Salvation: How It Is To Be Received: Part 1

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 

even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 

but have eternal life.

John 3:14-15

I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in he 

shall be saved, and shall go in and out, 

and find pasture

John 10:9

     I have been writing about Jesus Christ and that only He is the One sent to earth to pay our debt of sin and to be the propitiation for our sins paving the way for salvation. So, now, I turn my attention to salvation. There are two theological camps: 1. That God predetermined who would be saved and who would not be saved (Calvinism). 2. That man has the choice to be saved or not to be saved (Arminianism). I will only be writing about salvation. Let us get real and not spiritualize everything: WE WILL KNOW WITHOUT ANY DOUBT AS TO WHICH CAMP IS CORRECT IN THEIR THEOLOGY WHEN WE STAND BEFORE THE THRONE ON THE LAST DAY (Revelation 20:11-15). At the moment we have faith that we will be saved. How? The opening verses are very clear: WE MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR!

     God, Jehovah, as this was the word, the tetragrammaton, those four letters, we translate as Jehovah, the word used in Genesis 2, 3, and other verse throughout the Old Testament. We capitalize the word LORD instead of using Jehovah. I am not promoting Jehovah Witnesses, only to say Jehovah was first used in the times when God spoke and created the universe (Genesis 2:4-5; and example). So do not be afraid of the word Jehovah. The word Jehovah refers to the self-Existent or Eternal. This is the name given to His chosen people or covenanted people. 

    Let us begin here: It is to the Almighty, the Self-Existent or Eternal God that inherently belongs and absolute right, will, and power of determining us, no matter what theological camp you adhere. Let us also be clear: it is dangerous to adhere to one's own judgment and to do so with a stubborn or to be obstinante, unyielding and to regard your opinion of ourselves because we have little discernment in matters that concern ourselves. How can an finite person know the infinite? It can't unless the Infinite reveals to us something about the Infinite. If you are willing, nothing is difficult, more so when it is God, the Eternal One has promised, and this promise, or revelation as to His secrets (not some mystical secret, but secrets of Himself that we cannot know unless He reveals a secret, or gives to us knowledge of Himself and as to His will), and this revelation is clear, plain on those who: "But his delight is in the law of the LORD (Jehovah); and in His law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:2). Unless you are willing to read Scripture and meditate upon them how can you say that you delight in the law of God?

      God is ascribed in Scripture as Creator and also He is ascribed Providence. Man is said to be made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). To be made in the image of God has as its foundation that God is and has sovereign authority over man. God then, being having sovereign authority over that He created, especially that was created in His image has also the right of requiring worship and obedience. The fact that God is Providential then we see that we must ascribe to Him government of all things and as Scripture also ascribes that God is Holy, Just, Merciful, Gracious, Loving, and Wise then He has the right to exercise oversight of man and to those things which relate to Him, obedience, worship that man is required to render to God. Salvation then is only to be ascribed to God and the way that He provides salvation is according to His Wisdom, Justice, Mercy, Grace, and Love. This Way was by sending His Son, His Only Begotten Son to be the way to pay for sin. Sin entered into the world by Adam's free will (He chose himself over obedience to God), and by his free will choosing caused all men to be fallen (something fallen cannot itself upright itself: it requires more, from  outside its fallen state). Man then needed another man, outside of humanity, who is sinless and by His sinless self could reverse sin, that is death which sin caused upon men, and this by dying sinless. Adam fell at the hands of a fallen being: Lucifer. Jesus fell at the hands of ungodly men accusing Him of that which Jesus was not. This is what Scripture teaches and this we can plainly see in the Person whose life, and death, this work and will of God the Gospels sets forth. 

     Liberal Christianity differs from Authentic Christianity on this point as to salvation and this in regard to their presuppositions of the Gospel, that is, their view of God, and man. Therefore Liberal Christianity differs from the account of the Gospel itself presenting another way to salvation. They find it in man: Authentic Christianity finds it in God. 

     This difference of the views of salvation as to Calvinism, or Arminianism, begs answer for either Predestination, that is, man was chosen before time to be saved and has no choice in salvation, or that man does have a choice as whether or not to be saved. I must at this point remind that Scripture (Ephesians 2:8-9) reveals to us that man is not saved by his/her works. Does this then mean that to choose to believe is a work? We must address this but more than that we must address salvation as this is what I am writing about: SALVATION!

Because He hath set His love upon me,

     therefore will I deliver him: 

I will set him on high, because He 

   hath known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

    I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him,

and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him,

   and shew him My salvation.

                       Psalm 91:14-16

Choose Jehovah: His love is eternal

Richard L. Crumb