An Introductory Study of Soteriology
"…So great a salvation" (Heb 2:3)

Here are what I believe to be the four most important biblically based questions in simplistically dealing with the subject and doctrine of salvation.

1.What does it mean to be saved?
2.What are you saved from and why?
3.How do we get saved/ what is it about the cross that saves us?
4.How do you know you are saved?

Paul wrote that he was not ashamed of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ because it was the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes (Rom 1:26). By necessity we then must touch on the gospel message to understand "being saved". Paul wrote elsewhere of the dangers of accepting a different gospel. Anyone accepting or propagating another gospel were "anathema", or doomed to eternal destruction, including himself if he changed his mind (Gal 1:6-9). This is not a subject which can be taken lightly. We cannot pick and choose which passages we like, discarding the rest. The matter being dealt with here is important.

While the following may be too much for some and not enough for others, what follows are nonetheless essentials which all Christians everywhere should agree upon if we are truly and biblically understanding salvation. It must be acknowledged that we cannot understand any part of a doctrine apart from the whole of God's council in his word. Therefore many other areas of doctrine will also be less heavily touched upon as they relate to this study of salvation.

1. What does it mean to be saved?

If you were on a street corner and a stranger walked up to you and said; "You need someone to come save you", what would your response be? It would possibly elicit one of the following;

• You would look around for danger,
• state "I'm not in any danger",
• ask "Why, what's going to happen?"
• put on a blank stare of disbelief at the one asking,
• maybe use your cell phone to call the local hospital psychiatric ward, because you think the stranger is just plain crazy.
• or maybe ask how to be saved

It is part of common Christian lingo to talk of salvation and getting saved, but to the modern world it elicits similar responses as above, especially in an increasingly secular and hostile world. The reality of it is we cannot speak of salvation unless we understand some sort of impending doom is on the horizon. In a physical or natural sense, everyday life can recognize when bus is coming down the street about to hit a child on a bike, and he is pushed out of the way by some man he never knew, it is considered an act of heroism; the man has saved the child from being hit by the bus. Somehow the church has got some sort of sense salvation is purely a mysterious or existential thing, and in the worlds eyes the reputation of being saved is even further still from the reality of what it signifies. Perhaps we have blended biblical teaching on salvation and regeneration. Though one can't exist independently of the other, they are not the same thing, and to confuse them also confuses everyone who hears of them.

To kick start our understanding, we must employ a foundational principle Jesus laid for us; if we can't understand simple natural things, how can we hope to understand the spiritual or heavenly things (Jn 3:12)? The first most important aspect of getting or being saved, I believe, should fall into this same reasoning. Born out in the scriptures, this is safe territory. It is so blatantly expressed that salvation means there is something on the horizon from which we need saving. It is a sad state of confusion that even this clear simple understanding of the bible is missed by some who read and study the bible. I know of others who are well meaning in not wanting God to seem like a tyrant, or are so concerned at being offensive or alienating those they wish to see saved, they will avoid or deny aspects of the gospel which make people uncomfortable. That is not truly being loving at all if they wish, as God also wills, all men everywhere to be saved (1Tim 2:1-4/ 2 Pete 3:9).

The simple truth of this matter is that there is the most serious danger in the distance. All humanity is in its scope. While God takes pleasure in the death of no man (Ez 18:32/33:11), all are consigned to utter despair and destruction in this inevitable judgment. Just as the boy was unknowingly in the pathway of the oncoming bus, so we are in the line of fire in infinitely greater intensity. I am not attempting to be overdramatic; this is the message of the bible, albeit toned down to natural human understanding. If we are to breach the subject of salvation, this is one the best starting places, understanding salvation starts with escaping grave danger. It is just as it means in any other realm of human experience and natural life. Realistically, it is not possible in any way for those who would wish to interpret the bible differently to make sense of scripture without the urgency of the judgment to come. That denies God's Holy character, and neglects the simple and necessary requirements to define being saved. Salvation assumes both a "saved from" and a "saved to" requirement, or else it cannot be a saving or rescuing at all.

