What level of hard is it to achieve Salvation?

[Frosty Cook]

I believe God's grace is sufficient. We all struggle with sin. And if we confess our sins, or sinfulness, He is faithful and just to forgive us. We have an advocate with the Father, pleading our cause, the man Christ Jesus. If we remain humble and saddened by our sin He knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.

What are we commanded to do to be saved? In my understanding we are to repent, be water baptized, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, let me say this... God will save whomever He desires, even if they aren't baptized. God is merciful. I'm simply saying that I believe that if one repents, is water baptized, and filled with the Spirit one can be assured they are born again. Again, this is my understanding.

Once saved, what must we do? Again... this is my understanding. And this is going to shock many. It's going to be extremely difficult, so brace yourself. You're almost going to wish you chose a different faith. Are you ready? Here's what we must do...

1.) Love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
2.) And demonstrate our love for God by... loving others as Christ loves us.

Notice, I didn't throw out a dress code. I didn't throw out a calendar to observe. I didn't throw out a dietary requirement. I didn't throw out a long list of do's and don'ts. Why? Because if you truly love others... you'll abstain from sin. You won't lie to someone you love. You won't kill or harm someone you love. You won't use and exploit someone you love. You won't steal from someone you love. You won't curse at someone you love. You won't be jealous and covetous about the lives of those you love. The secret is actually rather simple... love. Genuine love. All sin can be traced back to a failure to love God and love others. If you're stealing from someone, you don't love them enough. If you're unfaithful to a spouse, your love for them is lacking. If you're neglecting prayer and worship, you're love for God is lacking. Pray that you be baptized with God's love and then pour that love out into your life and into the lives of those around you. I firmly believe that in the judgment, every thought, word, deed, and intention will be judged as to if it was... loving. Not religious. Not spiritual. Not in accordance to some tradition... but how does it measure up to the command to love God and our fellow man.

You can live above sin by living a life of love.

When we fail to love and cater to the flesh and the carnal mind... we sin.

Our sin can do many things. It most assuredly robs us of joy and peace, because we are not walking in the fullness of the new nature imparted to us through the Holy Spirit. And so, one's life might be marked with a lack of joy, depression, anxiety, a short temper, nightmares, a sense of not pleasing your Heavenly Father, and so there is insecurity and an uneasiness that troubles us. We also find ourselves not living an authentic life as we try to hide our sin and act like someone we're not. These things not only effect our spiritual health, but our mental and even physical health. It is good for us spiritually, mentally, and physically to abstain from sin.

Now, are you lost as you grapple and come to grips with sin? No. You're a child in need of direction, love, and discipline. But you are not cast out like garbage. He DIED for you. God is full of mercy and grace. Mercy is not receiving what you deserve. Grace is receiving what you did not earn. To the one struggling with sin and suffering over their own behavior, do not fear God. He isn't going to dish out the Hell you deserve, He's going to continue calling you "son" and "daughter" through grace, what you don't deserve. Why? Because His love will win. Just accept His love and step away from the sin. It's hurting you. It's damaging you. It's damaging your life. You deserve to have joy, peace, and assurance. Cease the sin you struggle with by discovering where your love is lacking and work on that. An unfaithful spouse might struggle with guilt, shame, and remorse while in sin. But... upon learning to love their spouse more... they will be able to repent and cease that sin of unfaithfulness. Learn to LOVE.

Can sin cost us our soul?

Yes.

If we fail to address our sin and lack of love, our hearts grow hardened. We become desensitized to the pain and shame. We adapt and accommodate the sin. We begin to love the sin. Like an idol. Sin is always idolatry. Now we are in a territory called rebellion. Here we loose the ability to hear God's voice. And God often sends corrective judgments to wake us up and get us to turn to Him. This isn't out of anger or hatred towards you, but anger over what the sin is doing to you and you're allowing it. It's like the love of a parent, furious with the drug that is destroying their child and upset with their child's unwillingness to seek help and be set free.

Having said that... there comes a point in which one's hart becomes so hardened, so given over to sin, that they can no longer hear from God even if God's corrective judgments or confrontations come. Soon, one begins to lose their faith altogether. Soon, the things of God are trivial to them. And here they cross the line and God gives them over to their desires... and they become reprobate. Lost.

Worried or troubled that you have sinned and gone too far??? THAT'S WONDERFUL!!!! That means you've not gone too far! You're feeling convicted still. You're new nature is still alive and well in you clashing with your behavior. In fact, you're just a confession away from feeling the peace of God's grace. And time remains to refocus and learn to love in a way that will cause you to cease the sin and harm you're causing.

