as filthy garments in His sight." Another reason why we cannot save ourselves is because no matter how many good works we do, this will not bring our dead spirit back to life. There is no life in our soul to bring something back to life. Jesus said in John 6:63 "The spirit creates-life, the flesh profits nothing." Only the Holy Spirit can bring our spirit back to life and He does this the minute we open up our heart and receive Jesus into it. Paul wrote "But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6;17).  Another reason why our works will not save us is because they are initiated from the soul, our intellect, our reasoning. This is what got Adam and Eve in trouble in the first place and kicked out of the Garden of Eden: acting out of their own initiative and the reasoning of their souls instead of waiting for God's initiative and reply to Satan's lie through their human spirit by the Holy Spirit. The only thing which pleases God is what we do that is motivated by Him by His Holy Spirit through our human spirit (see the following link Spirit & Soul & body ). God said through Isaiah,

"‘‘Woe to the rebellious children,' declares Yehovah, ‘‘who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin.'" (Isaiah 30:1)

So the Bible's definition of sin is not what we do or don't do, but whatever we do that is not initiated by God first. This brings us to what Jesus came to save us from. Yes, Jesus came to save us from sin, but primarily, He came to save us from self. Self is our problem, not what we do or don't do, those are just the symptoms of the problem. Jesus came to save us from self-reign back to His reign over us through the Holy Spirit. Since we are born into this world soulishly and physically alive but spiritually dead, the first solution to this is our needing to be rebirthed in our spirit. This is because until we are, even if we want what God wants for us we cannot know what that is because God is Spirit and he communicates to us through our spirit.  Jesus said,

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

Because we are born into this world soulishly and physically alive but spiritually dead, even if we want to we cannot communicate with God or receive back from him because God is Spirit and can only communicate to another spirit.  This is why when Nicodemus came to Jesus (the Gospel of John Chapter 3), Jesus told Nicodemus not that he needed to obey the ten commandments to be saved, but that he needed to be born-again, rebirthed in His human spirit so he could enter back into relationship with God through his spirit in unity with the Holy Spirit. Well Sally, that happened the moment you received Jesus as Savior and Lord into your heart. The moment you did that, whether you felt it or not (feelings are an organ of the soul, not the Spirit, thus to be ignored) God brought your spirit back to life, gave you His Holy Spirit and made you one spirit with Him. Note the following passages concerning this:

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation——having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)

"But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Corinthians 6;17)

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

These passages tell us that the moment you believed and received Jesus into your heart as Savior and Lord, the Lord (Snap!) automatically gave you His Holy Spirit, recreated your spirit alive and new and made you one spirit with Him. What does that mean? First it means you can now communicate with God in prayer through your human spirit and He will talk back to you by the Holy Spirit through your human spirit.  Second, To be one spirit with Jesus means that now whatever is true for Jesus is now true for you. Jesus' death for your sin's are now your death for your sins; but also Jesus' resurrection to life eternal is now your resurrection to life eternal. In the future when God raises you from the dead, instead of being judged in your body for your sins on earth, instead you will be raised to life eternal to spend eternity with Him. Note what Hebrews 9:28 says about this,

"So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." (Hebrews 9:28)

Note that it says that when Jesus comes for you, it will be "Without reference to sin." That is because you are one spirit with Him and as a result His death and shed blood has been applied to your sins, past, present and future and as a result God declares you as clean and as righteous as His Son now. That is why Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1-3,

"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

You see, in God's eyes as a result of Your receiving His Son, and thus being made one spirit with Him, He sees you right now with Jesus seated at His right hand. Positionally in Christ you are sitting with Him right now, you are now and will always be a part of His forever family. This also explains why even though Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not all are saved. Even though Jesus died for us all, His death is not applied to our sins until we join ourselves to Him. We do this when we open our hearts to Him and invite him in.

Now let me share with you what it means to receive Jesus' as Lord. Sally, first it means that Jesus has an abundant present and eternal plan for your life and that He is the only way to that plan. Note what Jesus said in the following passages:

"I came that you might have life and might have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

"Jesus said to him, "I-AM the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.... Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.... If anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:1-9).