2. What are you saved from?

The judgment to come…

So what is the bus? What is this impending doom upon the horizon? In no uncertain terms we are warned again and again in the bible that God must judge sins. Sin is defined as lawlessness, it is transgression or breaking of God's laws for proper conduct (1Jn3:4). We aren't simply referring to how many times someone hits the snooze button on the alarm clock before getting up in the morning, or some silly personal convention like that. What we are talking about is the perfect, indiscriminant, impartial, morally binding, and absolute law of interaction between man and God, and between man and man. The best summation of these is known as the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17). God has declared we are not to commit murder. We are not to steal from one another. We are not to commit adultery. We are not to have anything as God in our lives before Him.

These are just a few of the ten, but with these alone every man stands convicted before God as guilty. Jesus defined sin as something that is more than just an action. In the case of murder, he stated; "you have heard it said do not commit murder, but I say whoever is angry with another without a just cause is in danger of hell"(Mat5:21-22). Speaking of adultery He taught; "you have heard it said of old that you shall not commit adultery, but I say if you look at another with lust in your heart for them you have already committed adultery your heart" (Mat 5:27-28). Sin isn't just the action; sin is what's inside our hearts and minds as we even think about doing those things. We are told we must ultimately love God first with everything we have; our mind, our heart, our souls and passion, and our strength (Mk 12:30-31). Every time we love something else more than we love God we have already made for ourselves idols to worship instead our worshiping God our creator. We must also love our neighbors as ourselves. I'm certain it doesn't need to be asked if we have unconditionally and self-sacrificially wanted the best for our neighbors at all times.

Are these moral standards of measurement too high? Yes and no depending on which side of them we are to stand. On the side which humanity stands, they are an impossible test to pass. Every person who ever has, does, and will exist is guilty before such a standard; in that sense it is too high. However, let us also look at it from the perspective of God. He set the standard. It is directly in line with His nature and character. God is so morally perfect that the standard is declared by Him, not instituted because of Him. In that essence it is not too high. These laws are a teacher meant to reveal something about God to us, and about ourselves to ourselves (Gal 3:24). If we break even one of His laws once only, we are guilty of being on the wrong side of the totality of His law (Jam 2:10). There is no way out. Every person in the history of the world except Jesus is on the wrong side of the law, and is guilty. That should be the final conclusion of anyone reading the entirety of the bible.

The temptation may be there to remedy the situation by denying either the validity of the law or its absolute nature. Logically speaking, neither of these situations will prove worthy as a remedy. Firstly, it is knit into the fabric of humanity's make up that we all know and understand we are not perfect. On a moral level, no-one can honestly claim they believe themselves or anyone else are perfect. In lieu of that reality, we all try to excuse ourselves by marking our superiority comparatively. Both these scenarios result in logical difficulties. To start, how can we know we aren't perfect unless we have some sense of what perfection is? No one is perfect, so we don't have an apparent standard to appeal to for reference. In like manner we always end up comparing ourselves with someone we know to be more immoral than ourselves, but even Hitler loved his mother. No one walks around saying "I am of all people most miserable, I haven't helped as many people as Mother Theresa!" Both situations argue with simplicity the conscience, or knowledge of good and evil, and of an absolute standard we must use to measure ourselves against. We all have inherently the implanted knowledge or conscience which leaves all men without excuse before the Holy God Who created us (Rom 2:15). There is no way out and no place to hide. If we attempt to minimize the true value of His Holiness (in this case I mean His moral perfection) or that of the severity of His law, we may decide to declare or believe God a tyrant. That is only true if and when we make this minimalization. The reality is that it is a much more serious state of affairs than any would like to acknowledge.

If everyone is guilty, where then does that leave us? A blatantly guilty man in a court of law has only two choices, deny it and hope against hope, or confess his guilt, as the consequences are completely unavoidable. The end result is the same for each choice in the face of the Judge who is all knowing and has no legal loopholes. We must make restitution, and in this case God's morality is so important that the punishment is death and eternal separation from Him. It is what the guilty has earned as a wage from the work we have completed (Rom 6:23). It is not so severe a punishment as it is a superior affront to His Holiness. With God, His justice demands the punishment fit the crime. The value is not in the degree of transgression, but in the priceless value of His law. When each component of every individual's humanity is tainted by sin, we will inevitable think in terms of the degree of guilt instead of the value and goodness of the law we have broken.

