It seems we are here today, and gone tomorrow. Millions just leave this earth suddenly, and we are left shocked, wondering where they have gone, wondering if they can see us. Life sometimes has no meaning when people are cruelly snatched by the paws of death. We wonder what will happen at the time we leave this earth. So many questions, are there answers?
Some of us wonder what is the meaning of life. Is it, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we will die? We say “Live life to the fullest and enjoy yourself, be happy.” All true in many respects, but sometimes when we live to our fullest, we may end up hurting hundreds. The carefree life often wounds more than mends.
The soul is eternal, and never dies. There is a place that a soul goes after the silver cord is cut and the body separates from the soul. The body goes back to the dust, but the soul is alive, never sleeping, and travels on. Where does the soul go? The soul has to be pure to be able to enter Heaven, which is why salvation (deliverance of the soul) is necessary because God who dwells in Heaven cannot coexist with the impure. So nothing unclean can enter Heaven. We have to be perfect and pure. But who is so pure and who is so perfect!? Not one!
By natural means, humans can never be pure enough, which is why Christ died on the Cross, to take the impurity and sins of humanity upon Himself, so that the price for sin is paid and sinful humans, made clean and pure by the shed Blood of Christ can one day enter Heaven. The only condition for this is to accept the free gift of Salvation and the work that Christ has accomplished on the Cross, and identify in a new life in Christ moving forward, for He is the Savior of souls, of people.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23″ the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Salvation is Personal, National and Cosmic
Salvation is personal because we have to make a personal choice to accept the free gift of Salvation.
Salvation is national because our salvation can impact greatly and make wide waves and ripples in our nation!
Cosmic because the heavens, the second heavens and the supernatural spheres get deeply involved in our Salvation.
One might ask why does the soul need to be saved? Nothing good dwell in us! On our own, we don’t stand a chance. At a fleeting glance at humanity, one would see depravity ruling the earth without trying to sound too pessimistic and gloomy. Just a glance at our television sets would show us so! The souls of all are in a terrible plight reeking in misdeeds that all the good works can never undo in our time clocks. While this sounds awfully dismal, it’s a reality we must face or we would never deal with the problem…So lets look at the world..and see it getting dimmer and darker by the hour.
Now about Salvation..what is it and why do we need it? The word “salvation” is the translation of the Greek word soteria which is derived from the word soter meaning “Savior.” The word “salvation” means deliverance, soundness, healing, preservation, safety, restoration. Salvation covers literally everything we need in this life if we look at the richness of the definition of its meaning.
Spiritually, Salvation refers to work of God on behalf of humankind. In the Biblical context, Salvation includes redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, conviction, repentance, faith, regeneration, forgiveness, justification, sanctification, preservation, and glorification. Salvation is described as the work of God rescuing humans from their lost selves, deliverance from eternal separation from God, hell. Salvation in establishing our spiritual rights in Christ, and our estate in Christ, because Salvation of the saved, renewed soul renewed soul enables us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints.
Salvation is the eternal plan of God covered from the Old Testament to the New Testament and it is personal, national and cosmic and it all centers around Our Savior, Jesus Christ!
According to the broadest meaning as used in Scripture, the term salvation encompasses the total work of God by which He seeks to rescue humans from the ruin, doom, and power of sin and bestows upon all of us the riches, wealth of His deep love and grace, the promise of eternal life, with the wonderful provisions for living an abundant healthy life on earth now..as well as eternal life. It is His will the body and soul prosper together. (John 3:16, 36; 10:10, Eph. 1:3-8; 2:4-10; 1 Pet. 1:3-5;). All aspects of Salvation center around our life after death, where the soul lives on; our life after this life.
Isaiah 55:6-7 “”Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon”
The Wondrous Gifts of Salvation:
The premise for Salvation does not depend on us, but the great Agape Love of God, the Father for His creation. The natural human is selfish, stubborn and rebellious to the core, though there are sweeter souls living on Earth, who still struggle with certain sins.
So God in His eternal plan sent us the Gift of Salvation in several wonderful glowing packets.
Love: The first is His Love for us. God revealed His immeasurable Love by sending His only begotten Son is the greatest manifestation of His love. It declares God provided salvation because He is a loving God (John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-10, 16).
Holiness: The second gift packet we open is the manifestation of the Holiness of God. God provided salvation through the person and work of His Son because He is a holy God. In His love and grace God desired fellowship with man, but man’s rebellion and sin created a barrier between God and man that hindered any fellowship with man whatsoever because of God’s infinite holiness. In Salvation, God’s holiness and His love are satisfied, when we accept the Gift of Salvation,and through this, we have a restored relationship with God, who gives us the Gift of His Holy Spirit who dwells within us,enabling us to communicate with God.
