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Return to You and Your Beliefs Return to Wednesday Bible Study Series "You and Your Beliefs"—The Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology)—part 3 Review: In our last two studies…Two times ago… We considered that the Bible speaks of three aspects of salvation, three tenses… I. Past Tense Salvation: We were Saved from the Penalty of Sin. Key Verses: Eph 2:8; Lk 7:50; I Cor 1:18; II Tim 1:9 II. Present Tense Salvation: We are being Saved from the Power of Sin. Key Verses: Ph 2:12-13; II Th 2:13; II Cor 3:18 III. Future Tense Salvation: We will be Saved from the Presence of Sin. Key Verses: I Pt 1:5; Rom 8:23; Rom 13:11; I Jn 3:2 Last time… We began to explore different biblical terms used to describe what is involved in salvation. I originally planned to cover these words in one lesson, but since we ran out of time we will review quickly and then proceed to investigate several new words. The imagery I suggested last time was that of a banquet table. Imagine we are sitting at the table spread with the finest foods possible. We are moving from course to course enjoying the wonder of this feast. That’s what we are doing, as we sit down at the table spread with the menu of “salvation.” We are enjoying one by one the courses of this fine meal by looking into the Scriptures… I. God's Provision in Salvation God has provided... Atonement Calling Two aspects of God's call in Scripture...
1. General Call
2. Effective Call Regeneration Conversion Justification That’s where we left off last time. Let’s continue by looking at two more terms that explain what God has done for us in our salvation… New Material…Sanctification =the work of God in which He declares that a person is holy in character, and becomes progressively set apart from sin and for use in God’s service. Is sanctification a one time event or a process? All Christians have been sanctified, at the moment of regeneration. But all Christians are likewise being sanctified. We are being set apart daily from sin unto Christ. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to transform us into the image of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Discuss: What difference would it make if we continually thought about the fact that we are sanctified people? Glorification =the ultimate work of God in which the believer is eternally transformed into the likeness of the Son, never to be marked by sin again. When does glorification take place? In a very real sense, it already has in God's eyes (Rom 8:30). In terms of our experiences, it will occur when Christ returns (1 John 3:2). Perseverance =the practical outworking of the believer's legal standing God perseveres for the believer. He protects the child of God so that he will remain faithful in his commitment to Christ throughout his life. Phil 1:6 "He who began a good work in you will perform it..." John 10:28 "...no one can snatch them out of My hand..." Discuss: Why does God want His children to know they are secure in Christ? There are two sides to perseverance. God declares that we are eternally secure as His child. But know this... God expects the believer to persevere. Perseverance goes two ways… John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice…and they follow Me." Application: Once in awhile someone will come up to me and say, “Hey Pastor, I got saved last week at church!” What does the person mean? Is it appropriate to conclude that a person “got saved” just because they prayed the sinner’s prayer? What danger, if any, might be involved in using that statement? This is not merely semantics. Salvation is God’s work. God saves. I can claim to be saved all I want, but the fact is, either God has saved me or He hasn’t. What are the conditions of His saving work? The Bible tells us… Thus far we have primarily looked at salvation from God’s perspective. We have seen what God does in our salvation. What does the Bible teach about man’s role in salvation? II. Man's Response to God's Provision of Salvation Discuss: What are the conditions of salvation? What does the Bible say people must do if they are to be saved? Two conditions:
1. Repentance What is repentance? Matt 3:1-2 "...Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Luke 13:3 "I tell you...except you all repent, you shall all likewise perish." Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said, Repent and be baptized...in the name of Christ..." Repentance may involve emotion, but is not primarily an emotion. It's a choice whereby I admit my sinfulness in light of God's holiness, and choose to turn from my sin, unto Christ. It’s worth noting that repentance is a gift of God. See… Acts 5:31
“God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he
might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to
2. Faith John 1:12 "But as many as...believed on his name." Heb 11:6 "But w/o faith, it is impossible to please God...must believe that He is..." Rom 10:9, 10 "That if thou shalt confesss...and believe...shalt be saved." Rom 10:17 "So then, faith comes by hearing..." Faith, too, is a gift from God. Yes, we are responsible to believe/to exercise faith in Christ and His redemptive work, but this life-giving faith is a response that God in His grace provides. See: Eph 2:8-9 Application Questions: 1. What does the fact that the Bible uses so many different words to describe what’s involved in salvation teach us about God? 2. What happens if we develop a narrow view of salvation (in which we focus only on a few terms/verses that address our salvation rather than seeing the whole package)? 3. Think of something who has not experienced God’s salvation. What can you do to help them? [1]
These unedited notes were prepared for use in a Wednesday evening,
discussion-oriented Bible study at |