In the primary sense of salvation, the impending doom looming on the horizon is judgment from which all men everywhere need saving. In this, the bible is clear beyond contestation;

• "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness"(Rom 1:18)
• "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience…"(Col 3:5-6)
• "For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."(1Th 1:9-10)
• "since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."(2Th 1:6-8)
• "For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead."(1Pe 4:3-5)
• "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment…" (2Pe 2:4-9)

In summary, salvation automatically points to disaster in the future of which we need help in escaping or avoiding. Biblically, all men stand condemned, convicted and guilty, and under sentence for our breaking of the law as set forth by the unlimited and eternal lawmaker, God. We are born this way. We do not teach our children to rebel, lie, and steal. It is a ridiculous notion to suggest otherwise. All mankind is under this curse of sin, subject to it from birth, being controlled by this invisible taskmaster to do it's will. Every time we act sinfully, we are showing the evidence of sin's power much like the leaf which blows in the wind; the wind cannot be seen but its power is manifest by the movements it makes on its surroundings. The difference is that this sinful nature is like a cancer which has eaten our souls, killed them, and left us all in danger of suffering this way for eternity.

The great estrangement…

With the danger in the distance made visible, we rightfully should be asking if there is any hope. How can this catastrophe be avoided or averted? Before we can answer we must first explore more of the consequences of sin. Aside from bringing judgment upon ourselves, the bible states we have become estranged from our creator. We are positionally in direct opposition to God as a result of our sinfulness and in contrast to His absolute holiness (Rom 5:10; while written to believers, this demonstrates this as the pre-saved state of all mankind).

God is love (1Jn 4:8). While many chose that to be their focus in following God, it is a completely flawed starting point. To know Him we cannot start first with His love, for He is equally infinite in justice, as well as mercy, as well as hatred. Two scenes in the bible bear this out. In these passages we can see angels worshipping at the throne of God (Is 6:1-4/ Rev 4:6-8). They do not cease to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord" before that throne. To those honing in on God's love, this is a significant truth which should realign a proper angle of focus. Repetition is a form of adding emphasis in Jewish writing such as the bible. The fact that "Holy" is the only attribute of God sung in worship repetitiously before the throne should grab our attention. More significant than that is who is singing it; it is the angels who have not known imperfection and immorality as we humans have. Morally perfect beings can sing no other than of His holiness, how more so we who have been infected with immorality should be singing the same in light of the infinite greater contrast?

The bible does not state anywhere another attribute of God repetitiously, nor do the angels sing and extol any other virtue of God. The bearing this has in understanding salvation is very significant. When I was in school we did and experiment in science class to teach about the surface tension of liquids. Though I couldn't remember the point of the lesson, the experiment has always stuck with me. We took a tray of water and peppered it, forming a cover layer on the water. We each then had to take a small dab of dish soap and drop it into the tray. The result was the soap broke the surface tension of the water and the pepper literally fled from the point of entry of the soap to the furthest position of the walls of the tray. To this day I still enjoy redoing the experiment over again when doing dishes. In view of God's holiness, because of our sin we are the same as the pepper. God is so pure morally, and so entirely "other" than anything in the created order, that sin cannot exist in His presence. No matter what effort we exert, we could do no other than disintegrate in His presence since the sin in us has so infected every component of each individual's humanity and makeup.

The direct result is we have become estranged from the One who created us. Our sin has made it impossible to re-enter a relationship with God, and because of our rebellion to His rule of the universe, we are the enemy of God. By this I mean that we are in a duel, and man is not the only one with the pistol. Scripturally, the better analogy is we are both holding a pistol, and even if we attempt to put ours down, there is still a pistol pointed at us. There is enmity between us and God which must be dealt with. We need reconciliation. Both parties need a peace agreement, and that can only happen if our sin debt is paid for in blood.

Consider the following passages;

• "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one." (Psa 53:1-3/ also Rom 3:10-18)
• "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom 5:12)
• "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things." (Php 3:18-19)
• "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21)
• "And you… alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works" (Col 1:21)
• "Do you not know that fondness of the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (Jam 4:4)
• "...and without shedding of blood there is no remission." (Heb 9:22)

3. How do we get saved?

Dealing with sin...

