Question: "What is salvation? What is the Christian doctrine of salvation?"
Answer:
Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver
or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or
preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance, such as Paul’s deliverance from prison (Philippians 1:19).
More often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual
deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be
saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25).
What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin.
Who does the saving? Only God can remove sin and deliver us from sin’s penalty (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).
How does God save? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, God has rescued us through Christ (John 3:17). Specifically, it was Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God (Ephesians 2:5, 8) and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
How do we receive salvation? We are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel—the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Then, we must believe—fully trust the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16). This involves repentance, a changing of mind about sin and Christ (Acts 3:19), and calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13).
A definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be “The
deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which
is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance
and faith in the Lord Jesus.” Salvation is available in Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance, and security.
Having any questions or requests, comment or send a mail to; ggmcfamily@gmail.com
When
he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants
have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'” Luke 15:17 (NIV)
Not long ago, one of my daughters set my phone alarm tone to match
that of her favorite animal. It’s labeled “Horses Neighing.” It should
be called “Death by Stampede.” At 5:30 in the morning my alarm went off
and I shot straight up, wide-awake, a stampede charging through my
bedroom.
While changing it back to my standard alarm, I noticed a wide array
of other options. Some of the sounds wouldn’t do anything to get me up,
like the one labeled “Harp.” It trills a soft melody, and just listening
to it makes me sleepy.
The most effective alarm ringtone for me is labeled “Old Car Horn.”
Think in terms of a house alarm that you can hear on the other side of
the neighborhood. Now imagine that you are sleeping inside the speaker.
It’s highly effective. And the great thing is this alarm has a unique
backup system that’s almost fail proof – my wife.
But here’s what I’ve discovered: the effectiveness of any alarm is in
direct correlation to how much you don’t want to hear it. In other
words, until your desire not to hear the alarm outweighs your desire to
keep sleeping—you’re not going to wake up.
Similarly, a sudden awakening takes place when God finally gets our
attention. The alarm sounds, and this time we hear it. We immediately
become aware of our present circumstances and the reality that something
must change.
The Prodigal Son experienced this in Luke 15. After taking his
inheritance money from his father, wasting it and reduced to feeding
pigs, the Bible tells us the son,
“came to his senses …”
At this point the son sat straight up and suddenly realized what his
life had become. When he ran away, he’d never thought his journey would
have that ending. But now life had his attention, and he knew things had
to change.
Have you ever had a moment like this? The Holy Spirit opens your
eyes, and you see something that you had somehow missed before. You have
a startling realization that changes everything.
You realize you’ve been trying to live out the Christian life from
your own power and strength rather than out of the power of the Holy
Spirit.
You realize you weren’t actually following Jesus; you were just following a list of rules and rituals.
You realize you spent so much of your life wrestling with guilt and shame, because you thought being good enough would save you.
And then suddenly you realize a truth. That truth has always been
true, but for some reason, you just didn’t see it before. Like the
Prodigal Son, it was the right time and the right place, and finally
realization woke you up and brought you to your senses. AHA!
This is an “AHA” moment, and within the parable of the Prodigal Son, I
discovered there are three ingredients that are present in every AHA
experience.
1. A Sudden Awakening
2. Brutal Honesty
3. Immediate Action
If there is an awakening and honesty, but no action, then AHA doesn’t
happen. If there is awakening and action, but honesty is overlooked,
AHA will be short-lived.
But when God’s Word and the Holy Spirit bring these three things
together in your life, you will experience AHA—a God-given moment that
changes everything.
Today if you are finally hearing the alarm and realizing you are far
from your Heavenly Father, know you can turn to Him. Luke 15 shows us
that God is a loving Father who is merciful, gracious, and caring. No
matter how far we wander from God, He wants to do more than just help
us—He wants to save us. And it starts with AHA.
Dear Lord, help me to see the areas of my life that need transformation. Please give me a genuine Awakening, help me to be Honest with myself, and be with me as I take Action.
Jesus, I surrender my life to you, and I thank You for the work You’re
doing in my life! In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray. Amen.
- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/the-god-moment-that-changes-everything/#sthash.XnPHZ1Xq.dpuf
“When
he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants
have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'” Luke 15:17 (NIV)
Not long ago, one of my daughters set my phone alarm tone to match
that of her favorite animal. It’s labeled “Horses Neighing.” It should
be called “Death by Stampede.” At 5:30 in the morning my alarm went off
and I shot straight up, wide-awake, a stampede charging through my
bedroom.
While changing it back to my standard alarm, I noticed a wide array
of other options. Some of the sounds wouldn’t do anything to get me up,
like the one labeled “Harp.” It trills a soft melody, and just listening
to it makes me sleepy.
The most effective alarm ringtone for me is labeled “Old Car Horn.”
Think in terms of a house alarm that you can hear on the other side of
the neighborhood. Now imagine that you are sleeping inside the speaker.
It’s highly effective. And the great thing is this alarm has a unique
backup system that’s almost fail proof – my wife.
But here’s what I’ve discovered: the effectiveness of any alarm is in
direct correlation to how much you don’t want to hear it. In other
words, until your desire not to hear the alarm outweighs your desire to
keep sleeping—you’re not going to wake up.
Similarly, a sudden awakening takes place when God finally gets our
attention. The alarm sounds, and this time we hear it. We immediately
become aware of our present circumstances and the reality that something
must change.
