How is one saved?

Here is a story of a young man who made salvation incredibly difficult and was set right in a Methodist revival....

The Life of George Clark Rankin

We are saved through faith in Christ and his redemptive work.

If you are clinging to anything but Christ to be saved, it will fail you. Even if you add to his work, it will fail you. You must wholly rely and trust in him, resting alone in what he did for sinners like you to be right with God.

I believe God has His ways of humbling us, revealing our sin, convicting, tearing down our walls of resistance, illuminating our understanding to the Gospel etc., but it is still us who must make the choice...He won't choose for us.

Are we predestined to be saved or is it a matter of free will? Is that your question? I really don't have an answer. If you believe in Jesus and follow him and love him as your God and master, and believe in the trinity. In others words h you know who God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit is. That there is only ONE GOD in three beings.

Ephesians 2
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

SayaOtonashi said:

Do we choice to be saved or is it already given? I mean God knows all is there a point? Than again John 3:16 is who ever believe in Jesus. Wouldn't that mean we have a choice? Even God tried to warn us of our actions. He didn't create us to love us automatically but to pick or is free will a lie?

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One is saved when they turn away from themselves being lord of their own life, and allow Jesus to become the Lord of their life. That is really the essence of it... surrendering in their heart to God and allowing Him free reign to clean house and recreate you in the image He desires.

God has the ability and the right to choose those to whom He will grant the new birth. We desparately need the new birth to be free of Satan's grasp.

1 John 5
19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

We can give ourselves faith. It comes from God. He helps Christians from beginning to end. He helps us overcome sin.

1 Corinthians 1
4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you already have faith, it is a gift of God. We love Him because He first loved us and Jesus said we will keep His commandments if we love.

Rom 10:13 For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Your answer....faith comes through hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. God does not force His knowledge on anyone....He puts it out there and we receive or reject Him.

The unbelieving sinner is like the prodigal son spiraling down into a pigsty in this life, but along the way his own bad choices bring him to his senses and he has a choice: He can choose to: hang in there, be macho, pay the piper, accept the punishment he fully deserves and maintain some kind of (false) pride or he can wimp out, give up and surrender to his enemy God, while God is still his enemy. He fully deserves to be tortured to death for his previous war crimes, but all he has to do is be humbly willing to accept undeserved charity from God (his enemy). Trust the fact that this might happen, that God has a huge illogical Love.

SayaOtonashi said:

God knows all is there a point?

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Yes, God knows.

Is there a point? Yes. He knows, but it still needs to be done. And it is so good, what He will do with us.

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29)

God knows this, but now we need how He does this, in us.

And God knew who would trust in Jesus and be saved; even so, we have needed to trust in Jesus; it has not been enough for God to know this; our Apostle Paul says >

"we who first trusted in Christ", in Ephesians 1:12.

So, we have needed how God brought us to trust in His Son. It has not only been getting ourselves to choose Him, but how God had us trusting in Him.

SayaOtonashi said:

Do we choice to be saved or is it already given? I mean God knows all is there a point? Than again John 3:16 is who ever believe in Jesus. Wouldn't that mean we have a choice? Even God tried to warn us of our actions. He didn't create us to love us automatically but to pick or is free will a lie?

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Predestination and divine election are a comfort and encouragement to a believer. And is taught throughout scripture. Ephesians 1:1-11 speaks of such truths as Paul sets forth in this chapter. Your first question is answered in vs 4 and 5 where it states “according as He hath CHOSEN us in Him before the foundation of the world... having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of HIS WILL.” Romans 9:16 answers your last question “ so then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.”

I believe the Lord sums things up in John 3:16-21 & John 5:22-30 (mainly John 5:28-29). Either believe on Him & do good to others or to those who honestly did not understand Him, there will be a judgment of their works (some saved, others not).

SayaOtonashi said:

Do we choice to be saved or is it already given? I mean God knows all is there a point? Than again John 3:16 is who ever believe in Jesus. Wouldn't that mean we have a choice? Even God tried to warn us of our actions. He didn't create us to love us automatically but to pick or is free will a lie?

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Acts 16:30,31 "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved"

Doesn't that imply choice on the individuals part?

Now you entitled the thread "How is one saved?" A person is saved by trusting in Jesus to save him, this being apart viewing salvation as contingent upon some kind of work on our part as it says, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Eph 2:8,9 and "What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works" Rom 4:3-6

SayaOtonashi said:

So what is predestined in the bible? I mean is one saved already?

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God wills us to be saved is predestined but if we do not repent we die. ( see 2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 18:4-9, Psalms 15, John 5:28-29 etc.). We must cooperate in trying to do good in our repentance ( Acts of the Apostles 26:16-20, Romans 11:22, Ephesians 2:8-10 etc.).

Later edit & correction: I had originally linked Ezekiel 18:9-14 above but meant Ezekiel 18:4-9.

SayaOtonashi said:

Do we choice to be saved or is it already given? I mean God knows all is there a point? Than again John 3:16 is who ever believe in Jesus. Wouldn't that mean we have a choice? Even God tried to warn us of our actions. He didn't create us to love us automatically but to pick or is free will a lie?

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From Adam on man has had a choice. And God has been patiently working with humanity since then to steer us into making the right choice, reversing Adam's decision so to speak, without forcing us or predetermining the choice. All of human history is about this very drama; what will each of us do, how will we choose to live our lives with the help of whatever amount of grace we're given?

SayaOtonashi said:

Do we choice to be saved or is it already given? I mean God knows all is there a point? Than again John 3:16 is who ever believe in Jesus. Wouldn't that mean we have a choice? Even God tried to warn us of our actions. He didn't create us to love us automatically but to pick or is free will a lie?

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I think the salvation is offered for all, but everyone can choose if they want to receive it or not.

Man is saved by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8,9). That’s not hard to understand. It’s just hard for many people to ACCEPT.