Born-Again
Perspective

J. GRESHAM MACHEN (1923)

“According to Christian belief, Jesus is our Savior, not by virtue of what He said, not even by virtue of what He was, but by what He did. He is our Savior, not because He has inspired us to live the same kind of life that He lived, but because He took upon Himself the dreadful guilt of our sins and bore it instead of us on the cross. Such is the Christian conception of the Cross of Christ.”

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ASKED…

Are you saved?

JESUS SAVES!

Saved from what?
That’s silly, we’ll all be resurrected!
When? Now or later?
I’ve asked Jesus to save me lots of times.
What about obedience? You can’t just live however you want?

LDS Church resources try to help their members with the question, “Have you ever been saved?”

Latter-day Saints can be confused or even offended.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. True to The Faith, Salvation. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/salvation?lang=eng

WHAT ARE THOSE “VARIOUS MEANINGS”?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. True to The Faith, Salvation. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/salvation?lang=eng

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. True to The Faith, Salvation. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/salvation?lang=eng

1. Universal Salvation

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. True to The Faith, Salvation. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/salvation?lang=eng

2. FUTURE SALVATION FOR THE FAITHFUL

THE PLAN OF SALVATION

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. True to The Faith, Salvation. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/salvation?lang=eng

3. A PROCESS OF COVENANTS & SACRAMENTS

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. True to The Faith, Salvation. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/salvation?lang=eng

4. CONDITIONED UPON OBEDIENCE

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Book of Mormon. 2 Nephi 25. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/25?lang=eng

5. SAVED BY GRACE “AFTER” WORKS

2 NEPHI 25:23

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Pearl of Great Price, Articles of Faith. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng

5. SAVED BY GRACE “AFTER” WORKS

Article 3

Stop: Let’s REVIEW

Let’s REVIEW

Attainment to the Celestial Kingdom is achieved by:

An act of faith.
Taking the sacraments.
Submitting to the ordinances.
God’s grace after all we can do.

Salvation in LDS teaching refers to two different parts of Heavenly Father’s plan:

Universal resurrection from the dead
Individual attainment to the celestial kingdom

Born-Again
Perspective

CHARLES SPURGEON (1834–1892)

“The sinner is the gospel’s reason for existence. You, my friend, to whom this word now comes, if you are undeserving, ill-deserving, hell-deserving, you are the sort of man for whom the gospel is ordained, and arranged, and proclaimed.”

WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL
VIEW OF SALVATION?

WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL VIEW OF SALVATION?

Biblical salvation is about one thing, and that one thing is the central theme of the entire Bible.

When born-again Christians speak of salvation, they mean this: Through the perfect life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, God saves individuals from the wrath their sin deserves.

Let’s unpack that statement.

Romans 1:18

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.”

John 3:36

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death.”

Biblical Salvation IS…

1. NECESSARY—MAN IS SUBJECT TO GOD’S WRATH.

1 Corinthians 1:18

“The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”

Acts 2:47

“And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

1 John 5:12

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Biblical Salvation IS…

2. INDIVIDUAL—SOME ARE SAVED; SOME ARE NOT.

Biblical Salvation IS…

Romans 6:10

“For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God.”

3. COMPLETE—JESUS IS ENOUGH.

Hebrews 9:12

“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 10:12

“When Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”

See also John 19:30; Matthew 27:51; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22.

Biblical Salvation IS…

Ephesians 2:8-9

“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.”

4. GRACIOUS—SALVATION IS GOD’S FREE GIFT.

Titus 3:4-5

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy….”

Biblical Salvation IS…

1 Peter 2:24

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

5. SUBSTITUTIONARY—GOD IS BOTH JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER.

1 John 4:10

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Biblical Salvation IS…

Luke 23:42-43

“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

6. IMMEDIATE—GOD GRANTS SALVATION IMMEDIATELY UPON FAITH.

Romans 10:9-10

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Luke 7:50

“He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’”

See also Acts 10:34-48; 16:14-15; and 16:25-33.

Biblical Salvation IS…

Hebrews 10:23-24

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

7. TRANSFORMATIONAL—BIBLICAL SALVATION PRODUCES GODLINESS.

Ephesians 5:8

“At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

Romans 6:1-2

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

UNSAVED AND SAVED: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

LUKE 18:9–14

Conclusion

Do you now understand the question—“Are you saved”?
Do you understand how to make this salvation your own?
Have you ever made the Bible’s salvation your own?