If "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), and "all have sinned" (Rom 3:23), than all men are under that penalty. God is just, and is justified in paying us the wage of our labors. It is not the work of tyranny for Him to do so. With the stage being set as such, how is it possible man could ever be saved if we all earn that same wage? Man holds no ability or authority to justify himself or someone else for their wickedness before God. The reason is simple; we didn't make the laws. Furthermore, we don't own anything in this. We didn't create this universe, God did, and therefore He is the one who owns it. It is for this reason He has the authority to set the rules and pass judgment for transgressing them. He is zealous for justice. Man on the other hand will always try to discredit or rid ourselves of our accusers. That is the result of our sinful and self preservation instincts. If we can benefit from forming alliances with like wickedness against our accusers, we will do so. We crave expedient exoneration, but it doesn't exist! The only way for the Judge to be satisfied is for the debt incurred by the guilty to be paid. In God's court, the payment being death, no one can justify another because we all have our own sin debt to pay. I have one life. The debt for two sinners is two lives. The math will never add up so one guilty man can pay two debts. Add the following consideration…

"He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD" (Pro 17:15).

Think about this for a second...God sees all who justify wickedness and all who condemn innocence as an abomination. He says in Isaiah "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"(Is 5:20). The all knowing God has left no room for any sort of loophole for man to manipulate such as we in our human laws have. The sentencing has been passed, and all must now await the day it will be carried out. Man individually and collectively is powerless to help themselves. If you feel this way as you read, you are in the perfect position to understand and receive God's salvation.

God in His holiness is not only infinitely just, He is also infinitely merciful. In this way, God's holiness can sometimes be understood as the collection of his infinite attributes. In His holy and perfect justice He must condemn sin, but in His infinite mercy He must offer a way out to save us. There is only one way we can receive mercy and justice all at the same time. This is the crux of the Gospel, that God did all the work, purely by Himself to save us.

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins…" (Heb 1:1-3).

Jesus was fully God, yet He stepped into His creation and clothed Himself in frail humanity, becoming both fully God and fully man. It is His sinless humanity through the virgin birth (Heb 4:15/ Mat 1:18-25) which qualifies Him to atone for someone else's sin debt. When Jesus died on the cross, He made Himself that sacrifice to atone for the debt man owed for sin (2Cor5:21). It is His infiniteness as God in the flesh which allows for His atoning sacrifice for all sin to be acceptable on behalf of all men everywhere by His Father. The math adds up. He had no debt to pay, but since He was the sinless author of life (Jn 14:6), He could easily take the place of all whose lives hang in the balance. What is more baffling, Jesus chose to willingly do so on our behalf. He gave His life as a ransom for ours (Mat 20:28/1Tim 2:5-6/ Jn 10:17). We cannot earn our way to heaven, it is impossible for us to accomplish that task. God did it all by Himself, and for Himself. As such, Jesus became the substitute.

Dealing with the great estrangement...

With the sin debt paid for in full, Jesus has also positioned Himself as the great mediator (Gal 3:19-20/ 1 Tim 2:5/ Heb 9:15 and 12:24). With the sin debt paid for in full, that which caused the enmity and estrangement between God and man is also removed. We need no longer be enemies.

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Rom 5:6 -11)

Jesus paved the way for reconciliation. In the Greek language, reconciled (Katalasso) means to mutually change. Both parties of the reconciliation have changed direction toward each other. It includes both parties in this movement. As the previous passage tells us, this is how God demonstrated His love toward us; God satisfied His own Holiness (by this I mean His perfect Justice), so that He might then demonstrate His love. His holiness precedes His love, and His love is encompassed in His holiness.

Pertaining to this reconciliation, consider these passages;

• "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" (Eph 5:5-8)
• "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col 1:17-23)
• "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." (Eph 2:14-18- He brings reconciliation to all as a result of reconciling us to Himself first. See also Gal 3:26-28)
• "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Php 3:17-20)

  So what's the catch?

  In the most real sense, forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God is absolutely free. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:23). This is a gift because there is nothing we can ever do to earn His salvation (Eph 2:8-10/ Gal 2:16/ Gal 3:22). As we have already seen, we were powerless to do so, and we remain ever powerless to do so. However, there is an equally real sense in which this free gift will cost us everything.

