Salvation Ralph Vincent Reynolds 1. SALVATION: This great word, "SALVATION", is the theme of the whole Bible, and the theme of every gospel sermon. The great hymns of the church sing of the great salvation wrought by Jesus Christ. We would like to quote Schofield in his note on Romans 1:16  "The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes; as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification.” 2. SALVATION RECEIVED: In the last unit we studied God's part in providing salvation; in this unit we shall study man's part in receiving salvation. What God did for man in providing salvation is found in the four Gospels; what man has to do to receive this is found in the book of Acts. It took death, burial, and resurrection on the part of Christ to provide salvation; man has to be identified with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection to enter into full salvation. 3. SALVATION IS FROM JESUS CHRIST ALONE: (i) As soon as man sinned God announced His great plan of Salvation. (ii) Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), (Genisis 3:15). (iii) It is a gift from God (Romans 6:23). (iv) There is salvation in no other (Acts 4:12). 4. SALVATION IS OBTAINED BY GRACE AND NOT BY WORKS: (i) Not by law (Romans 10:2-4). (ii) Not by works (Ephesians 2:8-10). 5. SALVATION IS FOR THE WHOLE MAN: It is not merely forgiveness of sins and justification, but it includes cleansing, keeping, regeneration, bodily healing, future resurrection, and glorification. Salvation includes the following: (i) Jesus bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). (ii) Redemption of the body (Romans 8:19-23). (iii) Cure lifted from the earth (Isaiah 11:6-9). 6. SALVATION IS IN THREE TENSES: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE: (i) We have been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin. Ephesians 1:7 "In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Titus 3:5 "According to his mercy he saved us.” Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith. (ii) We are being saved from the habit, power, and dominion of sin. Romans 6:14" Sin shall not have dominion over you. " Phil. 2:12-13 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” 2 Cor. 3:18 "Are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” (iii) We are to be saved from the consequences of Sin. Romans 13:11 "Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” 1 Peter 1:5 "Unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Phil. 3:20-21 'Who shall change our vile body. The saints can look back into the past to a definite work of grace in their hearts and lives; at the same time they are experiencing a work of grace in their lives daily, and are looking forward to the rapture. Salvation as experienced in the life of man, is an act, a process, and a consummation. We have been saved, we are being saved, and we shall be saved. In reality no one is fully saved until the resurrection and glorification. 7. STEPS IN RECEIVING SALVATION: Full New Testament Salvation embraces all of the following steps and none of them can be deliberately and wilfully omitted: 8. Resurrection and Rapture. 7. Live a Holy Life, Holiness. 6. Receive the Holy Ghost. 5. Be baptized by immersion in the Name of Jesus. 4. Repent of sin, confession, restitution, etc. 3. Believe on Jesus Christ, Faith. 2. Be convicted of sin, realize the need of salvation. 1. Hear the Word of Life, the Gospel. When are we saved? We may understand the answer to this question by looking at the children of Israel. When were they saved? They were saved when the blood was applied to the door of their homes, and yet they were not yet saved. When we understand the true meaning of salvation, the length and breadth and the scope of this great experience, we will not make the mistake of pinpointing it to one single experience. 8. THREE ASPECTS OF SALVATION: (i) JUSTIFICATION: This is a judicial term bringing to our minds a courtroom scene. Man, guilty and condemned before God, is acquitted and declared righteous - but is, justified. (ii) REGENERATION AND ADOPTION: This suggests a household scene. The soul, dead in trespasses and in sins, needs a new life, which new life is imparted by a Divine act of regeneration. The person then becomes a child of God and a member of His household. (iii) SANCTIFICATION: This suggests a temple scene, for the word is connected primarily with the worship of God. Set right in relation to God's law and born again to a new life, the person is henceforth dedicated to the service of God. Bought with a price, he is no longer his own; he departs not from the temple (figuratively speaking) but serves God day and night (Luke 2:37). He is sanctified by God and self-given to God. All three of these terms describe the same experience of salvation and all begin with the hearing of the Gospel. They do not necessarily speak of different experiences but rather give us different pictures of the same great experience of being saved. All three of these blessings of grace were procured by the atoning death of Christ and imparted to man by the Holy Ghost. We deal with the first two of these aspects in this unit of study and sanctification in the following unit. Through justification - man is declared righteous. Through regeneration- man becomes a child of God, a member of the body of Christ, a member of the Kingdom of God. Through sanctification man becomes a saint. All of these are necessary for full New Testament Salvation. 9. SALVATION IS NEGLECTED AT A FEARFUL COST: There is only one plan of Salvation provided for us by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unbelief and rejection of Jesus Christ means the eternal loss of the soul of man in hell fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. References: Hebrews 2:1-4; Hebrews 10:28-29; 1 John 5:10; John 3:18-21. 10. THREE ELEMENTS IN SALVATION: John 5:8 "And there are three. that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. " There are three elements in salvation: Blood, Water, Spirit. These are associated together again and again in Scripture. They do not conflict one with the other but rather they agree in One. In the plan of salvation they are in Jesus Christ and made available to the sinner in the Name of Jesus. The importance of these three elements will be seen when we see how often they are in close association. BLOOD WATER SPIRIT At Creation Rev. 13:8 Gen. 1:2 Gen. 1:2 At the Flood Altar built Flood Dove (symbol) Passover Blood applied Red Sea Cloud Mt. Carmel Sacrifice 12 barrels Fire Tabernacle Altar Laver Holy Place To Nicodemus John 3:14 Water Spirit At Calvary John 19:34 John 19:34 Gave up the Ghost At Pentecost Acts 2:36 Baptism Holy Ghost Can we say that any one of these elements is not essential? Certainly not. If that be true, then each of them is important and does a definite work in salvation. Let us not say that any one of them can be left out. Also let us not say that one has received nothing when he has gone only part way and experienced only one of these elements. Let us remember that there are three and that they agree in one work of salvation. 11. THE SCRIPTURAL ORDER: Often the question is asked: "When is the blood applied?" In reply to this we must keep to the Scripture. What was the order at the Passover? In the Tabernacle? At Mt. Carmel? In each case it was blood, water, spirit. Naturally the blood cannot be applied literally. It is a matter of faith in the atonement. It is a FAITH UNTO OBEDIENCE that receives and appropriates the atoning virtue of the shed blood. It is the opinion of the writer that this becomes an experience at the Birth of the Word which compares with conception in the natural birth. Remember that the three: Blood, Water, Spirit are all in the Name of Jesus. 12. SALVATION IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH: (i) Day of Pentecost - Acts 2 - Repentance, Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, Gift of the Holy Ghost. (ii) Samaritans - Acts 8 - Believed the Gospel, Baptized in the Name of Lord Jesus, Holy Ghost. (iii) Cornelius Household - Acts 10 - Believed, Gift of the Holy Ghost, Baptized in the Name of the Lord. (iv) Saul of Tarsus - Acts 9 - Eyes opened, Baptized calling on the Name of the Lord, Holy Ghost. (v) Lydia - Acts 16 - Heart opened, Baptized. (vi) Philippian Jailer - Acts 16 - Believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, Baptized. (vii) Ephesians - Acts 19 - Repentance, Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Holy Ghost. We have not attempted a detailed study here of this subject, but we would urge each student of the Bible to carefully examine how the Apostolic Church received Salvation. The experience of the Apostolic Church is the experience of full New Testament Salvation. The above article, “Salvation,” was written by Ralph Vincent Reynolds. The article was excerpted from Reynolds book, Dividing the Word of Truth. The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.