When
someone says, “I am saved,” what is the biblical foundation for his or her statement? The apostle, Paul, had
written in Ephesians 2:5 & 8 the following:
(5)
“Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ (by grace you are saved);” and
(8)
“For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the grace of
God:”
{Notice: the Greek word for the word “saved” in the above
verses is “σεσοσμενοι”,
sesosmenoi, perfect, passive, nominative, plural, masculine. The word in context means “to bring within
the pale [or rights and limitations] of saving privilege.” The Analytical Greek Lexicon (and others)}. In other words, salvation (of the human
spirit) is a process. 1 Corinthians 15:1
& 2 CJB) teaches the reader: “Now, brothers, I must remind you of the Good
News which I proclaimed to you, and on which you received, and on which you
have taken your stand, and by which you are being saved – provided you keep
holding fast to the message I proclaimed to you. For if you don’t, your trust will have been
in vain.”
Paul
had taught that the Ephesian metropolitan church had been “saved” by an act of
God’s grace, combined with their faith or trust. So, what had they been saved from? Verse one teaches the reader that they had
been saved from “trespasses and sins,” which they had committed. Yes, their lives had been unproductive,
lawless and hopeless; which way-of-life they had traded for a fresh start. So they had been reconciled or made to have
peace with God through Jesus Christ, and their unfeigned or sincere faith in
him when they (in effect) raised their right hands in an oath in agreement to
the Father, saying, I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; I believe that God has
raised him from the dead.” This in
agreement with Romans 10:9, which reads, “that if you shall confess [Gk. “όμολογησης”,
homologeses, to speak an oath] with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall
believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be
saved.” Yes, they had become JUSTIFIED or
acquitted or accredited with righteousness; i.e. given a right standing or become
redeemed or given a fresh start; again, Colossians 2:14 reads: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against
us, which was contrary to us [; i.e. against us do to our failings concerning
the requirements of the regulations], and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross”…. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE
GIFT! This act of deliverance from their
past condition had been perfect (a complete past action with its results being
in full effect) and passive (; i.e. an act of God). Consider further, since they had been saved
from their past condition and had been given a fresh start, what was then their
responsibility? How were they then to
live? Certainly, a conversion from their
former life-style had been in order: they had lived according to the system of
the world – would they not, now, live according to the system of heaven? Cf. verses 2, 11 & 12 of ch. 2: 2 “My
purpose is that they may be encouraged, that they may be joined together in
love, and that they may have all the riches derived from being assured of
understanding and fully knowing God’s secret truth which is – the
Messiah.” 11 “Also it was in
union with him that you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human
hands, but accomplished by stripping away the old nature’s control over the
body. In this circumcision done by the
Messiah, 12 you were buried along with him by being immersed; and in
union with him, you were also raised up along with him by God’s faithfulness
that worked when he raised Yeshua [or Jesus] from the dead.”
The
heavenly system required, and does require, living a life of holiness: holiness
or SANCTIFICATION or consecration or devotion means conducting one’s life
according to a new system of works – which if persevered in, s/he would
experience the full reality of their salvation unto eternal life. Romans 11:22c reads, “…provided you maintain
yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you will be cut off! (CJB)” Now, we know
that no “unrighteous [person]…fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God
(1 Corinthians 6:9 & 10 KJV).”
A
person may certainly conclude that the above verse is complementary to God’s
moral law-word. Paul, in Romans 8:4,
teaches the reader that Jesus had died so that “the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us.” While a
person may be reconciled through faith, that same person is ultimately saved or
brought to the full realization of SALVATION through God’s system of (good)
works. So, s/he is required to live a
life of trusting faithfulness before the Lord in terms of his covenant conditions. Cf. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are of God’s
making created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions
already prepared by God for us to do.” (See, also: Philippians 3:9-16; 2 Corinthians
44:1; Exodus 39:42.)
A final
view: From an act of repentance a person is acquitted of past sins; hence, s/he
is at peace with God and given a new beginning to live righteously before him,
and that in terms of his law-word or code of law. In regeneration, a person works out his/her
salvation or runs the race or perseveres to the end. Through a life of trusting faithfulness,
justification and salvation become fully realized; moreover, eternal life is
awarded.