Many might disagree with what I've written here. And that's okay. I'm still learning after being born again for over 30 years. But this is my experience and my understanding.

God bless.

Chris

If Christ died and paid the price for your sins, then, you cannot lose your soul to hell by your sins. You can lose your fellowship with God, temporary, until you repent, but you never lose your eternal inheritance.

 

[BibleBeliever1611]

Achieving salvation is literally as easy as opening a door and walking through it.

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." - John 10:9

 

[Frosty Cook]

Achieving salvation is literally as easy as opening a door and walking through it.

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." - John 10:9

The tenth chapter is referencing Christ and his "sheep" (those that his Father has given him, John 6:37). The sheep are the ones that Christ died and paid for their sin, securing their eternal inheritance of heaven. Christ is the door and only those that hear his voice enter in, John 10:3-10.

The sheep have already secured a home in heaven by Christ's death. The word "saved" in verse 9, according to Greek interpretation ,means "delivered". They are saved (delivered) from being tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, Eph 4:14.

The "finding pasture," in verse 9, has reference to being taught the word of God which gives them the knowledge of God's righteousness.

The "life" in verse 10 harmonizes with the life in Matt 7:14 (the straight gate), which affords them an abundant life as they sojourn here in this world, having been revealed, by the Holy Spirit within them, the knowledge of the righteousness of God. The wide gate, being the rest of God's elect, which have their eternal inheritance secured, but are going about trying to establish their own righteousness, by the works of the law, and teaching others to do so.

 

[returntosender]

"Wide is the gate and broad is the way"

 

[returntosender]

"Achieving Salvation"...?

Are you being serious here...?

Anyway, each one will be judged by God only, and God only alone, each one individually according to all the very very many very high number of very many numerous individual factors that need to be factored in, and only all can all be factored in, only by God and God only and alone, for each specific and very unique, and very, very complex, individual life, etc...

Or if you'd like something simpler, then like the Bible says, "each one according to his or her own unique abilities, or inabilities", etc...

Which only God knows fully, etc...

It is not our place to ever judge another personally, etc...

And only ever address the issue of sins with them only if we are not judging them personally, or "very personally" in some cases that I've seen, etc...

If your there to help, then help, but do not condemn, or damn, especially not eternally, etc...

Not our place, etc...

And you just might be bringing a judgement against yourself, etc...

God Bless!

Samantics

 

[GenemZ]

Clearly not everyone has the same level of difficulty in achieving salvation. There are handicaps involved, and some people are born and raised in families with impeccable morals, and are trained at a young age to act holy, while some others, are born in what one might consider immoral environments, and are raised without morals. Others might have unbearable addictions or mental illnesses, like turrets syndrome, that cause them to curse at people or hurt their loved ones.

...So how heavy is the burden..? How hard is the yoke?

Many can get saved and not know they are saved. I was saved for ten years before it was revealed what had happened to me after I simply believed in Jesus Christ. Changed, transformed - and had no clue as to what taking me over supernaturally. Because, having been a Jew I had no indoctrination as to what takes place after one becomes regenerate.

They do not know, because there are so many false notions about salvation that people accept without knowing what the Word of God teaches.

And, some are confused about the second phase of salvation. The salvation of ones soul that requires one mature in grace and knowledge in order to enter into the peace spoken of for the saved.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his
great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end
result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Pet 1:3-9
​

Because we are saved, we enter into God ordained trials to test to see if our faith is genuine. Faith = what we believe.

If what we believe is based upon false doctrine? We will not find rest for our souls, and in many cases think we are not really saved.

grace and peace!

 

[renniks]

Clearly not everyone has the same level of difficulty in achieving salvation. There are handicaps involved, and some people are born and raised in families with impeccable morals, and are trained at a young age to act holy, while some others, are born in what one might consider immoral environments, and are raised without morals. Others might have unbearable addictions or mental illnesses, like turrets syndrome, that cause them to curse at people or hurt their loved ones.

...So how heavy is the burden..? How hard is the yoke?

How can salvation be hard when we do not save ourselves?
What is hard is to quit trying to do God's job.
Nothing we do saved us... God did all that. His one requirement is a trusting heart.
What can separate us from the love of Christ?
We can not lose what we did not earn.
However I do believe that we can forfeit it, by rejecting God's grace.