  • But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." (Rom 10:8-11)
  • "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Eph 2:8-9)
  • "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (Jn 3:16 -17)
  • He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." (Jn 1:10-12)
  • But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1Jn 1:7-10)

  Salvation is a free offer for all mankind, but it is not all mankind who qualify for the offer. This gift of salvation only applies for those who trust solely completely in Him. The cross and blood of Christ only effectually removes the enmity of the sin debt for them who believe. The bible is quite clear about this fact. The unchanging message of the gospel as revealed by God has always been this; it is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, that we are saved. Subsequently, this faith, or belief, demands certain things of us. True belief demands confession of and repentance, or an 180 degree turn around, from our sin. This is evident in many of the sermons the apostles preached;

  • "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Act 3:16-19)
  • "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Act 17:26-31)
  • "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Act 20:19-21)
  • "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance." (Act 26:19-20)

  The writer of Hebrews describes repentance and faith as foundational elements in understanding the gospel (Heb 6:1). This is the very reason why Jesus came to the earth (Mat 9:13/ 1Tim 1:15). God wants all mankind to come and be reconciled to Him, but faith and repentance must first take place (2Pe 3:9/ 2Cor 7:10). It costs us nothing to become partakers of the grace and mercy of God. We cannot earn it, and we cannot purchase it, but humbling ourselves before God and admitting our sinful state to Him requires we completely abandon our pride. For most of mankind, that is a price we are unwilling to pay. It is extremely difficult and painful to admit we are powerless, bend our knees, and then throw ourselves to the complete mercy of God. It is hard to do, but it is unavoidable if we are to be saved. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Pro 3:34/ Jas 4:6)". He will save the humble people, but His eyes are on the proud, and He will bring them down (Ps 147:6/ 2 Sam22:28). That is the difficult burden to bear if we are to be saved. The old church hymn will forever ring true; "nothing in my hands I bring, solely to the cross I cling".

  Salvation from the present age…

  For them that humble themselves and believe, the atoning substitutionary death of Jesus deals once for all with the consequences of sin. The imminent danger has been allayed, or deflected off of the believer, but it is necessary to take a brief back step to complete our understanding of salvation. There is the future and imminent danger, but there is also a factor from which we need immediate salvation as well. Until now the bulk of our focus has been solely on the consequences, but we must also consider the following;

  "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Gal 1:3-5)

  Remember that every time we act sinfully, we are showing the evidence of sin's power much like the leaf which blows in the wind; the wind cannot be seen but its power is manifest by the movements it makes on its surroundings. Before anyone is saved from the wrath to come, they are enemies of God in their minds, hearts, and works (Tit 1:15/ Col 1:21/ Eph 2:3/ Rom 8:7). According to the understanding Jesus brought forward of sin (in Matt 5 for example), every part of the human make up has been tainted by the infectiousness of sin. Sin isn't merely the outward action, but it starts in the realm of the invisible, in the heart and mind. Therefore, even if the consequences of sin have been dealt with, the disease must still be removed from us, or we will not be able to enter the presence of Holy God in all eternity. A brief reference check from the bible explains the present deliverance, or salvation, as one of liberation from slavery under Satan and freedom from the power sin wields over us;

  • He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:13-14)
  • "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." (2Ti 2:24-26)
  • Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will no longer be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (1Co 6:9-13)
  • But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' (This is Jesus speaking to Paul, Act 26:16-18)
  • "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Eph 1:15-21)
  • "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1Pe 1:3-5)
  • "…receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (1Pe 1:9)

  Doctrinally speaking, salvation is more completely explained in the four following phrases; "we are saved" from slavery to sin and being party to Satan's kingdom; "we are going to be saved" from the future judgment as promised by God who cannot lie, which means it is as good as received; "we are saved from" the power of sin, meaning we are now controlled by His Holy Spirit; "we are saved to" God and are now under His headship as children of His kingdom. This is the understanding the bible gives us. Positionally we have already taken our seat in the heavenly realms with Jesus Christ (Eph 1:3/ 2:4-9). Practically, we are still on this planet living out our days and serving Him until we can actually fulfill our place (Rom 8:16-17/ 2 Tim 4:18). Lastly, salvation is revealed in the statement "we are being saved", which we will be dealing with shortly.