Jesus states plainly that He is the only way to God and heaven, and that to go any other way is to be a thief and a robber. This is because going through any other means will not save you from your sins or get you into heaven or bring your spirit back to life, the real problem. Note: all other religions have a way of salvation. They will tell you to do this or that and that this will save you; but Jesus didn't say He came to tell us what to do to be saved, meaning what works to do, He said He came to save us by His work. Note these passages:

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him." (John 3:17, Luke 9:56)

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." (Romans 5:8-9)

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." (Romans 3:28)

Second, to receive Jesus as Lord means to confess and repent of your sins. In Matthew 3:1-12 and Luke 3:1-14, John the Baptist explains to us that repentance means to confess our sins to God, make right our sins confessed, and then to bring forth fruit, continued changed behavior, in keeping with repentance. Some people teach that salvation in Jesus means that now even if you continue to live a life of sin, you are still saved. No where in the bible does it teach this.  Salvation in Jesus means that once I have confessed and repented of my sins, God forgives my sins not through a work of mine to gain His forgiveness for that sin, but through Jesus' death and shed blood, which is what it means to receive Jesus as Savior. It means I am saying to God, "God, now that I have confessed and repented of my sins, I am coming to You for the forgiveness of my sin's only through the death and shed blood of Jesus Christ, not through any works of mine. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:16,

"Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16)

Faith in Jesus Christ means faith in His death and shed blood only for the forgiveness of our sins.

Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."

1 John 1:7 "The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Revelation 1:5 "To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood."

Romans 5:8-10 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

1 Peter 1:18-19 "Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."

Sally, this then brings us to the third thing it means to receive Jesus as Lord. Third, to receive Jesus as Lord means to obey His will and plan for your life revealed through His Holy Spirit. Note these passages:

"So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" (Matt 7:20-23)

"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:3-4)

You can see from this passage that Jesus does not want our religious works, He wants us and wants us to walk in the will and plan that he has for us. The reason why Jesus saved us from our sins is because He has a will and plan for our lives. If He hadn't paid sins penalty for us, we would instead of focusing on His will and plan spend our lives trying to gain His forgiveness. Sally, know that because you received Jesus into your heart as Savior and Lord that God forgives you for all your sins, whatever they may be, no matter how dark they may be past, present and future (Heb 10:10, 12, 14). Sally God says to you, "I forgive you through My Son's death and shed blood. There is nothing you need to do further for my forgiveness. You are forgiven." So again, why did Jesus die for us? He died for you because He has a will and plan for your life. He died for you so that instead of spending your life trying to gain His forgiveness, instead He wants you to spend your energy seeking Him for His will and plan for your life and then to walk in that plan.

"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares Yehovah, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.'" (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

How do we seek and come to know Jesus' will and plan for our lives. First, very simply, Jesus said in John 8:47 "He who is of God hears the Words of God." Jesus says in this passage, "Hey, do you want to be of Me? Do you want My will and plan for your life? Then show this by spending daily time reading My Word." Reading and studying the Bible is the first step to coming to know Jesus' will and plan for your life. As you daily study and read His Word, Jesus promises to reveal Himself to you and His will and plan for you. Note what he says in John 14:21,

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21)

In this passage Jesus promises that as you obey Him, read His word, He will reveal Himself to you. This is a process. As you read the word it will cleanse you of dead works (Hebrews 9:14), it will renew, reeducate your mind. As your mind becomes reeducated through a knowledge of the word of God, you will begin to become discerning of what is of God and what is not. God never acts contrary to his word, so if something comes to you and says "I am Jesus" and tells you to do something contrary to God's word, you can know it is not of God. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:14, "And no wonder for Satan transforms himself into an angel of light."  Satan tries to disguise himself as the Holy Spirit. He is very good at it. What is our defense against this? A thorough knowledge of God's word. Satan tried to seduce Jesus, but Jesus responded back in Matthew Chapter 4 and Luke Chapter 4 by saying to Satan, "Begone Satan, for it is written. . . ." In other words he pointed out to him that what he was trying to get him to do was contrary to God's Word in the Bible. God will never lead us contrary to His word, and so the first step to coming to know what is His will and voice to you is reading and studying the Bible, first the New Testament because you can't understand the Old without a knowledge of it first.  This link Daily Feeding on Jesus Through the Word will explain to you how to establish a successful daily time with Jesus in His word through relationship with Him..

The next thing you need to do is find a good church and become a part of that church.  This link Feeding on Jesus Through Weekly Church Fellowship will explain to you how to find a good Church.  In order to grow in Jesus you must spend daily time in the word and weekly time in Church fellowship.

Pastor Dale P. Kruse, whom you talked to last night in the room, who lead you in prayer to Jesus, built a website to help Christians in their walk with Jesus. He has one section in his website titled How to Succeed in the Christian Walk which has a list of chapters which explain how to grow in your relationship with Jesus, how to relate to Him for the answer to your needs, how to establish a Quiet Time, and many other good issues you need to know about. Go to this link BIBLE INTERNET QR and click on the content heading "How to Succeed in the Christian Walk" and read these articles. Until we can talk again,

Your Friend in Jesus,

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