Re:
Gary B (12 Dec 2021) “We Have Not Yet Received Salvation”
WE
RECEIVED SALVATION THE MOMENT WE BELIEVED!
The Essentials of Faith:
Doctrine of Salvation
We received salvation the moment we
believed that Jesus is God’s Son Savior according to
Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10 and other Scriptures.
The promise is everlasting life in Christ. Our salvation is
based on Christ’s works alone. We are privileged to be
the recipients of no less than two mysteries, (1) Christ
indwelt, the hope of glory (filling of Holy Spirit now) and
(2) the mystery of the resurrection/catching out (bodily
glorification later). (Colossians 1:27; 1 Cor.
15:51-20) The fullness of God’s promises include this
indwelling of the Holy Spirit which has been deposited in
the believers an earnest promise of the redemption of the
body or bodily glorification as His appearing. Believe
it.
The Holy Spirit of Promise is the
Promise of Bodily Redemption:
Ephesians 1:7-14 (KJB) states:
7 In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto
us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure
which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to
the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to
the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
I believe you have incorrectly
interpreted verses 12 and 13 suggesting salvation will be
postponed until the rapture event. Read the
verse. “Ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise”. “that holy Spirit of promise” is
grammatically used as a proper name. The sealing is
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This sealing happens the
moment of belief. It is transformational. The
Holy Spirit indwells the believer in that instant.
In Verse 14 Paul tells us that this sealing is “the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption”. It
is the earnest deposit of the Holy Spirit pending redemption
of our bodies of sin. This redemption will occur at
the resurrection/rapture event when we will receive our
glorified body. (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:17)
The “Day of Salvation” is the Church
Age:
2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJB) states:
(For he saith, I have
heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation
have I succoured [helped] thee: behold, now is the
accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
[Emphasis added]
Paul is referencing
and interpreting Isaiah 49:8. The verse states:
Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee,
and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will
preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people,
to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate
heritages;
Paul makes a free
application from the verse. The “promise of Isaiah”
was made to Jesus, but Paul applies it to
sinners. In 2 Corinthians 6:1 Paul is speaking
to the saved and the lost in the Corinthian
congregation. Verse 1 addressed to the lost says, “I
hope you truly received the grace of God and are really
saved”. The same verse addressed to the saved says,
“I hope that you are saved, and that salvation is going to
motivate you to “work” for Christ. Notice that Paul
addresses his sermon to the “workers”. After
salvation we should become “workers with him”. Him
is Jesus, in us. Remember, Christ indwelt the hope
of glory. (Colossians 1:27) A worker in Christ is
described as a husbandman who keeps a vineyard (2 Timothy
2:6) and a builder who lays a foundation. (1 Cor.
3:10). Works are a response to the transformational
salvation where we desire to please God in service with
Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 2:6,
Paul is saying this current dispensation, the church age,
is the day of salvation. In this dispensation a
person is saved by grace through faith apart from works.
(2 Ephesians 8-9) Now, is the accepted time of 2
Corinthians 5:20-21. In other words, get saved now
while the grace of God is being freely offered.
The Promise of
Hebrews 10:36 is the Promised Second Advent of Christ
Hebrews 10:32-39
states:
32But call to remembrance the
former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye
endured a great fight of afflictions;
33 Partly, whilst ye
were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and
afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of
them that were so used.
34 For ye had compassion
of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your
goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a
better and an enduring substance.
35 Cast not away
therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of
reward.
36 For ye have need of
patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little
while (Note 1), and he that shall come will come,
and will not tarry (John 21:22).
38 Now the just shall
live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul
shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of
them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul.
The doctrinal context
of Hebrews 10 places it in Daniel’s 70th
week. We have textual clues to context.
We see works, enduring afflictions, in verse 33-36 even
though the reader is told “now the just shall live by
faith” in verse 38. Even though the reader is told
“the just shall live by faith”, he is also told that he
can “draw back” and when he draws back, he draws “back
into perdition” (verse 39). The Pauline epistles
NEVER say this about grace salvation based on faith alone
apart from works. So, this apparent contradiction
exists only if it is incorrectly doctrinally applied to
the current church age. This 36th verse is
contextually related to the book of Revelation where a
person will be saved by “keeping the commandments of God”
and have the “faith and testimony of Jesus”. (Revelation
12:17; 14:12) In Paul’s epistles, “no child of
God is lost” (Romans 8:31-39), ie. “drawn back into
perdition” no matter when, where, how, what, why or who he
draws back. (Romans 8:38; 1 Cor.1:7-8 and Phil 1:6) So, if
you claim that Hebrews 10:35-39 is Pauline, then it is not
the Pauline doctrines taught in Romans and Galatians!
The Scriptures DO NOT
place the word “rapture” in place of the word
“salvation”. They are not
interchangeable. God is very intentional about
His words. One of His proper names is WORD OF
GOD. One needs to exercise extreme care with His
words, especially since you and others are holding
yourselves out as teachers of Scripture. This is
serious business.
The
Resurrection/Rapture Event Is Not Described in
Revelation 12:10
Revelation 12:10
states:
“And
I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of
our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our
God day and night.”
Once again, the
doctrinal context of this verse places it in Daniel’s 70th
week. This is not the Church.
I offer you a bible
study challenge in regarding the salvation referenced in
Revelation 12:10. It will be very rewarding and
instructional. I want you to compare Zechariah
9:9 with Matthew 27:19. How are they the same
and how are they different? Make a
side-by-side list of similarities and differences.
After you have completed this important study, analyze
your results with Revelation 12:10 in the context of your
Zechariah/Matthew inquiry. Then, please share your
study with us.
Again, I encourage you
to buy Tim Morton’s book titled, “The Difference is in
the Dispensations” on Amazon. Its $2.99 on
Kindle. It’s a 100 pp. You need this
foundation in biblical doctrine to help you grow in your
understanding. Morton’s little book is the
condensed version of Clarence Larkin’s (1850-1924) seminal
work on the matters of dispensational truth.
https://www.amazon.com/Difference-Dispensations-Timothy-Morton/dp/B002EVSJO2
Sincerely, Greg Wilson
P.S. “Little
while” is a reference to the end of great tribulation and
the approaching Second Advent. (Isaiah 10:25;
Jeremiah 51:33; Haggai 2:6; John 7:33, 12:35, 13:33,
16:16-19; Hebrews 10:37) This is a clue to context.