 

[GenemZ]

When Romans was written the meaning of the word "righteousness" did not hold the meaning as many have adopted today. It was not about morals as we see it. The Greeks had what we would see as horrible morals, yet developed the word to hold a specific meaning. Righteousness = fulfilling an obligation to the gods.

Paul adapted the word into Christianity. After all, someone can be highly moral, yet not saved to begin with. God's obligation is to believe in His Son. Then we have righteousness as God sees it.

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus
Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." 1 Jn 3:23​

When we live in that righteousness, we will find ourselves easily loving the brethren.

Love does not mean "lovingly approve." After all, Jesus rebuked Peter and called Peter "Satan." And, later told his disciples to love one another as He had loved them. Love is being honest and truthful, even when it hurts.

grace and peace!

 

[Frosty Cook]

Samantics

Yes, I am being serious here. The scriptures do not conflict with each other. They all harmonize with each other and none of them can be ignored if you are interested in seeking the truth.

 

[GenemZ]

"Achieving Salvation"...?

Are you being serious here...?

Probably, a better choice of words could have read more like....

..... "Accepting the need for salvation."​

After all. Self righteous people (especially, religious types) have a hard time in figuring out that they require salvation. They may see "weak sinners" as the ones in need, but not them. They think that God saves them by default because of their faithfulness to some religious way of life.

 

[GenemZ]

Achieving salvation is literally as easy as opening a door and walking through it.

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." - John 10:9

You do not open the door. Its always open before men.

 

[TedT]

What level of hard is it to achieve Salvation?

Since salvation for sin is all by GOD's work by grace and our work is of no use at all, the hardness of achieving salvation is absolute zero...unless we are stubborn and fight sanctification and get harshly disciplined over and over and over for loving sin...Heb 12:5-11.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Clearly not everyone has the same level of difficulty in achieving salvation. There are handicaps involved, and some people are born and raised in families with impeccable morals, and are trained at a young age to act holy, while some others, are born in what one might consider immoral environments, and are raised without morals. Others might have unbearable addictions or mental illnesses, like turrets syndrome, that cause them to curse at people or hurt their loved ones.

...So how heavy is the burden..? How hard is the yoke?

Your poll is wrong.

Scale of difficulty of "achieving our own Salvation"

Scale = 11. Impossible for man.

Scale of difficulty for the "gaining of our salvation"

Scale = 1. Easy for us because it was given, gifted.

That's not mentioning the cost to Christ Jesus, of course.

 

[stevevw]

Clearly not everyone has the same level of difficulty in achieving salvation. There are handicaps involved, and some people are born and raised in families with impeccable morals, and are trained at a young age to act holy, while some others, are born in what one might consider immoral environments, and are raised without morals. Others might have unbearable addictions or mental illnesses, like turrets syndrome, that cause them to curse at people or hurt their loved ones.

...So how heavy is the burden..? How hard is the yoke?

I think it’s an individual thing depending on your personality, temperament, upbringing, environment and experiences. Sometimes being in the gutter can be the turning point (rock bottom). Sometimes that turning point may not be a trivial matter such as letting a friend down or just feeling lonely and isolated yet that may feel like a rock bottom to the individual.

But I think the common denominator that makes it hard to be open to salvation is pride, letting go and allowing God in regardless of the situation. I have seen some go from what would seem from one gutter rock bottom to another and still resist giving in. Maybe some go past the point of no return and are damaged and no longer able to be honest with themselves.

In AA the saying is you have to "give in to win". Throw the towel in and admit you have a problem before you can be open to hand over to a higher power. For some that can take a devastating amount of problems for themselves and others.

But once a person gives in they are open to help and the higher power is often God and lives begin to change. But often salvation is not a sudden miraculous change but continual hard work facing up to oneself and the damage they have done.

But a new person is made in the end with the help of God giving them the strength. Without God it would be impossible. AA is just a reflection of life and I think its pretty similar for most who come to God and each has their own story to tell.

 

[Frosty Cook]

I think it’s an individual thing depending on your personality, temperament, upbringing, environment and experiences. Sometimes being in the gutter can be the turning point (rock bottom). Sometimes that turning point may not be a trivial matter such as letting a friend down or just feeling lonely and isolated yet that may feel like a rock bottom to the individual.

But I think the common denominator that makes it hard to be open to salvation is pride, letting go and allowing God in regardless of the situation. I have seen some go from what would seem from one gutter rock bottom to another and still resist giving in. Maybe some go past the point of no return and are damaged and no longer able to be honest with themselves.

