When Salvation Is Received

Today I would like to just focus on a really integral passage of scripture that really brings home the truth about when a believer receives salvation. I had a discussion recently with someone who was told me that "the Bible says salvation is at the BEGINNING of your faith." When given a Bible and asked to read the passage I'm going to reference here, he said, "That doesn't change my mind one bit." Well, I was convinced of that alright, but when asked to find the scripture that backed up HIS claim, that was missing in action. But anyway, seeing that his viewpoint is the traditional Christian mindset on the matter, let's just look at what this passage of scripture does clearly show us: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (I Pet. 1:3-9). Now that is some potent truth there my friend, and a whole lot of it, so let's look at it a little closer. First off we see that the "hope" of believers is a "lively," or LIVING thing. In other words, the hope of the gospel is not a "take it by faith" thing, but rather something that is full of tangible, divine LIFE and POWER that transforms someone from a sinner into a truly sanctified and holy believer in the Lord Jesus. And the apostle Paul certainly agreed with this: "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made alive] us TOGETHER with Christ [who surely is alive and holy, and FEELS it]" (Eph. 2:5). Next we see that this hope of the gospel IS the eternal inheritance and immortality that is reserved for us in the heavenly realm. And in saying this, Peter lets us know exactly WHO this glorious inheritance IS reserved for, saying, "reserved in heaven for you, WHO are KEPT by the POWER of God..." So then those who are "kept by the power of God" are kept from what? Sin of course. Again, Paul agreed with this: "But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and KEEP you from EVIL" (II Thess. 3:3). And once more for good measure: "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: KEEP thyself PURE" (I Tim. 5:22). And to be sure HOW we are kept by the power of God, we should note that the power of God is only imparted by the baptism of the holy Ghost, which experience puts us literally "into Christ," whereby we literally "put on Chirst," WHO IS that Spirit" (Acts 1:8; I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; II Cor. 3:17). So without this blessed experience we are not even in the running, as the scripture also attests to: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). And if you are of the number who thinks that someone "receives" the Spirit before they are baptized with the Spirit, you are fighting a lost battle. That isn't in the Bible. Anywhere.

Next we see the salvation issue begin to be addressed: "Who are kept by the power of God UNTO SALVATION ready to be revealed in the LAST TIME." So it is clearly evident that Peter was saying that a born again believer had to remain KEPT from sin by the power of God in order to attain "unto salvation," which salvation has not yet been attained to. And Paul agreed with these things as well, telling the born again believers in Rome whom he wrote a letter to, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for NOW is our salvation NEARER than when we [first] BELIEVED" (Rom. 13:11). And again he clarified his revelation knowledge on the matter: "Therefore I endure all things for the ELECT'S sakes, that THEY MAY also OBTAIN the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (II Tim. 2:10). Note that he correlated salvation with "eternal glory." That is the key to understanding this truth about when a believer receives salvation. Remember above that Peter said the true believer is being "kept by the power of God UNTO SALVATION ready to be revealed in the last time." So what is it that we are being kept FOR that is going to be revealed in the last time? It's what he mentioned just before the previous statement: "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." In other words, salvation IS the immortality that is obtained by the faithful who die in holiness without sin, and are raised from the dead to meet Jesus at his second coming. And to these things Jesus certainly agreed: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same SHALL BE SAVED" (Mat. 24:12,13). The flip side of this saying is obviously that those who do NOT "endure unto the end" of their lives in the holiness of God's love, will NOT BE SAVED! They will not "obtain the SALVATION that is IN Christ Jesus with ETERNAL GLORY," as is referenced above. And our next item bears perfect witness to these words of Jesus from Matthew 24, as Peter explains that our faith must be tried as by fire, to the intent that we "might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Understanding that we can endure our trials faithfully and be made pure by them, or that we can fail them and fall off into sin; it is evident that our salvation depends on which way we DO deal with the tribulation and trials of our faith. And Peter confirms this powerfully by finishing this passage with the instruction that IF "we are found unto praise and honour and glory AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST [which is surely "the last time"]," THEN AT THAT TIME we will "receive the END OF OUR FATIH, even the SALVATION of [our] souls." So the summation is that first of all we must be baptized with the holy Ghost, which experience alone imparts the power of God, and which experience alone is the new birth; after which we must through that same divine life and power "purify [ourselves] even as he [Christ] is pure," and finish our course that way (Acts 1:8; I Cor. 12:13; II Cor. 5:17; I Jn. 3:2,3; Mat. 5:8; Mat. 24:13; Heb. 12:14; Heb. 4:1,11). Only by these irrefutable scriptural and spiritual terms can the true elect of God attain unto the resurrection of the dead, which resurrection IS the "one hope" of the gospel, which hope IS the salvation of our souls (Philip. 3:10-12; Eph. 4:4; Acts 24:15; I Thess. 5:8). Amen.