Why are you a Southern Baptist? Part 4

The Doctrine of Salvation

“Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.”

An absolute bedrock of Christianity is that salvation is a gift from God. (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 1:4-6)

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Ephesians 1:4–6 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Salvation comes from God, and there is nothing you and I can do to merit God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Salvation is a process. It has a time element to it. You were saved, you are being saved, and you will be saved. (Eph. 4:30, 1:13-14)

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

You see the time element in those verses. I was saved when I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I am being saved as I am being sanctified on my Christian journey, and I will be saved, glorified, in the future.

There are four elements involved in salvation. Those four elements are regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

1. REGENERATION

Regeneration is the new birth. We call it being born-again. It is a gift of God’s grace through faith.

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Regeneration occurs instantaneously at the moment of salvation, and it is accomplished by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:13–14 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”

You become a new person when you are saved. You are saved from a life of sin to a new life.

Romans 6:1–4 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

You are saved from a life of sin, and proof of that salvation is that you repent from your sinful lifestyle. In other words, you turn from a life of sin. It does not mean that you will never sin. It means that you will not seek sin.

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. You cannot say you have faith in Jesus yet continue living in sin.

Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”

Matthew 9:13 “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

Preachers have gotten away from preaching this, but if there is no repentance, there is no salvation.

The woman caught in adultery is a perfect example of the importance of repentance to salvation.

John 8:10–11 “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Jesus bore this woman’s condemnation on Calvary just He bore my condemnation and yours. No one could condemn this woman because Jesus became her guilt, but proof of her new life would be proven by repentance, by turning away, from her previous life.

How could she, if she was a new creature, continue in the lifestyle of the old creature? If she continued in her old lifestyle, was she truly regenerated? NO!!!!

I wished we would understand this fact. Being born-again means that we are born to a new life, a life that is supposed to be Christlike.

Regeneration is a one-time act of the Holy Spirit performed instantaneously at the moment of salvation.

2. JUSTIFICATION

This is the element of salvation many miss, especially those who believe works play a role in salvation.

Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ.

It is Jesus Christ who is the justifier. It is He who brings the repentant believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God.

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that makes me acceptable before God. Jesus justifies me before the heavenly Father. There is nothing that I can do to justify myself before God because I am a sinner, and God is holy.

How could those two character traits ever find common ground? How could I as a sinner ever be justified before a righteous and holy God?

The only way I could be justified was to become righteous, and since I am a sinner, righteousness is unattainable on my own, but it is attainable through Jesus Christ, and it is Jesus who justifies me before God. I stand totally upon Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:10–12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Since I am not righteous in my own nature, and since only One is good, to be justified, I must throw myself at the mercy of Jesus Christ who wraps me in His righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10–11 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, And as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth Before all the nations.”

Romans 8:1–4 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

If you are saved, you are justified before God by Christ. Works play no part in your justification. It is Christ who justifies.

Matthew 7:22–23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Nothing I could ever do would justify me before God. It is Christ who justifies. Justification is a one-time act occurring instantaneously at the moment of salvation.

In the Spring of 1979 at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, I was regenerated and justified. It was a one-time event.

Romans 3:24–26 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

Romans 8:38–39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Why can nothing separate me from the love of God?

Because I have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, and whatever or whoever may try to separate me from God cannot because it is Christ who is my justifier.

To separate me from the love of God, you would have to separate Jesus from God, and there is absolutely nothing or no one that can do that.

3. SANCTIFICATION

The Baptist Faith and Message says this about sanctification.

“Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.”

When you were born-again, when you were regenerated, you were sanctified which means you were set apart to God’s purposes.

1 Corinthians 6:11 “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.”

I have said this several times lately, so the Lord must be trying to tell us or me something. The last independent decision you should ever make is the decision to be born-again. After that decision, you have been set apart to use as God sees fit.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Initially, when you were saved, you were forever sanctified.

1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”

You have been once-forever separated unto God. It is that initial sanctification that connects the Christian with Christ.

Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

As we mature in the faith, however, we are to become more and more Christlike. It is called progressive or continual sanctification.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

How do you grow in grace and in knowledge? How do you become more Christlike? Through obedience.

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

1 Peter 1:15 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;”

****Now, this gets a little tricky, and we do not have time to read the complete New Testament tonight, but to become more Christlike, to be continue in sanctification, as Christ was obedient to the Father, you must be obedient to what Christ commands in His Word.****

You must be willing to say as Christ said in the Garden. “Not my will Father, but yours.” That is why you must understand that deciding to be born-again is the last independent decision you make because when you make that decision, you are completely placing yourself in the will of the Father who has a purpose for you.

The problem is that many Christians have trouble with that word obedience/submission, and as a result, they continues as babes in Christ instead of maturing into spiritual adults.

1 Corinthians 3:1–2 “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”

As you continue on your Christian journey, submitting to the Father’s should be less of an issue in your life. It is called becoming a mature Christian, but the key is obedience. If you are disobedient to what God’s Word says, you will not be Christlike.

Sanctification is both a one-time and continuing event.

4. GLORIFICATION

The fourth element of salvation is glorification.

Glorification is the culmination of salvation. It is the future aspect of salvation.

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:

in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

The indwelling Holy Spirit is the promise and guarantee of your future redemption. As soon as I die, my soul, which has already been saved, will go to heaven, and my sinful body goes into the grave, but Christ died for my body and soul.

As a result, one of these days, my body will be redeemed. My body will be like Christ’s body.

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

1 Corinthians 15:50–54 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“Linda, do you know the awesome, great, and incredible thing about this future event?”

God sees it as it has already happened because Jesus Christ prayed that it would happen while He was on earth.

Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

John 17:20–24 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

Jesus Christ prayed for me while He was on earth, and in His prayer He told the Father that He had given me the glory that the Father had given Him, and He prayed that I be with Him forever where He is and that I behold His glory, and dear friend, Jesus Christ has never and will never have offer a prayer that goes unanswered.

AMEN!!!!

The four elements of salvation are regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.