Eternal Life / Salvation. What it takes to be "saved", and more importantly, remaining "saved"

Eternal Life / Salvation.

What it takes to be "saved",

and more importantly, 

remaining "saved".

I believe all the "work" for my salvation has been done by the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that I have been "saved" ( past tense ) by His Grace ( undeserved mercy )

through Faith ( my trusting in Him and His work in the Cross on my behalf ).

Ephesians 2:8,9 is where I first saw and understood the gift of God's salvation had nothing to do with my efforts.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. 

And this is not your own doing; 

it is the gift of God, 

not a result of works, 

so that no one may boast. 

And Verse 10 does mention "works", but only that we "should" walk in them ( not that we had to or automatically would ).

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

And as a born again believer, I then have the choice to serve or not serve my Lord.

Everything in scripture encourages us to Serve the Lord, and to become a Disciple,

but it's a separate decision ( and truly needs to be renewed each day ).

Some will believe and not service. 

Referencing John 12:42

Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

and the result of living for yourself and not the Lord results in your "works" being burned up, but you are still "saved".

I Cor. 3:10-15

 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 

If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

And unfortunately, most Christians remain "babes" in Christ. 

Never growing into the close relationship the Father wants to have with each of His children.

Paul spent a lot of time with the Corinthian church, and we have two long letters he wrote to them.

He longed for them to understand the fullness of their new life in Christ.

Many of them struggled to follow the teachings and example Paul offered to them.

But he never questioned their eternal salvation.

There are many verses that assure us of our "permanent" new relationship with God,

once we are "saved" ( by trusting Christ as our Saviour ).

Such as that fact we are born again - now children of God,

John 1:12,13

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 

who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

* We will not come into judgement,

John 5:24,

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. 

He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

And I have always referenced 1st John 5:13, because John writes that we can know ( as a fact ), that we possess eternal life ( NOW ).

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

And even if we "deny" Him, He can not deny Himself ( we become part of the Body of Christ when we believe ).

Serving and "suffering" results in rewards, but a lack of service will not keep Jesus from "saving" His beloved child.

2 Timothy 2: 10 - 13

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, 
that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 

The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

I know there are several passages that might be taught by others to say we have "our part" to do,

but I don't believe those passages ( like Phil. 2:10 and James chapter 2 ) are referring to our eternal "salvation".

I recently found this Video on "working out" your salvation

( what it means and does not mean ),

see:

https://youtu.be/gm8WqoJ4WZo

And this one on the topic of "Denying" Christ,

https://youtu.be/4JswUNzJ5w4

More information about Eternal Life and Salvation can be found here:

Grace Evangelical Society

https://faithalone.org/

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

Looking to the Return of Jesus Christ at the end of the age

What should be our mindset?

Hebrews 13:14

For here we have no lasting city, 

but we seek the city that is to come.

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, 

and being sober-minded, 

set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you 

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And what are we to be doing?

I Peter 4:10,11

As each has received a gift, 

use it to serve one another, 

as good stewards of God's varied grace: 

whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; 

whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies

—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. 

To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. 

Amen.

From the English Standard Version

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

SHORT Video = https://youtube.com/shorts/cKmj4gh7ofA

Rapture just before the Wrath ( before 7th Seal ) = Pre-Wrath Theory

Most people have heard of the three common theories on when the Rapture 

( aka the return of Christ, when believers are transformed and united with Him ),

as

Pre-Trib ( before the Great Tribulation period begins )

Post-Trib ( at the end of the Great Tribulation )

Mid-Trib ( at the middle or the 3 1/2 year mark, assuming a 7 year Great Tribulation time frame ).

But have you heard of the Pre-Wrath Rapture?

It is a variation of "Mid-Trib".

Not necessarily at the "middle", but before the 7th Seal ( which contains the Wrath of God ),

and some think before or at the 6th Seal.

No mention of the "wrath of God" occurs with the first 5 Seals.

I can think of several scriptures that would seem to support this scenario.

I Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 9

For God did not appoint us to wrath,

but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15 - 19

We see the LAST Trumpet:

You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 
And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, 

 

Revelation chapters 15 and 16 ( basically the whole chapter ),

tells us who these plagues are poured out on.

"on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. "

AND in chapter 16 verse 14,

we see the ungodly coming to fight against God.

This makes a lot of sense

if Jesus had already come back to Jerusalem.

We ( the resurrected and "Raptured" believers ) would be with Him

( and thus fully protected from the Wrath being poured out on the rest of the earth ).

***

But I'm not "convinced" of a "pre-wrath rapture"

because the "gathering" and the "coming" of Jesus Christ

seems to include His Visible Return,

when every eye will see him.

And that is when He slays the wicked.

In Matthew 24:30,31 we read,

"And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, 

and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, 

and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky 

with power and great glory. 

And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet 

and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, 

from one end of the sky to the other.

AND the passage in Revelation 19:11-21

Noting Verse 11 =

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

Verse 15 =  

From His mouth comes a sharp sword, 

so that with it He may strike down the nations, 

and He will rule them with a rod of iron; 

and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, 

the Almighty.

Verse 21 = 

And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh

So many "theories" 

and so many books / preachers out there.

Don't be discouraged. 

Pray - Read - Pray some more.

God is more than able to show you the way.

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day