Men are told today to believe in Jesus and they will be saved. This is spoken in a context of the pleasurable experience of the presence of God. But without definition of believe and saved, this message has no meaning to the average hearer.

With no other definition and context, the message of believing in Jesus communicates the false message that men are nebulously “saved by faith” simply by experiencing the presence of God in a corporate worship meeting or concert. It is an unspoken gospel of salvation by spiritual euphoria. Euphoric experience with God does not save.   

Following is a limited catechism of Christian salvation, itemizing in few words the key truths and components that define the real dynamics and message of human salvation through Jesus Christ.

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Salvation is a dual dimensioned work involving a cleansed conscience by the blood of Christ (Heb 9:14; 10:22) and the impartation of a new spiritual seed-word (Mt 13:3-9; 18-23) of “reborn” spiritual identity (Jn. 3:8; I Pt. 1:23; II Cor. 5:17) actualized by a spiritual exercise of faith (“believing”) (Jn. 3:15-16, 18, 36; e.g., Lk. 7:50).

Every man is a sinner, is born in sin, is a child of wrath separated from God (I Ki. 8:46; Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 3:23; 5:12 {I Jn. 1:8, 10} >> Ps. 51:5; 58:3 (Gen. 8:21) >> Eph. 2:1-3 {Jn. 3:36}; 4:18) and thus possesses a dirty conscience and is in need of spiritual salvation.

Sin is the doing of whatever one’s conscience tells him is wrong (James 4:17) whether or not this involves the knowledge of the Law of Moses (Rom. 2:12).

Every man has the light of creation and the incipient light of Christ upon his conscience establishing accountability to God (Rom. 1:18-19; Jn. 1:9 >> Rom. 2:11; 3:9-19). This is the "light of accountability," otherwise referred to as the "fear of the Lord" and known as the "beginning of wisdom" (Pr. 9:10).

The incipient light of accountability on the conscience is not a saving light, but one that illumines the state of the heart to its holder in advance of the saving light of the gospel. It is a forerunner light upon the heart even as John was to Jesus (Jn. 1:8). It is the primordial law written on the heart (Rom 2:15).

Men do not natively respond to the light of accountability (Rom. 3:10-18).The heavenly Father ordains the preparation of the human heart to be able to respond to the light of accountability and ultimately to the saving gospel. Referred to as “election,” no heart is able to respond to the light without such pre-determined divine preparation. (Jn. 1:13; 6:44-45; 10:27-30; 17:2, 6, 9-10, 24; Rom. 9:18>>11:7; II Thess. 2:13).  

One who responds to the law of God written on the heart will come to the fully saving light of Christ when presented to him (Jn. 3:21 with Rom. 2:7; 7:21-24) and is able to recognize the saving light when he sees it (Jn. 7:17). Such are people of a “good and honest heart” (Lk. 8:15) who have “learned from God” (Jn. 6:45) through His incipient light.

The Holy Spirit magnifies the forerunner light of accountability through the conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment. This is the conviction of the accountability to (fear of) the Lord (Jn 16:8-9 {Rom. 2:16; II Cor. 5:11}).

Men must actually hear a message (word) of the gospel to be consummately saved (reborn) from their state of conscience filth. (Rom 10:14-17)

The gospel is a simple message about the death and resurrection of Christ for sin, exhorting to repentance and faith in Christ for salvation from sin. (I Cor. 15:1-4; Heb. 6:1).

The word-seed of the gospel mingles with the pre-illumined heart bestowed by the Father to produce a viable ripened reborn identity also referred to as a “harvest” or “reaping” to salvation (Jn. 4:35-38; I Cor. 3:5-8).

In the midst of this condition, competing seeds (gospels) are planted into the hearts of humanity, one that completes salvation, one that counterfeits salvation (Mt. 13:24-30, 37-43).

Not every planting is the planting of the Father (Mt 15:13). This may refer to the fact that the planted seed is not of the Father (not the true gospel), or to the fact that the heart receiving the seed is not pre-illumined by the Father (non-elect).

Reaped conversion of new birth is actualized through verbalized confession of faith (Rom. 10:9-10) and is further fortified by baptism, testifying to the cleansed conscience (I Pt. 3:21), activating the process of soul saving discipleship (Mt. 28:19). But salvation is not effected by baptism (I Cor. 1:17).

Believing upon repentance is necessary to new birth. (Mk. 1:14-15 with Jn. 3:8)

Repentance is a turn of heart demonstrated / proven by acts of turning as incited by Holy Spirit conviction (Mt. 3:8; Acts 16:20 >> Lk. 19:8).

Though salvation (new birth) is not possible without repentance, salvation is by faith, not by repentance and its associated works (Eph. 2:8-9).  

Repentance is defined from the heart, not by any proving acts (Lk. 23:40-43).

Salvation is only by the knowledge of the truth which sets free from sin. (Jn. 8:32, 34-36; 14:6).

Spiritual experience of the Holy Spirit alone does not save or assure of salvation (Mt. 7:22-23; I Cor. 10:2, 5; 14:23 >> II Cor. 13:5; Heb. 6:4-6).

Those who do not come into recognition of and reconciliation with God through the knowledge of these enumerated truths do not belong to God, regardless of their experience of God’s presence in a corporate worship meeting. Those who do come into the knowledge of God through these truths belong to God, regardless of their experience in a corporate setting.

Those who receive the washing of the blood to cleanse the conscience and the seed of the Father are born again (I Pt. 1:18, 23).

These who are born again of the Father through Christ do not practice sin and will never fall away (I Jn. 5:18), and will sooner or later, under more or less favorable disciplinary conditions, complete the race to manifest sonship (Heb. 2:10>>12:5-8; Rom. 8:19-21, 28-30).

Others may receive the washing of the conscience, but through receiving a false seed or simply failing to possess a heart chosen and prepared of the Father, will fall away, meaning they were never born again (II Pet 2:1, 20-22).

Once those in whom the true seed never takes root fall away in active willful rejection / denial of the faith; they may never be re-cleansed, i.e., renewed to repentance (Heb 6:4-6; 10:26).

Spirit salvation (new birth) is once and point in time. (“You were saved” Titus 3:5.)

Soul salvation ensues upon spirit rebirth as an ongoing process obtained at the end of mortal life (to varying degrees). (“[we] who are being saved…receiving the end of your salvation” I Cor. 1:18; II Cor. 2:15…I Pt. 1:9).

The spirit may be saved alone, while the soul can be lost (I Cor 5:5; Mt. 16:26).

In the course of soul salvation, reborn ones who fail to overcome sin and who may even temporarily depart the faith (Lk. 15:11-24) are indiscernible from false born ones who practice sin (Mt. 13:29; Gal. 4:19-20; II Cor. 13:5).

One cannot make final determinations (I Cor. 4:5), but may (indeed must) make evaluations affecting relationship (Mt. 7:15-20; Jn. 7:24; Mt. 18:17). No one is bound to fellowship with any professing believer bearing bad fruit (I Cor. 5:1-13), and no one evidencing bad fruit has any place of assurance of salvation (II Cor 13:5).

Judgment of works by the Lord is the examination of the fruit of the Spirit behind a man’s deeds (Rev. 2:23; Mt. 12:33-37). It is not a judging of human performance (Jn. 7:24).

Chris Anderson

New Meadow Neck, Rhode Island

        5/07

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