Salvation-Bible study 2
Current mood: inspired

I know that what I am about to write may be considered controversial by some religious people. However, I am not writing this to win anyone over. I am writing this because it is a truth that was revealed to me about our salvation.
Do you know what qualifies a person to salvation in the eyes of God? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt where you will spend eternity? There are so many conflicting messages in our society about what exactly qualifies us to be saved. The fact of the matter is that we cannot qualify ourselves. In fact, we spend too much time trying to qualify ourselves. Let’s take a look at what the word of God says about being saved.

"And now let me remind you, brethren, of the Gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you welcomed and accepted and upon which your faith rests. (faith is believing without seeing, a knowing in your heart that cannot be proven by men’s wisdom) And by which you are saved, if your hold fast and keep firmly what I preached to you, unless you believed at first without effect and all for nothing. For I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with what the scripture foretold, that He was buried, that He arose on the third day as the Scriptures foretold." (1Corinth. 5:17, emphasis added)

Our faith rests on this Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By believing this in our heart, not with the mind, we are saved. I used to wonder what qualified Paul to preach this Gospel and found that the Lord qualified him and no one else.

"For I want you to know, brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed and made known by me is not man’s gospel. For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I thaught it, but through a direct revelation given by Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." (Galations 1:11-12)

The message of the gospel came by direct revelation of Jesus himself. And this message was to be delivered by Paul to the gentiles.

"To reveal His Son withing me so that I may proclaim Him among the Gentiles(the non-jewish world) as the glad tidings(Gospel), ... "(Galatians 1:16)

Now it says in Romans 10:9, that IF (conditional word-our free will) you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
That is God’s word and His promise. He never changes His mind. This salvation cannot ever be revoked. This is a two part statement. First, you must confess that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord? Lord of what? Lord of your life. Lord of this world. You say Jesus you are Lord of my life, I give up my will for yours. I need you and cannot do this world without you. I lay down my life at the foot of the cross as a living sacrifice. Secondly, believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. This is a cry from the spirit of your heart when you fully realize His suffering and sacrifice. He carried the sin of the world on His shoulders, suffered at the hands of the very people He died to save, and then He died on a cross for the forgiveness of sin. So that we may have eternal life with Him forever. Only God can truly see what is in you hold in your heart. Only He knows where you stand with him.

"For with the heart a person believes, and so is justified, and with the mouth he confesses and confirms salvation. ... For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking him as Lord] will be saved." (Romans 10:11,13 emphasis added)

The Lord accepts you right where you are. His word does not say by the good works and deeds you do on earth, you are saved. It does not say, because you go to church every Sunday, you are saved. It does not say, because you have lived a pure life, you are saved. Because you have been baptized, you are saved. These are all qualifications and standards set by men. When you do accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, The Holy Spirit works within you to do the these things, not to qualify you, but because in your heart you want to.

"Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace, through the redemption which is provided in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:21-25 emphasis added)

By His GRACE, all have been justified and made upright with God through the blood of Jesus. It’s incredibly freeing to be in His arms of grace. To have his unconditional love and to know without a doubt that you have a place in eternity with Him.

"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He gave up His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

When you proclaim that Jesus is Lord and believe that he died for you, you are a new creation. The Holy Spirit will begin to convict your heart, teach you the ways of the Lord, and will reveal the path He has for your life. The path of Christ has it’s trials and tribulation and you will need to make some tough decisions about the way you are living your life. But, He will not let you down or turn His back on you if you seek Him.

"Therefore, if any person is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" (2 Corinth. 5:17)

The year 2009 is a year for new beginning’s. Make it a new beginning in Christ!