  4. How do you know, and can you be sure?

  At this point it should be evident the bible teaches unapologetically that Jesus is the only way to heaven, just as He and the apostles claimed (Jn 14:6/ Act 4:12), and is all sufficient in the matter of salvation. He is able. He has done all the work, once for all time, for Himself and by Himself (Heb 1:3/ 10:12). Jesus alone has been given authority to forgive sins and over everything else (Acts 5:30-31). Whether we do so in this life when we can make benefit of it, or if we do it in the afterlife when it is too late, every knee will bow in awesome worship to Him for the work He has done (Ph 2:9-11). Our only hope is to fix our eyes upon Him, the author of our faith, our great high priest, our intercessor, and our mediator who has been raised from the dead and is sitting at the right hand on the throne of God (Rom 8:34/ Eph 1:19-20/ Col 3:1/ Heb 12:2). We can know this is all true because the gospel does not end at His sacrificial death. God raised Him, bodily from the dead (1 Cor 15:1-4/ 12-17), and His resurrection testifies these important details to us;

  1. Christ's sacrifice was accepted, thus declaring our sins are forgiven (Rom 4:25/ Col 1:23).
  2. We are assured of the hope of our resurrection to eternal life (Rom 8:11/ Col 1:5+23/ 2Ti 1:10).
  3. We have an affirmation that God will judge the whole earth at His coming. (Act 17:31/ Rom 2:16).
  4. We are assured the enemy is defeated (Rom 6:9).
  5. We have proof of the reliability of God's word (Act 2:31).
  6. Jesus is declared by the resurrection to be the son of God (Rom 1:4).

  With so great a testimony from scripture, the complete and finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross is a certainty. We must now turn our attention to question the certainty of our own salvation. The answer greatly effects the practical outworking of our Christianity. Jesus' last command was to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Mat 28:19-20) . It is no use trying to bring about obedience to the directives of scripture in the life of those who are still enemies of God. Likewise it also lacks wisdom to move beyond the doctrinal essentials (Heb 6:1-2) if we can't be sure of some ones else's salvation. If we can't be sure, living it is of no use; if we can't be sure of another, it is eternally irresponsible to move beyond the gospel every time we were gathered together. In both cases, we would either produce religious Pharisees, or we would stalemate the spiritual maturing process.

  It is definite that some will be saved (Heb 1:14). Remember John wrote; "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (Jn 20:30-31).The first issue then, is does the bible teach we can be sure for ourselves and for others? It seems definite according to the example the apostles left us. Paul, in writing to Timothy close to the end of his life, was certain;

  • "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2Ti 4:6-8)
  • "Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Php 4:1-4)

  Paul also called both Timothy and Titus his true children in the faith (1Tim 1:2, Tit 1:4). We must either charge Paul with prideful error, or admit there is certainty in our salvation. It was a matter of complete confidence to the writer of Hebrews (6:9). John wrote specifically to give that assurance; "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God" (1Jn 5:13). The Holy Spirit assures us of these things, He Himself having been given to us as a guarantee (2 Cor 1:20-22/ 5:1-5/ Eph 1:11-4/ 4:30);

  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (Jn 1:12); "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Rom 8:14-16)

  It is every intention of God to give His children the confidence in Christ of their eternal wellbeing. The promises of God are sure. He is not like any man; He cannot lie. The comforting assurance of our salvation is the plain teaching of the bible, and strongly asserts the certainty of the promise, we should do no other than to interpret the whole of scripture using the clear passages to understand the less clear passages.

  The initiation and regeneration…

  We have now moved from what, through the why, and to the how of salvation. We have dealt simply with how concrete that salvation is through the complete and sufficient atoning work of Jesus Christ alone, through faith alone, and by grace alone. The issue of how concretely we can know we are saved has clearly been shown through the revelation of God's word. We must "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" and we shall be saved (Acts 16:31); simple enough?

