Category: Salvation – effects

In John 3:18 Jesus said “but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 8:42 Jesus said unto them,If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

I John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

So before we believe we are condemned to death and hell and are the children of the devil. This is because of sin.  Sin separates a person from God. As Paul says in Eph 2:1 and 5, we “were dead in trespasses and sins” and “having no hope, and without God in the world” (verse 12). But the good news is that God loved us so much that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us our sin.  In John 1:12 the Bible says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”   So when we receive Jesus, which means when we believe on Him, we are adopted and become the children of God.  As Paul says in Eph 1: 5-6, Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 1 John 3:1-2 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

One objection that some people raise to this is Acts 17.28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” Some people think that offspring here means children, and so think that all are children of God, believers and unbelievers. We can only find two Bible versions, the NASB and the Expanded Bible, which translate the word “children” here. But they are wrong – this would contradict all the verses we have just quoted, which make it very clear that not all are the children of God.  Not one other Bible version uses the word children. I have three Greek Bible dictionaries including Vines and Strongs and all of them agree its the Greek word “genos” and don’t even mention children as a translation of the word, as it does not mean children. Teknon or huios are the usual words for child not genos. Genos means race, in the sense that of verse 26, that he has made all people from one blood, there is one human race. Not that we are all children of God. We are all sinners and condemned, children of the devil until we believe.  Then we are adopted as children of God and receive eternal life.  What a wonderful simple gospel.

To those of us who believe, our old self is crucified with Christ (Rom 6:6, 2 Cor 5:17). For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain (Gal 2:19-21).

More to be written, come back later.

The Bible teaches that, contrary to what some of us have been taught in the past, in one sense we are already sanctified – 1 Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, 1 Co 6:11 but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.   Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Jude 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.

So we can see that a past sanctification is taught in Scripture.

In Jn 17:17 Jesus says “sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth“ –  Jesus is speaking here of his disciples being sanctified, not the world.  In 1 Cor 1:30, Eph 5:26, Paul says “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it” – so it is the church that is cleansed and sanctified, not the world. In 2 Tim 2:21 “If a man purge himself from these…he shall be sanctified” – this does not say the whole world will be sanctified, but those who purge themselves, clearly referring to believers. In Heb 10:10 “We are sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ” – who is the “we”? It is believers, not the whole world. In 1 Peter 1:2 “elect…through sanctification, unto obedience” – again this is to believers – the whole world is not the elect.  In 1 Thess 4:3 and 5:23 sanctification even seems to be a process, and this book again is not written to unbelievers but to believers.  Search the scriptures as much as you like, but you will not find any scriptures that say what GCI says, that the whole world was sanctified, which yet again is universalism. No, believers are sanctified, not the whole world.

The Bible is clear that because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, we are already made holy. For example, consider the following Scriptures:   Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. 1 Cor 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.  Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;   1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  1 Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:  Also note that it is only God who is holy – it is really only God dwelling in us that makes us holy.   Re 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy.

There are also other verses that imply a future or process of sanctification and becoming holy – see https://word.spiritbodysoul.com/sanctification-process.

Its interesting that the issue of whether sanctification was accomplished through what Jesus did on the cross and was available to the believer as soon as they believe or was a subsequent experience to salvation (a “second work of grace”) caused a huge split in the Azusa Street Revival. See for example http://www.revival-library.org/pensketches/am_pentecostals/durham.html
‘William Durham… began a preaching mission at the Upper Room Mission in Los Angeles but, despite his brilliant oratory and pulpit presence, the congregation ejected him over sanctification teaching of the “Finished Work.” This teaching repudiated the holiness doctrine of sanctification as a second work of grace and instead declared that everything a believer would ever need was included in the finished work of Christ on the cross. This repudiation of the Holiness doctrine of sanctification as a “second work of grace,” argued that the “finished work” of Christ on Calvary becomes available to the believer at the time of justification. The benefits of Calvary are therefore appropriated for sanctification over the entire period of the Christian’s life, rather than at a single subsequent moment, as was believed by most Pentecostals in Durham’s day. ‘

Justification means to be considered righteous.  Paul discusses “the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” in Rom 3:22; see also Phil 3:9. Those who are considered righteous (i.e. justified) are those who believe, and it is by faith.  “Abraham believed God, and this was accounted to him for righteousness” (Gal 3:6, see also Gen 15:6) – again, believers are accounted as righteous (i.e. justified).  “All that believe are justified” (Acts 13:39). In Ro 5:1 and Gal 3:24, Paul says we are “justified by faith”. In 1 Cor 6:11, Paul says “ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God” – this is addressed to the church (see 1 Cor 1:2), i.e. believers.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus has justified us and made us righteous (Rom 3:22-24, 4:6, 5:9, 6:18, Gal 2:16).  The book of Titus is a wonderful letter, in which Paul discusses how we are justified by the grace and mercy of God (2:11, 3:4, 7), the sacrifice of Christ (2:14).

Romans 5:1 says “being justified by faith, we….” So this verse says “we” i.e. those Paul was writing to, believers, and it also says that we are justified by faith.

Rom 5:18, which in its context means that justification is offered to all, not that all are justified, as is indicated in verse 19 which says “shall many be made righteous” – so many, not all are righteous.

Gal 2:16, says that we are justified by the faith of Christ.

In Rom 8:29-30 again those whom God foreknew, predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus and called, he justified and glorified.