In AA the saying is you have to "give in to win". Throw the towel in and admit you have a problem before you can be open to hand over to a higher power. For some that can take a devastating amount of problems for themselves and others.

But once a person gives in they are open to help and the higher power is often God and lives begin to change. But often salvation is not a sudden miraculous change but continual hard work facing up to oneself and the damage they have done.

But a new person is made in the end with the help of God giving them the strength. Without God it would be impossible. AA is just a reflection of life and I think its pretty similar for most who come to God and each has their own story to tell.

Salvation, according to Greek interpretation means "deliverance.

There is a one time eternal deliverance, which was successfully accomplished by Jesus death for the remission of sins for all of those that his Father gave him.

There are many deliverances, that are received here on earth, by the good works of God's born again children.

If the salvation scriptures are all viewed as eternal, they will tend to make you believe in eternal salvation by your good works, which is a false doctrine.

 

[stevevw]

Salvation, according to Greek interpretation means "deliverance.

There is a one time eternal deliverance, which was successfully accomplished by Jesus death for the remission of sins for all of those that his Father gave him.

There are many deliverances, that are received here on earth, by the good works of God's born again children.

If the salvation scriptures are all viewed as eternal, they will tend to make you believe in eternal salvation by your good works, which is a false doctrine.

I always find this concept hared to understand though I accept to on faith. Why some people receive Gods grace and others don't.

 

[Clare73]

I always find this concept hared to understand though I accept to on faith. Why some people receive Gods grace and others don't.

Perhaps this will help:

I find in Scripture that it is all God's specific design, for the pleasure (Rev 4:11) of showing forth the glory of his goodness, through the glory of his Son (Php 2:11; Eph 3:10, Eph 1:20-23; 1Co 15:24-28; Col 1:16-20; 1Co 1:18-20), to the principalities and powers in the heavenly realms (1 Co 11:10; Eph 3:8-11, Eph 2:6-7, Eph 6:12),

To that end, I see God as decreeing a controversy (cosmic fight) with Satan (destined to this purpose) in which
1) God's goodness, love, mercy, etc. will be glorified through the church (Eph 3:8-11) by the Son's redemption of her from Satan's work in her condemnation (Ro 5:18),
she being the glorious bride being prepared by the Father for his Son in the two-in-one infleshment of the marital union (Eph 5:31-32),
2) while his justice, righteousness, holiness, etc. will be glorified through Satan by overcoming him in such a way that
he will no longer contest (Job 1:9-11, Zec 3:1-2, Rev 12:10), but will be obliged to agree that God is just and right (Ro 3:4, Php 2:10-11).

God is Judge and, therefore, he will not only execute justice, but will oblige all to agree with it (Php 2:10-11),
for he will be cleared and vindicated of any charges of injustice when he judges (Ro 3:4).

 

[Frosty Cook]

I always find this concept hared to understand though I accept to on faith. Why some people receive Gods grace and others don't.

By the foreknowledge of God, he saw that none of mankind would seek him (Psalms 53:2).

Because of this, he choose most them, numbering as the sand of the seashore, and the stars in heaven, before he ever formed the world (Eph 1:4), and predetermined that they would be adopted by Jesus as his children (Eph 1:5).

These are the people that God gave to his Son to be a sacrifice for their sins (John 6:37-40)

 

[renniks]

What I'm focusing on, for the most part, is sin. Not everyone has been blessed equally in being capable of resisting sin.

So I don't quite understand the fixation I've seen before, where people condemn other people, or think badly about other people because of their current sins... It could even be, that the effort, and acknowledgement, and personal drive to resist sin is what's most important. More important even than whether we actually do fall into sin - which is always an unfortunate tragedy for the true believer.

Where does this idea come from that if you commit a sin you suddenly lost your salvation?
Everyone sins every day. If that were the case no one could be saved, but fortunately it is not the case.

 

[Frosty Cook]

Where does this idea come from that if you commit a sin you suddenly lost your salvation?
Everyone sins every day. If that were the case no one could be saved, but fortunately it is not the case.

There are many scriptures that are misinterpreted, which lead people into thinking that they lose their eternal salvation because they do not understand the difference between their eternal deliverance, and their timely deliverances.

The parable of the father and his two sons is an example. The one son who left home and came unto himself in the pig pen was always his father's son, just a disobedient son. who repented, and was delivered from his mistake.