  Throughout this study, however, we have been using John 3:12 as one of our underlying guidelines. Jesus said "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" We must not neglect what Jesus said of the work of the Holy Spirit in each man's salvation; "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (Jn 16:7-8). Though it might not be comforting to acknowledge, the entire work of salvation was and must first be initiated by God. It was Jesus who, while we were still sinners, died for us (Rom 5:8). Jesus first loved us before we loved Him (1 Jn 4:19). No one could go to Jesus unless the Father drew them (Jn 6:44). That God desired and initiated the plan of salvation is expressed most undeniably in that Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4/ 1Pe 1:20). I'm not suggesting we deny or ignore man's responsibility, but neither can we ignore God's initiation. Although God preappointed the places and times we live so we might seek Him (Act 17: 25-27), the reality is no one ever does (Rom 3:10-11). Mankind does not want to come to God because we love our sin (Jn 3:19-21), and we don't want it to be exposed. Unless God was the initiator, no one would get saved. Simply stated, from the start, salvation is a spiritual work, from beginning to end. It is the spiritual aspect of salvation we must turn our attention to.

  The next step in the spiritual work of salvation is perhaps one of the more significant details of Christianity which makes it unique, and sets it apart from all of the world's religions. When we repent and confess to God, the bible states we have become new creations (2Cor 5:17); in our spirits we are no longer dead because of sin. It is in some ways a further extension of being saved from this present evil age, or the freedom we receive from the power of sin. It is referred to in the bible as being born again (John 3:3/ 1Pe 1:23), and being regenerated and/or renewed (Tit 3:5/ Rom 12:12). The initial elements of salvation we've dealt with are easier to understand on an earthly level, but this aspect of salvation is spiritually discerned and understood (Jn 3:8). Drawing from the analogy of the wind, just as inherent sin can be readily made understood by seeing its effects, likewise the effects of being spiritually reborn should also be seen in every day life, albeit in increasing measure according to the spiritual maturity of the Christian. The appetite for selfishness dies when we become converted. The love of sin is turned to hatred. The visible habits of sin begin to shrink in increasing measure. In our minds we are no longer enemies of God by evil works (Col 1:21-22/ 2 Tim 1:7).

  • "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." (2Co 5:17- 18)
  • "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Tit 3:4-7)
  • "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life." (1Ti 1:12-16)
  • "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph 4:17 -24)

  Mans responsibility in regeneration…

  Because the work of salvation is spiritual, it is not an excuse for laziness on the part of the Christian. In every salvation there is the role of Gods sovereignty, and there is mans responsibility. God initiates all of it, but man must choose to believe. Those who have been converted have the appetites for sin changed within them, but if there is no work done on the part of the Christian (read Rom 6), then the question must be asked whether or not repentance has truly been understood. Scripture is replete with passages about striving against sin and persevering through hardship;

  • "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom 12:1 -2, this is the renewing which takes place at conversion. It is not a verb in this context.)
  • "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph 4:17 -24)
  • Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him." (Col 3:5-10)
  • And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." (Heb 6:11-15)
  • "This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2Ti 2:11-15)

  In light of man's responsibility, the last order of business in dealing with salvation by faith is to ask; "how can we be sure that we believe?" Paul, in writing to the Corinthian church, posed this question; "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you are disqualified" (2Co 13:5). It might not seem like it's such an important detail, but Jesus taught; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven…" (Mat 7:21). Jesus was Jewish, and in this passage He was speaking to a Jewish audience who understood repetition as a form of emphasis. In that light, those in Christ's story truly believed they were His followers, yet they weren't. John also wrote his first epistle so we could test ourselves and have our salvation confirmed (1 Jn 5:13). Just confessing our belief is not enough, we must actually believe. In believing we are converted, and we are given the strength to endure and strive for the salvation we have been given. The growing marked difference in our lives from that point should evidence that belief. Paul wrote to the Galatian church;

  "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Gal 5:16-25)

  Note the way this passage was written. The sinful deeds are works, they are our doing. The fruit is something which God grows in us. God is Holy, and does not tempt, nor can be tempted with sin (Jam 1:13).We as mankind can act, but in growth, such as fruit, it is contingent on God who brings the increase. We can have a helping hand in how fruit grows, but all the genetic potential was originally planted there by God in creation. Likewise in this passage, man has a responsibility before God, but can take no credit for the good, because it is God who works in his children to do good, and for His good pleasure (Phl 2:13). The test in this is whether or not in increasing measure we are given over to these fruits of the spirit as a style of life. I'm not suggesting we are perfect; there are times when we will continue to miss the mark. As a whole, though, when we examine ourselves to see if we really believe, do we as a style of life walk as Jesus walked?