In Rom 3:23-24 Paul says “all… being justified freely”, he does not say all are justified. In verse 26, just two verses after this, Paul says Jesus is the justifier of those who believe in Jesus.

Note that Believers, or those who have faith, are justified; unbelievers are not justified until they believe.

We were sinners but now we are washed, sanctified and justified (1 Cor 6:11).

It is a very important truth that we are dead to sin (Romans 6:2, 11) and made free from sin (Rom 6:7, 18) through the death of Christ on the cross, and, once born again we cannot repeatedly commit sin (1 John 3:9). This is because we (our “old man”) are crucified with Christ – see https://word.spiritbodysoul.com/old-self-crucified/. Through His death on the cross, Jesus has justified us and made us righteous, without works – see https://word.spiritbodysoul.com/justification/.  We are therefore not called sinners any more (Rom 5:8, 19, 1 Tim 1:9, 15), but righteous (Rom 5:19) and saints (throughout most books of the New Testament). There is no scripture that calls believers sinners (see http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/christiansinner.htm), but many scriptures that call believers saints. Note that in 1 Tim 1:15, Paul says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief”. This can simply be explained by saying that Paul was not now a chief sinner, but a chief saved one who had been a sinner. If he was saying he was still a sinner it would contradict everything else he ever wrote.

Who does this apply to? It was addressed to believers in Jesus, not to unbelievers, as can be seen from Rom 1:7 which makes it clear that the book of Romans is addressed to the “beloved of God, and called to be saints” and v.8 speaks of “your faith” and in v.13 calls them “brethren”. Clearly this means believers in Jesus, not to unbelievers. 1 John is written to “my little children”, clearly to believers in Jesus.  So it is very clear that when you believe, then you are made free from sin.

In Col 2:13 Paul says of Christ, “having forgiven you all trespasses”. Who is Paul referring to here? In v.5 he speaks of his readers’ “faith in Christ” and in v.12 “through faith in the operation of God”. So Paul is not saying the whole world is forgiven already, no, he is very clear that only those who have faith and believe are forgiven.  Eph 1:7: In Jesus Christ we have the forgiveness of sins – who is the “we”? This is answered in v.1: the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus. The Bible is very clear that forgiveness of sins applies to believers, and never says that all humanity is forgiven – which is universalism – see https://word.spiritbodysoul.com/three-views-of-salvation.

Forgiveness is possible because of what Jesus did on the cross – only by the shedding of blood is remission, cleansing or forgiveness of sin (Heb 9:22, 1 John 1:7).  Also this forgiveness is of course a free gift available to everyone in the world, as Jesus died to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). In Acts 3:19, again after the death and resurrection of Christ, Peter said “repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out”.  So forgiveness of sins occurs when we repent (turn away from sin unbelief and turn to God). In Acts 8:22 Peter said “repent of this thy wickedness, and pray God that perhaps the thought of thine heart be forgiven thee”.  It would be pointless for Peter to say these things if everyone were forgiven already.  Romans 3 makes it very clear that righteousness (v.21) and remission of sin (v.25) are “by faith in Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all those who believe” (v.22) and “through faith in His blood” (v.25). Jesus is the justifier (which involves forgiveness) not of everyone in the world, but “of him who believeth in Jesus” (v.26). In Rom 8:29-30 again those whom God foreknew, predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus and called, he justified and glorified. This clearly refers to those who believe and does not apply to unbelievers.  For more about repentance for believers see https://word.spiritbodysoul.com/repentance-process/.  In Col 2:13 Paul says “having forgiven you all trespasses”, but who is he talking to?  In v.5 he speaks of his readers’ “faith in Christ” and in v.12 “through faith in the operation of God”. So Paul is not saying the whole world is forgiven already, no, he is very clear that only those who have faith and believe are forgiven.  Eph 1:7: In Jesus Christ we have the forgiveness of sins – who is the “we”? This is answered in v.1: the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus. The Bible is very clear that forgiveness of sins applies to believers, and never says that all humanity is forgiven. See http://www.thirsty4truth.com/are-we-to-forgive-those-who-do-not-ask-for-forgiveness.html and http://www.heart-talks.com/forgiveness.html.

1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If all humanity were already forgiven and we don’t need to confess our sins, why would John say this? Confession of sins is necessary for us to be forgiven.  Otherwise everyone should just carry on sinning, as they are already forgiven.  But when the Holy Spirit comes in to us when we believe in Jesus Christ, He enables us to confess our sins. But the promise is there in the Bible that Jesus forgives those sins when we confess them, because of what He did on the cross.

Some people teach that there is no need to ask for forgiveness for sin, as Jesus has already shed His blood on the cross and therefore we are already forgiven.  This may sound reasonable, but those who teach this ignore what Jesus Himself taught in the “Lord’s prayer” in Luke 11:4 “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.” This again is similar to confession of sin, and the promise is in Scripture that God forgives us when we ask him to and confess our sin. For more information on this see http://www.letusreason.org/Biblexp246.htm. Take the case of healing, the Bible says “by his stripes we were healed” (1 Peter 2:24), which means that we were healed when Jesus died on the cross.  But we still need to pray for healing, or as Jesus said “heal the sick” (Mt 10:8, Luke 10:9) – we tell the sickness to be healed using the authority Jesus has given us! We don’t simply assume the sick are already healed and do nothing.  In the same way, we can say to God “forgive us our sins”, it is a declaration of what Jesus has done on the cross for us, God forgives our sins as we confess that we have sinned and ask for forgiveness.