Salvation is God Himself

[Ezra]

We have some on this board saying salvation is a thing, others that it is a process, others that it is a relationship. The Word of God teaches throughout that salvation is a Person -- the Lord Jesus Christ. His Name "JESUS" which is actually the Hebrew compound word Yahshua (Yah + shua) means "God is salvation" or "God is my salvation". He is the eternal YHWH and Elohim who became "flesh". "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt.1:21).

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ETERNAL LIFE IS GOD HIMSELF?
All we have to do is to read the Scriptures, and for our purposes, the Gospel of John will suffice:

THE FATHER AND THE SON THEMSELVES ARE ETERNAL LIFE AND ARE INSEPARABLE (John 5:26; 6:57; 8:16-18; 10:29,30,38; 12:44-45,49-50;14:7-11;16:15; 17:2-3,21,23)
CHRIST HIMSELF IS ETERNAL LIFE (John 5:39-40;6:27; 14:6)
CHRIST IS THE “BREAD OF GOD” WHO GIVES ETERNAL LIFE (John 6:33)
CHRIST IS THE “BREAD OF LIFE” WHO ETERNALLY SATISFIES (John 6:35,48-50)
CHRIST IS THE “LIVING BREAD” WHOM WE MUST “EAT” AND WHOSE BLOOD WE MUST “DRINK” (John 6:52-57)
CHRIST IS THE “BREAD FROM HEAVEN” – THE TRUE MANNA (John 5:58)
CHRIST IS THE “LIGHT OF LIFE” WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE (John 8:12; 9:4-5)
CHRIST IS THE “I AM” WHO GIVES ETERNAL LIFE (John8:23-24, 28-29)
CHRIST IS THE “DOOR” OF ETERNAL LIFE (John 10:7-9)
CHRIST IS THE “GOOD SHEPHERD” WHO GIVES HIS LIFE AND TAKES IT UP SO THAT HIS SHEEP MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (John 10:11-18; 25-28)
CHRIST IS THE “RESURRECTION AND THE [ETERNAL] LIFE” (John 11:25-26)
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE “WATER OF LIFE” WHO GIVES ETERNAL LIFE (John4:13-14; 7:37-39)
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ETERNAL LIFE (John 6:61-63)
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ETERNAL COMFORTER OF THE BELIEVER (John 14:16-18; 15:26)

Christ is our righteousness, He is our justification, He is our sanctification, He is our peace, and He will be our resurrection, our eternal life, and our glorification. May He and He alone receive the glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

[eldermike]

Is not our first birth an event, when some-thing happned to us, thus we have birthdays. Being born again is the method Jesus used to describe salvation.

 

[Ezra]

Today at 04:05 PM eldermike said this in Post #2 
Being born again is the method Jesus used to describe salvation.

Eldermike:Thanks for the question, and the answer is "Absolutely!" The second birth -- the new birth -- is a SUPERNATURAL event, and is an absolute necessity in order to have a living, loving relationship with the living God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

However, the problem today, it seems, is that we have almost forgotten that the new birth, the forgiveness of sins, the placing of believers into the Body, the justification, sanctification, glorification of the saints, are all the RESULTS of having received the living God by faith into our innermost being: "But as many as received HIM [God the Word, John 1:1-4], to them gave He power to come the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD" (John 1:12-13). The cause and effect connection is very clear.

We should not confuse CAUSE with RESULTS. In brief our salvation (spirit,soul, and body, or justification, sanctification and glorification) come about because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit take up their residence within us and give us a new heart, a "quickened spirit", and the gift of eternal life, and then and make it possible for us to fulfill all His commandments, which are summarized in LOVE [agape], which is actually God's love flowing out of us back to Him, then to our spouses, then to our brethren in Christ, our "neighbour" [all mankind], and also our enemies [something easily forgotten!].

John gives us this insight, revealed through Divine inspiration: "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, GOD DWELLETH IN HIM, AND HE IN GOD. And we have known and believe the love [agape] that God hath to us. GOD IS LOVE; and He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 Jn.4:15-16). What a great and glorious and liberating truth!

 



 

 

[eldermike]

Amen

 

[Ragman]

Esra:

When Simeon laid eyes on the child Jesus in the temple he said, "Lord, let your servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation."

Salvation is indeed Christ Himself. Heaven is heaven not because of it's geography, but because of Who is there.