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"How
could she act like that and still call herself a
Christian?"
"Is
he still saved, I heard he left his wife for another
woman?"
You've
probably heard these questions asked and maybe asked them
yourself at some time. It's true that people often act in ways
that make you question their Christianity.
And
what about you?
Have
you ever committed some really serious sin that has caused you
to wonder if you're going to make it into heaven? Have you
backslidden from the Lord and can't seem to find your way back?
Or
are you searching for the truth and don’t know if Jesus Christ
and Christianity is the right way to go.
Well,
I've got good news for you, and it has nothing to do with your
car insurance. (Maybe a little to do with your fire insurance)
Once
you are biblically born again your eternal destination is
sealed! You’re bound for Heaven and you're sure to get there!
Which
brings us to the all-important question; "So, I'm Born
Again... NOW WHAT???"
Well,
here's the answer, the first thing we must understand is:
Salvation
Comes in Threes.
There
are three levels to salvation, each affecting a different part
of your being at a different time in a different way.
The
Three Levels of Salvation are:
| (1)
The Regeneration of the Spirit |
| (2)
The Restoration of the Soul |
| (3)
The Transfiguration of the Body |
In
strictly biblical terms we call them:
| (1)
Justification |
| (2) Sanctification |
| (3) Glorification |
1st
Corinthians 6:11 says, “And such were some of you: 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.”
Romans
8:30 says, “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also
called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and
whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
(Bold Type and Italics Mine)
The
Three-Phased Process of Salvation goes like this:
When
you believe the Gospel, repent, confess and receive Jesus Christ
as your savior your spirit is regenerated and you become justified
or just as if you had never sinned!
Here,
your personal salvation experience begins!
As
you submit to the Lordship of Christ and obey His commands in
your thoughts, words and actions, your mind becomes renewed and
restored to the principles of God’s kingdom and you become
more and more separated from the influences of Sin.
This
is called sanctification, and your salvation experience
continues!
As
you learn to allow the nature of Christ within you to have
dominion over your flesh, the holiness of His presence within
you begins to manifest externally through a Godly radiance that
is perceived rather than actually seen.
In
other words, His Spirit within you glows with the glory of God
and this spiritual light attracts others and exposes them to the
character of Christ in you! “Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven,” Mt 5:16.
Here,
the process of glorification begins!
It
will escalate during The Rapture when God eliminates your
tainted physical body and instantly recreates a brand new,
totally sinless body, so that the inner glory of God, which was
limited in it's outward expression by your tainted body can now
be fully manifested through your new, perfect body that's
sinless and literally made in heaven! This prepares you to enter
Heaven with your new glorified body.
After
entering heaven, you will experience the Judgment Seat of Christ
and assigned your permanent status in the kingdom of God! (2 Co
5:10) You will have a specific level of Divine radiance
emanating from your spirit through your transfigured body, which
is consistent with your level of submission and obedience to God
while on earth! (Dan. 12:3)
Here
the process of glorification is complete. And so is the
experience of salvation as it pertains to this age!
At
the close of the Great Tribulation period and just before
the New Millennium begins, you will return to earth with
Christ, justified, sanctified and glorified! (Jude 1:14; Re
19:14) At that time, a completely new phase of your salvation
experience will begin!
Here
is a summary of The 3 Levels of Salvation:
(1)
The Salvation of the Spirit - This
is known as Justification (separation from the penalty of
sin, which is eternity in the Lake of Fire).
It's instantaneous and qualifies you for heaven by changing
your nature from human to divine, from Adamic to Christlike. It
is a permanent, miraculous work that God accomplishes
through the regeneration of the human spirit or becoming Born
Again!
The
Bible says, “I
will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…”
Eze 36:26
(2) The
Salvation of the Soul -
This is known as Sanctification (separation from the
seduction of sin).
This is progressive and qualifies you to govern the earth with
Jesus during His thousand-year reign by changing your character
to resemble His. Since the
soul and the mind are synonymous you accomplish this by
renewing your mind in the word of God daily and by being
consistently obedient to the Holy Spirit.
This is what's meant by, “work
out your salvation with fear and
trembling.” It’s all about building Christian character
day-by-day.
The
Bible says, “…Receive
with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls.” James 1:21
(3)
The
Salvation of the Body - This is known as Glorification
(physical dominion over the effects of sin).
This is progressive and qualifies you to reign with Christ in
paradise on the New Earth for all eternity. The process of
Glorification begins the moment you’re born again and
continues every day you live in submission and obedience to God.
This gradual physical transformation is manifested in the
ability to live above sickness and poverty in this present
world. It will escalate during the translation of the
body in the Rapture and will culminate after the Judgment Seat
of Christ, ending in total victory over sin, sickness and death!
The
Bible says, “…Waiting
for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the
salvation of our bodies.” Rom 8:23 (Bible in Basic
English)
Here’s
a point to note:
When a
Christian falls into sin, no matter how grievous it is, it does not
mean that he has lost his salvation.
You
cannot lose your salvation!
All
it means is that he still needs work done on his character (his
soul). The salvation of his soul or mind is progressive; he's in
the process of becoming sanctified, just as his body is in the
process of becoming glorified.
His
new nature (born again spirit) means that he is saved
(permanently bound for Heaven), but his character (soul/mind)
needs more work done concerning the separation from the
seduction of sin.
Another
point to note:
Knowing that our salvation is permanent and cannot be lost
does not give us liberty to sin. It gives us a greater reason to
live holy and please God our Father in response to His amazing
love.
Not
only this, but we also understand that even though born again
Christians are not in danger of hell, every one of us Christians
will still be judged by a Just and Holy God at the
Judgment Seat of Christ!
We
will all answer for how we lived our lives on earth and give an
account of how we managed the resources of God. If we’ve done
well, great, but if not, there’s going to be a judgment that
will NOT be a pleasant experience, at all.
Remember,
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God!” (Heb 10:31)
The
Bible says, “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand
and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness,
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt 22:13)
“But
the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt
8:12)
This,
my friends has nothing to do with unsaved people, notice
carefully it’s the “children of the kingdom” that are cast
into outer darkness, this is part of the judgment for
disobedient Christians. So, if you think the doctrine of “Once
saved, always saved” is a license to sin… Think again!
Every
person that has ever lived on planet earth will stand before
Almighty God and be judged, in one way or another; you can take
that to the bank!
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Attention! 
