Brother Tom,Amen! I couldn't agree more with your last post:) it's something I've noticed over the years of studying out the word and thought it a strange thing that people used the term "saved" in the past tense to describe an ongoing event. Often there was a charge that salvation was being confused with sanctification tho the two do not (for me) seem separate. In any case I appreciate your thoughts here.
_________________Fletcher
I see salvation as a three-phase process, past, present and future. We were saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future). 1. In the past we were saved (born again, forgiven and justified) as soon as we called upon the name of the Lord to save us. We can have the assurance of our salvation through the blood of Jesus and our repentance and faith in Him. We now have the free gift of eternal life as a present possession which we received upon our true conversion to Christ (see 1 John 5:13). “And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham”-Luke 19:9; "For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?"-Romans 8:14; “even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”-Ephesians 2:5; “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”-Ephesians 2:8; “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”-2 Timothy 1:9; “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit”-Titus 3:5.2. In the present time we are also being saved (sanctified). We are being saved from the present corruption that is in this world and in these bodies of flesh which we must mortify daily by the power of the Word and the Spirit. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”-1Corinthians 1:83. In the future we will be saved when this mortality puts on immortality. When our bodies are redeemed and resurrected to glory we will experience salvation in the ultimate sense. “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”-Romans 5:9; “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”-Romans 13:11; “If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire”-1 Corinthians 3:15; “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”-1 Corinthians 5:5.So we see these three aspects of salvation clearly taught in the Scriptures.
_________________Oracio
Brother Oracio, Yes! That's exactly the point I was attempting to articulate:) While there is certainly an aspect that has been accomplished there is still more to come, which is why it has puzzled me that so often the yet to be revealed aspects go largely unmentioned in most verbiage I've read regarding salvation. It's almost as if it's been reduced to be exclusively a past tense contextual event and lessened from what the totality of salvation ultimately is. Having said this, I certainly agree with your presentation~
Amen JFW, I agree with your assessment of how salvation has been watered down a lot in our times.
Oracio, you are a man of great wisdom and great clarity!I agree with the the idea that we are "saved" in this present life, in that we are in pursuit of God as His children, following after Him, learning, working, living in obedience, and above the pangs of guilt and despair that those who do not know Him must endure as they encounter the contrary winds of life.Indeed we encounter all these troubles also, but with- can I say, "saving hope" we are never in that same darkness. We are saved from that in the here and now!Good word, brother!
_________________Tom Cameron
Greetings everyone, Repentance is the message that the prophets preached in the the old testament. Repentance is the message that Jesus Christ and the Apostles preached, and the message that must be preached to all men today.Acts 17:30 KJVAnd the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
_________________Elijah