The Prodigal Son experienced this in Luke 15. After taking his
inheritance money from his father, wasting it and reduced to feeding
pigs, the Bible tells us the son,
“came to his senses …”
At this point the son sat straight up and suddenly realized what his
life had become. When he ran away, he’d never thought his journey would
have that ending. But now life had his attention, and he knew things had
to change.
Have you ever had a moment like this? The Holy Spirit opens your
eyes, and you see something that you had somehow missed before. You have
a startling realization that changes everything.
You realize you’ve been trying to live out the Christian life from
your own power and strength rather than out of the power of the Holy
Spirit.
You realize you weren’t actually following Jesus; you were just following a list of rules and rituals.
You realize you spent so much of your life wrestling with guilt and shame, because you thought being good enough would save you.
And then suddenly you realize a truth. That truth has always been
true, but for some reason, you just didn’t see it before. Like the
Prodigal Son, it was the right time and the right place, and finally
realization woke you up and brought you to your senses. AHA!
This is an “AHA” moment, and within the parable of the Prodigal Son, I
discovered there are three ingredients that are present in every AHA
experience.
1. A Sudden Awakening
2. Brutal Honesty
3. Immediate Action
If there is an awakening and honesty, but no action, then AHA doesn’t
happen. If there is awakening and action, but honesty is overlooked,
AHA will be short-lived.
But when God’s Word and the Holy Spirit bring these three things
together in your life, you will experience AHA—a God-given moment that
changes everything.
Today if you are finally hearing the alarm and realizing you are far
from your Heavenly Father, know you can turn to Him. Luke 15 shows us
that God is a loving Father who is merciful, gracious, and caring. No
matter how far we wander from God, He wants to do more than just help
us—He wants to save us. And it starts with AHA.
Dear Lord, help me to see the areas of my life that need transformation. Please give me a genuine Awakening, help me to be Honest with myself, and be with me as I take Action.
Jesus, I surrender my life to you, and I thank You for the work You’re
doing in my life! In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray. Amen.
- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/the-god-moment-that-changes-everything/#sthash.XnPHZ1Xq.dpufhh
“When
he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants
have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'” Luke 15:17 (NIV)
Not long ago, one of my daughters set my phone alarm tone to match
that of her favorite animal. It’s labeled “Horses Neighing.” It should
be called “Death by Stampede.” At 5:30 in the morning my alarm went off
and I shot straight up, wide-awake, a stampede charging through my
bedroom.
While changing it back to my standard alarm, I noticed a wide array
of other options. Some of the sounds wouldn’t do anything to get me up,
like the one labeled “Harp.” It trills a soft melody, and just listening
to it makes me sleepy.
The most effective alarm ringtone for me is labeled “Old Car Horn.”
Think in terms of a house alarm that you can hear on the other side of
the neighborhood. Now imagine that you are sleeping inside the speaker.
It’s highly effective. And the great thing is this alarm has a unique
backup system that’s almost fail proof – my wife.
But here’s what I’ve discovered: the effectiveness of any alarm is in
direct correlation to how much you don’t want to hear it. In other
words, until your desire not to hear the alarm outweighs your desire to
keep sleeping—you’re not going to wake up.
Similarly, a sudden awakening takes place when God finally gets our
attention. The alarm sounds, and this time we hear it. We immediately
become aware of our present circumstances and the reality that something
must change.
The Prodigal Son experienced this in Luke 15. After taking his
inheritance money from his father, wasting it and reduced to feeding
pigs, the Bible tells us the son,
“came to his senses …”
At this point the son sat straight up and suddenly realized what his
life had become. When he ran away, he’d never thought his journey would
have that ending. But now life had his attention, and he knew things had
to change.
Have you ever had a moment like this? The Holy Spirit opens your
eyes, and you see something that you had somehow missed before. You have
a startling realization that changes everything.
You realize you’ve been trying to live out the Christian life from
your own power and strength rather than out of the power of the Holy
Spirit.
You realize you weren’t actually following Jesus; you were just following a list of rules and rituals.
You realize you spent so much of your life wrestling with guilt and shame, because you thought being good enough would save you.
And then suddenly you realize a truth. That truth has always been
true, but for some reason, you just didn’t see it before. Like the
Prodigal Son, it was the right time and the right place, and finally
realization woke you up and brought you to your senses. AHA!
This is an “AHA” moment, and within the parable of the Prodigal Son, I
discovered there are three ingredients that are present in every AHA
experience.
1. A Sudden Awakening
2. Brutal Honesty
3. Immediate Action
If there is an awakening and honesty, but no action, then AHA doesn’t
happen. If there is awakening and action, but honesty is overlooked,
AHA will be short-lived.
But when God’s Word and the Holy Spirit bring these three things
together in your life, you will experience AHA—a God-given moment that
changes everything.
Today if you are finally hearing the alarm and realizing you are far
from your Heavenly Father, know you can turn to Him. Luke 15 shows us
that God is a loving Father who is merciful, gracious, and caring. No
matter how far we wander from God, He wants to do more than just help
us—He wants to save us. And it starts with AHA.
Dear Lord, help me to see the areas of my life that need transformation. Please give me a genuine Awakening, help me to be Honest with myself, and be with me as I take Action.
Jesus, I surrender my life to you, and I thank You for the work You’re
doing in my life! In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray. Amen.
- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/the-god-moment-that-changes-everything/#sthash.XnPHZ1Xq.dpuf