Grace: The third gift packet we open in Salvation is the manifestation of God’s Grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the non-meritorious favor of God (Eph. 2:7-9). Though our walk in Christ transforms us moment by moment, we are no longer on a performance stage nor are we marked or measured by our works, though good works is the fruit of Salvation and is the overflow of Salvation. Rather, now, our Salvation is based on God’s grace towards us and not our works. All other other religions of the world have man working to acquire salvation, but we have grace smiling towards us and drawing us and working in us..in a restful walk with Christ. There is no strife or struggle in Godly grace, poured out without measure from a golden heavenly cup, preserves and protects us from stinging accusations hurled by hunting humans.
Eternal Life in Heaven: The Salvation of our soul takes us to Heaven when we leave this earth one day, this is why, we do not fear death, and we have the promise that our bodies will one day also be resurrected with new glorious bodies when Christ returns for His bride. This is the joy and hope of our Salvation.
We have to receive the gift of Salvation by faith. Believe on the Savior, Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the world by faith and a divine transaction will then take place.
Salvation is Past, Present and Future.
When we spiral back in time, we discover that Salvation in Christ began in eternity past according to the predetermined plan of God and extends into the eternal future. People who looked to God before Christ came to Earth will be saved! They had Salvation planned for them. God knew them. They responded to God and had witness of Him in their spirits. Also, for us, our yesterdays are covered by the Blood of Yeshua. Resting in this premise, we can rest in the Lord and allow His grace to work in our lives moving forward exponentially in spiritual growth while digging our roots deeper into Heavenly foundations.
Salvation Past: We are saved from sin’s penalty. Several passages of Scripture speak of salvation as wholly past, or as accomplished and completed for the one who has believed in the person and work of Jesus Christ such as in Heb. 7:25, Luke 7:50; Eph. 2:5, 8; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; Titus. 3:5; ; 2 Tim. 1:9. Christ’s work is complete and perfect and a believer can never lose their salvation. declared permanently saved and safe forever in John 5:24; 10:28, 29; Rom. 8:1, 37-39; 1 Pet. 1:3-5. Salvation cannot be lost because if a believer is truly saved, the Holy Spirit will always convict them of sin, and eventually, even if they have to go through the fire to be refined and disciplined, they will repent and come back to God, so even in seasons of sliding back, Christ is faithful to perfect His Bride. Many believers have to go through hard knockings and many may lose big rewards in eternity but Salvation is eternal..it can never be lost.
Salvation Present: This is Salvation present to deliver us over the gripping power of sin or the carnal nature’s power in the lives of believers in Romans 6:1-23; 8:2; Galatians 2:19-20; 5:1-26; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:19; 2:12-13;. We can only achieve this present deliverance from our flesh and sin through the mighty ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and can only receive the Holy Spirit by receiving on the work of Christ, and our union and co-identification and position in and with Christ in that work of all He accomplished for us.
Salvation Future: This is the future tense of salvation which refers to the future deliverance all believers in Christ will experience through a glorified resurrected body. Though we are saved, the work from glory to glory is constant. We will one day be saved into the fullness of Christ in His image and glory in Rom. 8:29; 13:11; 1 Pet. 1:5; 1 John 3:2. We will never be perfect in our experience in this life. There will never be a golden utopia where perfect humans will live, in this eon of time that we live in now.
We are being changed and transformed, but the ultimate glory and perfection will be in the Kingdom of God, which will come down on Earth, where Christ will rule forever, which goes beyond and after the Millennium Rule of 1000 years, which is a temporary rule and after the Millennium, it is proved that humans still have the propensity to be deceived in a perfect environment. God will then establish His eternal kingdom, and the book of Revelation 21 speaks of the New Jerusalem come out of Heaven to be established on Earth, which is a type of the Garden of Eden, but far greater regained in a glorious eternal Kingdom..where people from all the nations will dwell, the born again and the saved. The perfection of humans is fulfilled and this is our ultimate glorification- in and through Christ forever.
“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” [Revelation 20:14-15]
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Salvation is a free gift for all..it is not based on us but on Him and on our free will to accept this Salvation received by faith and a spirit of repentance poured unto us by the Holy Spirit. Then only will we experience eternal change….
When you are saved and born again, your spiritual understanding opens miraculously. You connect with God very easily and you experience peace, joy and love most of the time. Your prayers seems to be answered more swiftly because of the connection and grace of Christ on your life and you appear to have a special favor with God because you are walking in His will and plan for your life!
Rita F. Kurian
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