  Here are some tests we can find in John's first epistle to check our believing against;

  1. As a believer, do we have a special love and relationship with the people of God? The early church lived as though they were family, closer than blood relatives. Do our lives fit this picture? Christians should be incapable of hating one another, but we should walk in love. If we do, our fellowship is truly with the Son, and the Father (1:3-7/ 2:7-11/ 3:14/ 3:16-17/4:20-21).
  2. Do we habitually walk in a sinful lifestyle, or do we have a new relationship with sin since the day we think we first believed? We may still sin, but are we growing in Holiness continually? At this time, do you look back and see progressive growth in the area of Holiness since that time? Can we sin and continually not feel guilt or godly sorrow which leads to repentance? Jesus will forgive us, absolutely, if we sin, but Christians do not use that as license to sometimes let things slide (1:8-2:2/ 3:4-9).
  3. Do we, as a style of life, obey His commandments? Do we make a practice of living righteously? Are we going beyond the call of duty to walk as Jesus walked? The image this language portrays is that of a child who is following his father through the snow. The child will step in the same foot holes the father does, but because his strides are shorter, the child is not always successful. That is the walk of a Christian, after Jesus (2:3-6/ 2:28-29/ 3:7/ 3:10).
  4. Do we still have a deep love and affection for the things of the world? How tightly do we hold our material possessions? Can we be entertained by the same filth that most non-Christians enjoy, and derive the same pleasure from it? Do we worry about our popularity? This is a tough teaching, but are we more concerned about our comfort than suffering for being a Christian? Christians don't hide in a tent in the bush, but we should have the attitude that this is not our home, we are just passing through (2:15-17/ 3:16-17).
  5. Do we confess Jesus Christ for who He really is, God in the flesh, born of a virgin, bodily raised from the dead? It is true that not all our doctrine needs to be perfect to be a Christian. If it did than no one would be going to heaven. When it comes to Jesus, that point of doctrine we must get right (2:18-27/ 4:1-3/ 4:12-15).
  6. Do we have a deep longing and anticipation to be with Jesus, looking forward to being with Him in heaven? The hope of being with Him impacts the daily life of a Christian (3:2).

  There are two more tests which need to be added to this list. It is assumed in John's first epistle that there is a new relationship with the word of God. If we don't love the word, than we would never read these tests, and therefore how could we or why would we ever care to test ourselves? The second test is the degree to which we share our faith with others. It is inclusive in the text for two reasons; the first is because people of love do not casually let other people go to hell, and the second is the confessions about Jesus must be understood as speaking the truth of Jesus out loud and voluntarily. Between you and God alone, how do you measure up?

  "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God." (1Jn 3:20-21)

  On a personal note… the conclusion

  I find it interesting that the bible nowhere tells us we are saved from our sins directly. That's because our sins were never after us. They already have complete power over man when He is not set free by God through Jesus. God saves us from Himself and from His wrath. It was God who was after us, and continues to be after those who refuse to humble themselves before His holiness. It is most important that I mention this in my final notes because I want to leave this last thought fresh in our minds in closing. When Jesus hung on the cross, it was not the beatings or the piercings which He endured that have purchased our redemption. It was His blood, His death in our place. What is profound and difficult to understand on a theological level is that in shedding His blood upon the cross, He bore the full wrath of God upon Himself. The wrath of God was satisfied upon Jesus as He hung in our place. While this has extremely significant impact upon our understanding of the end times as outlined in scripture, it should also help us to understand more deeply the extent of the sufferings of Christ. In my opinion, this is one reason why the apostles never ceased to teach and preach Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:42). It is the reason why the battle cry of people like the Moravian church was; "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering". Ought not this to be our cry in the church still? In light of what Jesus endured on man's behalf, it should not matter if we go to heaven or not. What matters is that He is worthy to receive, which He has endured so much for, all that which he deserves.

  "His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon Him (Psa 21:5)."

  "After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God (Rev 19:1)!"